With Christmas nearly upon us, it seems a good time to reflect on progress made on my first book over the past 12 months.
This time last year, my first book was but a seed of an idea buried in the dark recesses of my mind.
By February, that seed had started to grow; the first shoots of life springing from an indistinct thought, to the first words scribed onto a crisp white page (or computer screen).
From then, progress was rapid. Words flowed, chapters formed, and that part of my history came to life as the first draft of my memoir series.
Months of editing followed. The first draft morphed into the sixth draft. Finally I was reasonably happy with my efforts.
But what to do next? Publication seemed the logical step - Surely every publishing company would jump at the chance to sell my story!? Well, it was read by many, and feedback was fair and constructive. But mine was a niche market; not for the likes of big publishing firms. They needed to have a chance of recovering their expenses, as well as obtaining a small profit.
Self-Publishing was the way forward. "Seahawk Publishing UK" was born; my own publishing imprint. And I set about adapting my manuscript for the different formatting needed for paperback and E-Book.
October 3rd 2017 arrived - Publication Day. Both formats of my book became live on Amazon, and sales started to roll in - slow at first, but progressively increasing over the longer term.
Two and a half months down the line, and my E-Book has just spent a week as the Amazon Bestseller for its category - fame at last (if only on a small scale).
What does the future hold? Well, book#2 is well under way. There was a small hiccup as I waited on my former Police Force to confirm what was and was not allowed to be included in my second memoir; but things are back on-track, with 52K words currently completed of the first draft.
Plans are that this book should be ready for publication on, or before, May next year - fingers crossed.
Thanks to all who have read my book this past few months. It is thanks to you that it has reached the heady-heights of #1 bestseller in its category. For those of you who have yet to read it, or who are waiting to see if they receive it from Santa next week; ENJOY the adventure.
Sign-up to my mailing list to ensure you receive updates on the progress of book number two. For those who can not wait for its publication; as a little pre-Christmas gift, I can reveal its "working title"
Book #2 is currently titled:
"Single-Crewed: My life as a Police Officer"
This could all change over the course of its evolution. My first book had a number of different titles over the months!
Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy 2018
Andrew Heasman - Author of "Beyond the Waves: My Royal Navy Adventures"
Available from Amazon Worldwide, and through my website at https://ajheasman.wixsite.com/author