I never thought I would write a blog.  Blogging seemed to me something alien, reserved for youngsters and computer nerds.  Yet here I am, having a go.  After all, I tell myself, it’s not much different from chatting to your friends, the only difference being that you actually get to finish what you started to say.  Whether I shall have anything worth saying is another matter and whether anyone will want to read it gives me cause to hesitate.
What shall I write about is the first question.  I haven’t been on any exciting journeys lately, nor have I won the lottery.  In fact my life seems to be centred on the computer these days, writing begging letters to agents and publishers alike, hoping to dazzle them with my wit and perspicacity so that they will beg me to send them my latest manuscript and offer me a stunning fee in exchange.  No such luck.
That is why I have turned to self publishing.  It sounded so easy when I read the blurb on the internet and it was either free or available for such a small amount that it was inconsequential.  Alas, things are not all that they seem.  Perseverance is the name of the game and after weeks of false starts and returned proofs I published my first book.  The pleasure experienced is second only to the moment when you type the last full stop on the final page of your novel.  And, like that sensation, it too turns out to be only a fleeting moment of joy.  Just as you then realise that your hero, whom you started out calling Roy, has now changed his name to Fred and you have to trawl through the manuscript to check each reference to him, so your finally published book turns out to be available only in a restricted market and you have to start all over again.  This is what happened when I published with Createspace, who distribute only in the United States.  True you can buy it through Amazon.com but the extra cost of postage and the delay in delivery can be off-putting for potential buyers.  So back to the computer and the search for another POD printer.  This time I tried my luck with Lightning Source, who turned out to have all the distribution channels that I required but were not set up for novices like me.  After a series of even more setbacks I have managed to republish the book, thanks in no small measure to the helpful and pleasant Client Services Representative that I was allocated.  These people certainly have their work cut out if they have many clients like me. 
Now I can sit back and wait for the sales to happen!