I hadn’t planned on taking up a new career in my 70s but there it is. I have now added ‘publisher’ to the list of hats I’ve worn in my life. Never wanted to be one, but needs must, and after many a setback and hiccup, Dr Dan’s Casebook is out tomorrow. The novel that eighteen publishers rejected. I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Some of you have asked me to clarify what self-publishing means to the prospective reader, and also to ask, what can they do to help. I hope the following answers all your queries.

To publish Dr Dan, I have used the self-publishing platform offered by Amazon. This means the book  –  paperback and electronic  –  will only be available through Amazon. I know that the A word is anathema to supporters of independent bookshops, but as a newcomer to the business I have had to choose the easiest, cheapest and most idiot-proof route. And believe me, I have put that last feature to the test.

The most helpful things you can do are to buy and to spread the word. If you buy the book and enjoy it, please post a review on Amazon. Reviews are very powerful. If you don’t feel able to hold your nose and buy from Amazon, how about asking your library to get it for you? Though the wheels grind slow, library requests do bear fruit, eventually, and library loans are a small but important income stream for me.

Meanwhile, I’m back at the coalface, preparing the next book.  Laurie Graham, scribbler, matriarch, bottler and pickler, retired pantomime fairy and now, publisher. Where will it all end? (Rhetorical).

Oh, and I almost forgot to say, I know the new book isn’t up on my homepage yet. The graphics department are backed up with work but my web-maestra promises me it’ll be there soon.