Cover notes

Back in 2012, I published a small e-book on Amazon, partly because I had something to say, but partly because I wanted to see how easy/difficult it was. The Little Guide to Teaching Yoga in a Gym served the purpose and sold reasonably well, too, so it was a useful exercise.

At time time, because I didn't know any better, I designed - and I use the word loosely - the cover myself, thus:

Now, I've revised and updated the content and republished it, again as an e-book, but this time I've used the services of Shar at www.fiverr.com. She also did the cover for Nine Lives and she is really quick and great to work with. I'm sure you'll agree that what she has produced is much better than my humble effort:

So that's it: I'm not a cover designer, but fortunately I know someone who is, and it's worth paying for a job well done.

The Little Guide to Teaching Yoga in a Gym is available from Amazon for just 99p.

Publishing news

Had a bit of news about one of my long-standing publishing clients this morning. I've been working for them for teens of years - perhaps even longer - and the way we work has changed as technology has evolved. Proofreading used to mean comparing a typeset galley proof with the author's original, often handwritten manuscript. Now it means reading a designed page looking for literals and howlers, and (to coin a catchall phrase) anything that doesn't look right.

The end of the red pen?

This company has gone from outsourcing everything to bringing it all back in-house to somewhere in between the two, so my workload has always fluctuated. The news this morning from a fellow freelance but who used to work in-house for this company is that from now they will be producing printed copies of only their annual publications, and will be focusing their energy on ebooks.

I shall be interested to see how this develops, not just because it is likely to mean less work for me, but also because their books have lots of illustrations, bullet points, tables, numbers and other complications.

Once again, we see that it's not survival of the fittest, but of the most adaptable.

A new publishing venture

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I've been really busy with work and stuff. I've had time for some fun, too, though.

Last Sunday I stroked an owl's tummy and flew a Harris Hawk and a barn owl at the Raptor Foundation near St Ives, Cambridgeshire. And last night I went to see the musical comedian Boothby Graffoe. Two great occasions but for different reasons.

On Friday afternoon I spent a lovely but tiring afternoon teaching yoga to about 60 primary school children. Their approach (and consequently, mine) is completely different from that of my adult students. They just throw themselves into it.

But I've also been busy with my first e-book. I have published a booklet for the Kindle, called: The Little Guide to Teaching Yoga in a Gym, which is aimed at teachers who are facing the challenges that this very particular market brings. I can't believe how easy it was to upload. It really is just a case of following the on-screen instructions, click, click, click and it's done! Of course, now comes the tricky bit: selling it.