As Europe and the UK slowly awake from a deep viral slumber, I feel extremely pleased to report that my novel is now an e-book on Amazon with a launch date of 1 June. I still have much more work to do so the next hurdle is to create a paperback version. I am lucky enough to be working with my partner who does the proof reading, editing and grapples with the mechanics of self-publishing, so I can continue to write. Every now and then, she asks me a question, " Do we go for a royalty scheme of 35% or 70%?" or "What 7 key words should we have to describe the book?" and "How do I put an RSS feed on the website?" I look bemused and shrug my shoulders. The challenge of self publishing strikes me as similar to walking through a maze. You have to negotiate your way through a complex network of passages and paths and hedges to find your way out. Locating the exit seems a logical and simple process yet you hit a dead end at every turn. When the way ahead has been blocked for the third time, you cannot remember where you came from and every direction is clearly wrong, it is a nightmare. Most fellow pilgrims are wondering about as confused as you are yet there are always a few dedicated explorers with an inbuilt satellite navigation system who find the way out before nightfall! Patience and a systematic approach to find your own route to the end is the key. A maze or labyrinth is an ancient symbol which relates to wholeness. It represents a journey to our own centre and back out again into the world which is strangely like writing a novel. Ah, at last, I can see the way out!
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