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#81
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - January 14, 2020, 05:29:11 AMQuote from: delboy on January 03, 2020, 03:59:00 PM
Glad you're feeling positive, Ed! Positive thoughts coming from this direction, too.
Hope 2020 gets progressively better for you.
Derek
Thanks Del. D-Day this Friday 7am. Should be interesting
#82
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by delboy - January 03, 2020, 03:59:00 PMGlad you're feeling positive, Ed! Positive thoughts coming from this direction, too.
Hope 2020 gets progressively better for you.
Derek
Hope 2020 gets progressively better for you.
Derek
#83
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - December 27, 2019, 09:17:12 AMThanks Del. Must admit I'm still pretty stoic about it. Telling my mother was the worst -- she just exploded in tears. My boys took it pretty hard, especially the youngest, with tears welling in his eyes. My wife, who was putting a brave face on it, suddenly had a meltdown the other day, with lots of tears. I think that's been the most difficult part of it for me, seeing other people upset.
I've seen the surgeon now and they squeezed me in for a pre-op assessment about a week ago. I wasn't supposed to have either until 8th Jan, but I put myself forward for a cancellation and they decided to make room for me. Surgeon was really nice. Savage irony that he's Egyptian, seeing as we couldn't go this year like we normally do. He's going to take the whole kidney. Says it isn't working now anyway, and wouldn't be viable to save. I suppose that's better, in that there is less chance of leaving anything behind. The tumour has a point sticking out of it and it's about a half inch away from touching my liver. He promised the operation would be within a month of the assessment, so it looks like I'll be under the knife before mid January. Then it's eight weeks of not being able to lift anything or do strenuous exercise. That's assuming I survive the op.
I'm feeling pretty positive about the whole thing, really. Just glad it was caught while they could do something with it.
Hope you had a good Christmas and your new year will be a happy one. Cheers
I've seen the surgeon now and they squeezed me in for a pre-op assessment about a week ago. I wasn't supposed to have either until 8th Jan, but I put myself forward for a cancellation and they decided to make room for me. Surgeon was really nice. Savage irony that he's Egyptian, seeing as we couldn't go this year like we normally do. He's going to take the whole kidney. Says it isn't working now anyway, and wouldn't be viable to save. I suppose that's better, in that there is less chance of leaving anything behind. The tumour has a point sticking out of it and it's about a half inch away from touching my liver. He promised the operation would be within a month of the assessment, so it looks like I'll be under the knife before mid January. Then it's eight weeks of not being able to lift anything or do strenuous exercise. That's assuming I survive the op.
I'm feeling pretty positive about the whole thing, really. Just glad it was caught while they could do something with it.
Hope you had a good Christmas and your new year will be a happy one. Cheers
#84
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by delboy - December 19, 2019, 02:18:22 AMBloody ' ell, Ed. Desperately sorry to hear that. But far better that they're aware of it and you're being lined up for an op - no matter how much you're dreading it. These days it seems ever more common for people to be in this position - many years ago it felt like it was rarer, but maybe it was no different. Point is, I know lots of people who have been through similar and all have done well - so all my digits are crossed for you, and my thoughts are with you. Anyway, take it easy, and don't let it spoil Christmas (if that's at all possible).
Derek
Derek
#85
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - December 03, 2019, 06:55:12 AMWell, can't say I'm looking forward to the next few months. Had a lot of tests lately, then an MRI scan, followed a week later by a CAT scan, then another scan a couple days later. Turns out I have a tumour in my right kidney a bit bigger than a tennis ball. Now I'm in the weird position of dreading an operation but at the same time wishing they would hurry up and set a date. The last scan was to see if it had spread to my lungs and my lymph glands. Apparently it hasn't yet, but the longer they leave it the bigger the risk.
I reckon I'm going to lose the kidney, although I haven't spoken to any surgeons yet, so I don't know for sure. If one good thing comes from it, it'll be that I'm finally free of this back pain I've been putting up with for years. Dunno if I'm still in shock a week on from diagnosis, but I don't feel like I thought I would on getting a cancer diagnosis. I don't feel afraid. I don't feel anything. I just want them to get on with it.
You are the only people I have told, except my wife. I'm dreading telling the kids, and worst of all my mother. I'll have to tell them all soon. I'd just like to carry on as normal for as long as I can.
Wish me luck
I reckon I'm going to lose the kidney, although I haven't spoken to any surgeons yet, so I don't know for sure. If one good thing comes from it, it'll be that I'm finally free of this back pain I've been putting up with for years. Dunno if I'm still in shock a week on from diagnosis, but I don't feel like I thought I would on getting a cancer diagnosis. I don't feel afraid. I don't feel anything. I just want them to get on with it.
You are the only people I have told, except my wife. I'm dreading telling the kids, and worst of all my mother. I'll have to tell them all soon. I'd just like to carry on as normal for as long as I can.
Wish me luck
#86
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - November 16, 2019, 11:03:24 AMFunnily enough, I've just been on Amazon to see about opening a vendor account and they've got a self publishing section as well -- https://kdp.amazon.com/?language=en_US could be worth a shout
#87
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - November 14, 2019, 03:21:53 AMSounds like a plan, Del. Personally, I don't have any writing to market, but I hope you're able to get a few of the old salts to push on with it
Suddenly had a thought -- have you looked into selling on Amazon? Might be worth investing a few quid. It costs about £30 a month to sell your products on Amazon, and it's a huge marketplace. If I had as much material as you, Del, I'd maybe take a punt on it for six months and see what happens.
Suddenly had a thought -- have you looked into selling on Amazon? Might be worth investing a few quid. It costs about £30 a month to sell your products on Amazon, and it's a huge marketplace. If I had as much material as you, Del, I'd maybe take a punt on it for six months and see what happens.
#88
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by delboy - September 30, 2019, 04:45:20 AMI was pondering on this, and it struck me that those in the know are always talking about marketing when it comes to self-publishing - building a mailing list, getting on review sites, sending out emails / news letters, appearing on blogs etc etc
If there were two people doing this, in a linked manner, then they might get twice as many people on their email list. Say, 20, instead of ten. They might get two reviews instead of one. If there were three people, then it's a little easier. And so on.
Maybe there's an opportunity for the Cafe Doom Collective? If there were enough of the old-timers who bought into the idea then it might be a way of sharing the pain of the marketing whilst spreading and multiplying the benefits?
Derek
If there were two people doing this, in a linked manner, then they might get twice as many people on their email list. Say, 20, instead of ten. They might get two reviews instead of one. If there were three people, then it's a little easier. And so on.
Maybe there's an opportunity for the Cafe Doom Collective? If there were enough of the old-timers who bought into the idea then it might be a way of sharing the pain of the marketing whilst spreading and multiplying the benefits?
Derek
#89
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by Ed - September 09, 2019, 02:21:14 PMHi Rev and Del -- good to see you dropping in. I've no idea about self publishing, but I think Geoff and possibly Cathy would be a mine of information. Del's idea about ePublishers taking on a book and promoting it for you sounds like a good one.
The only thought that just popped into my head is you might try looking at marketing it on Amazon??? If you can get a few good reviews on there, it might take off.
Good luck, both, and congrats on your nipper, Rev Don't go fooling yourself he will afford you the time to write, though -- I think that's probably a tad optimistic 
The only thought that just popped into my head is you might try looking at marketing it on Amazon??? If you can get a few good reviews on there, it might take off.
Good luck, both, and congrats on your nipper, Rev
Don't go fooling yourself he will afford you the time to write, though -- I think that's probably a tad optimistic #90
General Discussion / Re: The good morning, good nig...
Last post by delboy - September 06, 2019, 02:47:31 AMHey Rev. Good to hear from you. Congratulations on little Tommy!
I don't know 'owt about self-publishing. I did think about having a dabble myself, but it all look likes such a lot of effort. I have a western that, for a number of reasons I won't go into, has had its rights reverted to me after just a short time on the market with an online publisher. The owner of the company said it was one of the best westerns he'd read in a long time, and I'm really happy with the book, too, so it feels a shame just to leave it doing nothing. There are so few markets out there for westerns now - even my main publisher is on a hiatus. So all of a sudden self-publishing feels like it might be worth a shot. But like I said, it appears to be such a lot of effort. In all the guides I have read by people who have done it successfully the main activity appears to be marketing - get a website, maintain that website, build an email list, get on social media, get on other people's blogs, get on the book review sites, maintain your website, chase emails for your list, advertise on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, build the email list...Oh, and you'll need to write a book, too. There's only one part of all of that which interests me...
If you don't do all of that then the likelihood is that the book will vanish with all the other hundreds of thousands self-published every month.
So at the moment I'm taking the opportunity to write a non-western novel. It'll probably go nowhere, but we shall see in about two years time, which is when I reckon I'll finish it.
I actually wonder if there isn't some middle ground? There appears to be a lot of ePublishers out there who, for their cut, might take all the marketing side away from one.
Anyway, let us know how you get on.
Cheers
Derek
I don't know 'owt about self-publishing. I did think about having a dabble myself, but it all look likes such a lot of effort. I have a western that, for a number of reasons I won't go into, has had its rights reverted to me after just a short time on the market with an online publisher. The owner of the company said it was one of the best westerns he'd read in a long time, and I'm really happy with the book, too, so it feels a shame just to leave it doing nothing. There are so few markets out there for westerns now - even my main publisher is on a hiatus. So all of a sudden self-publishing feels like it might be worth a shot. But like I said, it appears to be such a lot of effort. In all the guides I have read by people who have done it successfully the main activity appears to be marketing - get a website, maintain that website, build an email list, get on social media, get on other people's blogs, get on the book review sites, maintain your website, chase emails for your list, advertise on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, build the email list...Oh, and you'll need to write a book, too. There's only one part of all of that which interests me...
If you don't do all of that then the likelihood is that the book will vanish with all the other hundreds of thousands self-published every month.
So at the moment I'm taking the opportunity to write a non-western novel. It'll probably go nowhere, but we shall see in about two years time, which is when I reckon I'll finish it.
I actually wonder if there isn't some middle ground? There appears to be a lot of ePublishers out there who, for their cut, might take all the marketing side away from one.
Anyway, let us know how you get on.
Cheers
Derek