I published my  Kindle novel, ‘The Story Menders’, on 9 January, so it’s been on the Amazon site for nearly five months now. When I first saw it on the screen I felt really excited, but at the same time pretty apprehensive, because like all new authors, I imagine, I wondered if anyone would buy my book.

The real problem has been marketing. I told all my friends and family about it, and sold two copies. I joined Goodreads, Shelfari and an Amazon forum and sold three more, as well as getting some people to look at my book. So now I’m wondering what to do next. I’ve been looking at Smashwords which seems to offer wider distribution and which is recommended by various people on the forums, but I’m uncertain about whether it will achieve very much or whether it just exposes me to another forum.

It must be great to be a celebrity or someone with an influential group of friends, because then one gets an agent, one’s book is published and displayed prominently, and critics fall over themselves to write reviews. Still, it’s no good being depressed. At least up to now it has only cost me, and my wonderful technical expert of course, time rather than money, and if I manage to sell another four books I can get my first royalty payment!