If Everyone Knew Every Plant And Tree to be published...

[Here's the link to my *top ten Amazon best-seller* book (grab a copy for just £2.99!):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GVG5NGI]

Dazed and confused by the keen interest/not-interested-at-all-any-more attention from two lovely successful literary agents, I went and won a competition, the prize for which was to have my book published! Couldn't believe it. The opening of the email which flashed up was, 'Congratulations!' I took it to be an annoying lie, finger thus poised to delete, when I realised it was a bone fide good news missive. Result.

The competition was judged by the editor of Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, Alysoun Owen, so, thrilled was I indeed.

My first novel, If Everyone Knew Every Plant And Tree, is to be published by Createspace, owned by Amazon, and the prize package (sounds like a bull's bits in tight trunks) includes professional cover design, edit, some marketing etc.

It will be on sale via Amazon and through American bookshops as a paperback within a month, and will be available on Kindle three weeks after that.

A bit weird that my book will suddenly be buyable in the US, but not here... My hope is that, if it does well, there might be a possibility of being picked up by a British publisher; some refer to Amazon as the 'annotated slushpile'. In the meantime, at least it can be read by anyone interested.

I am utterly aware of the unrelationship between bookshops and Amazon, but it still surprised me that my local (award-winning) bookshop in Falmouth is less than keen to sell it there. I had thought the whole 'local writer wins international competition to have book published' angle might swing it for me, since it sits comfortably with other news items from the area such as, 'man sets fire to tree stump', but it seems, not. Publishing through Createspace is classed as self-publishing anyway so I reckon they ought to let little old me have me book displayed in the window/back shelf/toilet. Makes me feel like I still won't be classed as a proper author, book in hand and all. I am not for the demise of book shops in any shape or form and my book might have even dragged a few more punters through the door, but, hey, I no make de rules...

And as for securing a literary agent... it's on hold for the time being while I bask in the certainty that at least one respected writing person has endorsed my book (yes-- I can finally say 'book' without feeling like a fraud!)

[Here's the link to my *top ten Amazon best-seller* book (grab a copy for just £2.99!):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GVG5NGI]