O the joys of a Monday, especially after a relaxing weekend, highly intent on doing everything and accomplishing so little. Still the good news is that my latest iMovie trailer is up on my YouTube channel and can be found to the right of this magnificent blog of nothingness.
Whilst I take little pleasure in proclaiming myself as the originator of such trailers, the content is mine which makes it half original. And if you can pull yourself away from whatever you're doing and spend a couple of minutes watching them, leave comments, rate and subscribe to the channel I'd appreciate it; it's always nice to hear what others think of the work you do.
Of course, having now done the trailer for 'Penguin Amore!' I'm working on the actual film and ran up against my ambitious nature yesterday. I've no doubts lurking around the deepest recesses of my dark imagination, dying to be freed from the straightjacket it's enrobed by, there's a Hitchcockian weirdo desperately seeking a way to come up for air. Since I started using my 'professional' editing program, Final Cut Express 4, or FCE4, my tendency is to run faster than I can crawl. Which is a little frustrating at times, but the saving grace is YouTube.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it, how we managed to survive without YT only five years ago. The same could be said of Skype, although in the case of Skype this seems to be on the move away from being 'free' towards some kind of payment system. Skype have released their Skype 5 in beta and have offered it for a free trial period, which means that charges will apply once it goes 'live'. I love Skype for many reasons and have always found it superior to the vast majority of personal web 'conferencing' programmes that get attached to MSN, Yahoo; AOL etc. But the Internet and the vast number of incredibly selfless individuals making software for us to use, will no doubt ensure that the 'distribution of wealth' and services will carry on regardless and eventually Skype will go the way as others have done before them. In anticipation of that sad day, you might want to check out this site 'MeBeam'. It's similar to Skype in the kind of web 'conferencing' service it provides, but at the moment is a far more basic version and doesn't offer the same level of integration that Skype does.
Finally, every Monday deserves a bit of good news and I'm pleased to see that from a slow start both my books combined have surpassed the 100 in downloads and sales. To those that have contributed to this 'success' I thank you. To those who have yet to 'discover' me the links to where you can download and buy the books are on the righthand side.
Have a good week, and try to remember that no matter how much life annoys you, smile!
An individual stroll through life, often taking an amusing view, or sometimes a little more serious one, depending on the mood.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
A mixture of a week
Monday is such a boring day, not really helped by a mind that's gone on strike and is now being stubborn, won't negotiate and is heading for another 'winter of discontent'.
Yesterday was a sad day, one of the greatest literary influences of my younger days, Alan Sillitoe, passed away. It seems that most of the people that I grew up admiring in one way or another, are disappearing and moving on to the after life. Such events, perfectly natural ones in the great scheme of things, simply bring home the nature of human mortality and time to do all the things you want, growing evermore limited as the days pass by. It makes you think.
Of course life wouldn't be life without its little episodes, such as my bed collapsing at 2.30am last Thursday. Needless to say I awoke with a brutal start, on top of the mattress which had imploded into the centre of the bed frame. Such times are very trying, particularly when you're full of cold and the last thing you need is to be strangled by the continental quilt. Being English, and having recovered my composure, along with making a very drowsy note never to buy another bed from MOMA, you should never trust MOMA, the best solution to a sudden crisis is go and make a cup of tea. An hour later I'm back in the land of nod, comfortably lay on the IKEA sofa, happily dreaming of making....the bed.
I've no real desire to keep moaning on about my dose of the flu, but having started repairing the bed on Friday, and managing to finish yesterday, Sunday, progress was drearily slow and tedious due to copious amounts of perspiration cascading from the body beautiful. I have to begrudgingly agree that causing the bod to sweat was no bad thing at the end of the day. This morning I awoke feeling much better, at least the coughing has stopped for the moment, which is always preferable in the cold light of day. Despite this the sleep was a bit haphazard last night, mostly waking every hour to check that the bed hadn't collapsed again, and I hadn't disappeared up my own bottom. I'm happy to report that my repair job was magnificently done and eventually I had a better night's sleep than I first anticipated. It was somehow pleasurable to get up at 6am, listening to the birds outside chirping away; I'm pretty sure that they were complaining at the falling rain, which was preventing them from making love to their partners in crime. It was surprising how much noise male German birds make at 6am, and even more surprising how masculine their chirps sounded.
As you're all well aware by now, unless you're a first time visitor to this blog and then you won't know but welcome anyway, it's always to good to have new fans, my novel 'Nick & Jenny' has been published and even though I say it myself, a damn fine read. Ok, I know that might sound a tad on the biased side, but what do you expect when I'm head of marketing and publicity, and also the author to boot. Anyway, the point is that it's come to my attention that people are waiting for the paperback version, before buying. Now I know that's a nice thought, and I thank those in question for thinking in such a wonderful way, but the news is that there are no immediate plans to publish in paperback form. Yes, it will happen in the future, but for now it will only remain on sale in e-book form. I know to some of you this is a bit annoying, and it's not my intention to annoy my small but growing readership, but there's not enough time in the day to do everything I want to.
At the moment my time is taken up with trying to publicise the e-book, trying to put together an audiobook, setting up a small company and numerous other things; so I simply don't have time to search for a publisher to print the paperback and offer it at a reasonable price. In addition to this, I'm also aiming to publish my second novel, 'Danny's navel adventure', in June or July time, again in e-book form. One of the reasons for concentrating on the e-book form is because it's a growing market and growing much faster than the paperbook market, which according to reports is beginning to decline. As a first time novelist, who's responsible for their own publicity and marketing I need to concentrate on one particular segment of the market. I will admit that I'm on a very steep learning curve, and I feel like a whale out of water, thrashing around trying to get back on course, but one of the things I can do is ask you to let people know the book is out there. I'm not asking people to buy the book immediately, although thanks if you do, but download the free sample so you can get a 'taste' of the book.
I know that I've gone on a bit, but sadly that's part of being a salesman, something which is utterly foreign to me; how I suffer for my art! Having got that out of the way there's more good news. I've been asked to be a guest blogger and write about a subject close to my heart, you'll find out more by visiting http://completelymentalblog.blogspot
and I would ask you to take a little time out to read it and even subscribe to it. As blogs go you can also visit my new occasional blog http://tonibryan.wordpress.com which is going to become more focused on my creative side. As with both of my blogs please subscribe to them if you're a regular reader, or even a new one!
Finally, congratulations go out to that dear, lovable rogue of an Austrian, sorry German, friend of mine and others, dearly missed but who remains nameless, I didn't want to name you Stefan just in case you became embarrassed but that's between us, don't worry only you and I read my blog so it's not an issue, he's become a permanent US resident and got his 'Green card', brilliant news it has to be said, whichever way you want to view it....just joking matey!
Yesterday was a sad day, one of the greatest literary influences of my younger days, Alan Sillitoe, passed away. It seems that most of the people that I grew up admiring in one way or another, are disappearing and moving on to the after life. Such events, perfectly natural ones in the great scheme of things, simply bring home the nature of human mortality and time to do all the things you want, growing evermore limited as the days pass by. It makes you think.
Of course life wouldn't be life without its little episodes, such as my bed collapsing at 2.30am last Thursday. Needless to say I awoke with a brutal start, on top of the mattress which had imploded into the centre of the bed frame. Such times are very trying, particularly when you're full of cold and the last thing you need is to be strangled by the continental quilt. Being English, and having recovered my composure, along with making a very drowsy note never to buy another bed from MOMA, you should never trust MOMA, the best solution to a sudden crisis is go and make a cup of tea. An hour later I'm back in the land of nod, comfortably lay on the IKEA sofa, happily dreaming of making....the bed.
I've no real desire to keep moaning on about my dose of the flu, but having started repairing the bed on Friday, and managing to finish yesterday, Sunday, progress was drearily slow and tedious due to copious amounts of perspiration cascading from the body beautiful. I have to begrudgingly agree that causing the bod to sweat was no bad thing at the end of the day. This morning I awoke feeling much better, at least the coughing has stopped for the moment, which is always preferable in the cold light of day. Despite this the sleep was a bit haphazard last night, mostly waking every hour to check that the bed hadn't collapsed again, and I hadn't disappeared up my own bottom. I'm happy to report that my repair job was magnificently done and eventually I had a better night's sleep than I first anticipated. It was somehow pleasurable to get up at 6am, listening to the birds outside chirping away; I'm pretty sure that they were complaining at the falling rain, which was preventing them from making love to their partners in crime. It was surprising how much noise male German birds make at 6am, and even more surprising how masculine their chirps sounded.
As you're all well aware by now, unless you're a first time visitor to this blog and then you won't know but welcome anyway, it's always to good to have new fans, my novel 'Nick & Jenny' has been published and even though I say it myself, a damn fine read. Ok, I know that might sound a tad on the biased side, but what do you expect when I'm head of marketing and publicity, and also the author to boot. Anyway, the point is that it's come to my attention that people are waiting for the paperback version, before buying. Now I know that's a nice thought, and I thank those in question for thinking in such a wonderful way, but the news is that there are no immediate plans to publish in paperback form. Yes, it will happen in the future, but for now it will only remain on sale in e-book form. I know to some of you this is a bit annoying, and it's not my intention to annoy my small but growing readership, but there's not enough time in the day to do everything I want to.
At the moment my time is taken up with trying to publicise the e-book, trying to put together an audiobook, setting up a small company and numerous other things; so I simply don't have time to search for a publisher to print the paperback and offer it at a reasonable price. In addition to this, I'm also aiming to publish my second novel, 'Danny's navel adventure', in June or July time, again in e-book form. One of the reasons for concentrating on the e-book form is because it's a growing market and growing much faster than the paperbook market, which according to reports is beginning to decline. As a first time novelist, who's responsible for their own publicity and marketing I need to concentrate on one particular segment of the market. I will admit that I'm on a very steep learning curve, and I feel like a whale out of water, thrashing around trying to get back on course, but one of the things I can do is ask you to let people know the book is out there. I'm not asking people to buy the book immediately, although thanks if you do, but download the free sample so you can get a 'taste' of the book.
I know that I've gone on a bit, but sadly that's part of being a salesman, something which is utterly foreign to me; how I suffer for my art! Having got that out of the way there's more good news. I've been asked to be a guest blogger and write about a subject close to my heart, you'll find out more by visiting http://completelymentalblog.blogspot
and I would ask you to take a little time out to read it and even subscribe to it. As blogs go you can also visit my new occasional blog http://tonibryan.wordpress.com which is going to become more focused on my creative side. As with both of my blogs please subscribe to them if you're a regular reader, or even a new one!
Finally, congratulations go out to that dear, lovable rogue of an Austrian, sorry German, friend of mine and others, dearly missed but who remains nameless, I didn't want to name you Stefan just in case you became embarrassed but that's between us, don't worry only you and I read my blog so it's not an issue, he's become a permanent US resident and got his 'Green card', brilliant news it has to be said, whichever way you want to view it....just joking matey!
Monday, March 29, 2010
I'm living the dream
Well I could crush a grape! After 4 decades, it sounds so much better than 40 years, I've finally become a published author. Yes, those long, far off days when I was still a child, scribbling away on scraps of toilet paper, inventing all kinds of weird and wonderful worlds, where I was so free and there was nothing but mythical goodness around me, I've finally got there!
At the moment I'm too tired to let this sink in and enjoy it for the triumphant moment it undoubtedly is. As I discovered last night, where I didn't get to bed until 5am this morning, followed by 5 or 6 hours of disturbed sleep, the wait for publishing acceptance was full of nervous anticipation. The only thing I can liken it too is awaiting the birth of my son Tony Jr, but even here that particular event seemed less stressful; perhaps that has something to do with being present at the birth and watching the whole process.
So there we are, I'm an author and whilst I accept that I'm unlikely to be as mighty as the great Hemingway, as a first published novel I'm happy with it. Of course we now enter the world of reader reviews, critics and I dare say some comments which aren't complimentary, but I've done it! And the one thing that can't be taken away is the fulfillment of a young child's dream against all the odds.
And now I've got the bit between the teeth, said the old nag on its way to the knackers yard, whilst I can still breath there's still life in the old dog, I just love idioms, and the next book is already being worked on and the final draft written. What I can say at this stage, is that the second novel is a comedy and much different to the first.
Thanks again to everyone who's congratulated me, I really do appreciate the kind words. Oh and as a final bit of good news within a few hours of being published the book had already begun to stimulate some interest. If you are one of those individuals who has shown an interest, I thank you.
Now I'm off to some well earned rest, coffee and food!
At the moment I'm too tired to let this sink in and enjoy it for the triumphant moment it undoubtedly is. As I discovered last night, where I didn't get to bed until 5am this morning, followed by 5 or 6 hours of disturbed sleep, the wait for publishing acceptance was full of nervous anticipation. The only thing I can liken it too is awaiting the birth of my son Tony Jr, but even here that particular event seemed less stressful; perhaps that has something to do with being present at the birth and watching the whole process.
So there we are, I'm an author and whilst I accept that I'm unlikely to be as mighty as the great Hemingway, as a first published novel I'm happy with it. Of course we now enter the world of reader reviews, critics and I dare say some comments which aren't complimentary, but I've done it! And the one thing that can't be taken away is the fulfillment of a young child's dream against all the odds.
And now I've got the bit between the teeth, said the old nag on its way to the knackers yard, whilst I can still breath there's still life in the old dog, I just love idioms, and the next book is already being worked on and the final draft written. What I can say at this stage, is that the second novel is a comedy and much different to the first.
Thanks again to everyone who's congratulated me, I really do appreciate the kind words. Oh and as a final bit of good news within a few hours of being published the book had already begun to stimulate some interest. If you are one of those individuals who has shown an interest, I thank you.
Now I'm off to some well earned rest, coffee and food!
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