A Face Full of Snow - the perfect winter read

Lost in a Book does best at fairs and book signings, but in February wouldn't you rather browse my online bookshop than go out in the cold to go shopping...?

 Let me bring my books to you...

 A Face Full of Snow a must for any young skiers...

 

Third in the Doodle series:

As Eric crashes his way down the ski slope, totally out of control, his only consolation is that Iver No-Idea isn't there to see.

Iver No-Idea and his dog HB are doodles. But they are no ordinary doodles - they're alive, and words and pictures come alive around them. Iver No-Idea has been learning to ski in a ski brochure. He's been practising for weeks and now he thinks he's an expert, and can't wait to tell Eric how it's done.

But when Iver No-Idea and HB are left behind, they find a way to gatecrash Eric's holiday. They arrive at just the wrong time, causing their own unique brand of trouble.

50 page paperback

Black and white line drawings

author rambling on again...

Hi, you found me - I sometimes think I'm typing into an abyss... almost like trying to sell books in a bookshop with all the lights turned off. But I'm working on it, I've read articles, read the rules, but I don't like rules, especially when it comes to writing. Aren't the laws of grammar enough...? Surely creative writing is all about there being no rules...

So what does an online bookshop look like?

No I don't mean how it appears on your screen, work with me here - it could be any shape. It could be in a giant Teepee... with bookcases spiraling up as far as the eye can see... and sheep - why do the sheep keep popping up everywhere? Well they seem to be here to stay now. There'll probably be cats too, they'll be taking up all the sofas and beanbags, forcing everyone to sit on the floor to read their books, with that down the nose stare that cats are so good at...

Is the internet a giant game of hide and seek?

Congratulations you found me! 

The internet is starting to feel like a giant game of hide and seek, and I seem to be an expert at hiding...

I sell most of my books at book signings, where people are delighted to meet a real live author, as if I'm some rare and endangered species.

Please visit my bookshop, have a rummage around and read the blurbs.

There's my new book for adults - where I share probably more than I should about how I got outnumbered by cats - is it normal to hiss back at your cat...? She was certainly surprised!

But most of my books are for kids - from picture books to share, to the Doodle series to either read aloud or leave new readers to discover alone.

Jump into a book and find a new friend. Talk about it with an old friend... read yourself into places you never thought you'd go...

Hidden treasure...

OK I know I've said it before, but I have a little bookshop... and like any bookshop it has treasure within, in the form of books. So the mission is ongoing to draw people into my bookshop.

I've tried links and keywords, sharing, posting and tweeting, and what have I learnt...?

I've learnt that people will follow a link to my blog, but rarely to my website, I'm beginning to think that my bookshop is hidden by some sort of invisibility shield...  or someone bigger is stood in front of it, so no one can see it. Well this little bookshop is breaking out, going on the rampage... and going to get noticed.

There's a competition running - everyone loves something free right? It started on page 4, but maybe I should bring it out into the open, put it on the homepage - in the window...!

I can't be the only one struggling to get a little online shop noticed - if you have one too, leave a comment and we can share ideas...

Author rambling about books...

It's Monday and the sun is shinning, what a great day to have a clear out and start afresh...

And where better to start than with my website homepage.

So here we go with a new look - the books have come down and gone back to their bookshelves in the online bookshop, where you can read the blurb and add to cart - what an exciting prospect that is, buying a cart load of books... but you can just buy one at once of course.

So have a rummage, read the blurbs and find a new friend. 

Most of my books up to now have sold at craft fairs and book signings, and that has taken time to build, learning how to venture out from behind the computer and take my books out into the world; how attract the attention of passing strangers and spark up a conversation. The books help of course, people are naturally drawn in by the colourful covers, and once they've picked one up they've started a process that will hopefully lead to a sale...  

...and what, you might wonder are those sheep doing on my table of books...?

Well, they are just a few of the characters from one of my books, and a very popular addition they have proved to be - they're running around my online bookshop too... 

Self publishing and selling books

If incentives are needed to achieve sales than here's a good one - I've just paid my print bill, and now I'm skint - so that's the reality of self publishing, it's all down to me... And don't be fooled by the so called self publishing companies - it's still down to the author to sell the books.

But how hard can it be...? People love my books, they tell me so all the time, and when I'm at a book signing they fly off the table, so why is it so hard to sell online?

Is my website tucked away down some side street somewhere, where no one can  find it...? Hmm maybe that's it, I seem to have my blog on the main street though, where lots of people pop in and have a look around, some even stop and have a chat occasionally.

So why not nip along to my online bookshop - I may not have a coffee shop, but you can always put the kettle on, it'll be like a DIY coffee shop, you could even buy a book with the money you saved, and I'll post it to you free of charge!