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Bulls Fan self-publishes
his first e-book...
The
road to publishing success has always been a rocky one, many famous
authors including JK Rowling tasted rejection along the way, and an
increasing number now reach their goals by self-publishing, including
Fifty Shades of Grey.
Now a Hereford United fan of more than
twenty-five years is making his own way in the industry by self
publishing his first e-book through Amazon’s Kindle Direct
Publishing scheme.
32 year old Andy Holmes, who has
supported the Bulls since 1987 and was the club’s stadium announcer
for eighteen months in their previous spell in non-league football,
wrote his first novel Always
the DJ four years ago and
has spent the time since polishing it up to a point where he’s now
ready to release it. Like JK Rowling he’s already faced rejection
from literary agents, but isn’t letting that put him off.
“I’ve sent my manuscript to twenty
agents out of the hundreds that are out there so far.” Andy reveals
“It’s really hard to make an impression in such a competitive
marketplace where agents and publishers just don’t have the time to
look at the hundreds of drafts they get each week.”
“Like
a lot of authors, I’m giving self publishing a go. I don’t expect
to get rich, but if this helps me build a platform of interest in my
work, then maybe publishers will look again at what I’ve been
writing, once they know that there’s a market for it.”
Always
the DJ tells the story of a
mobile DJ, who is about to turn 30 and is questioning everything
about his life, whilst searching for love and happiness and a way to
forget about the past.
“A
few years ago I was
that DJ.” Andy explains, “The book draws on my own experiences,
how it’s sometimes such a lonely profession, after all who
entertains the entertainers in this world? The story also looks at
the modern family, mental illness, and the impact of music on our
lives.”
Working
on the publicity for this book and now being based in Buckinghamshire
means Andy hasn’t seen as many matches this season as he’d like
but it hasn’t stopped him keeping in touch.
“I’ve
seen two live games and watched one on the TV, but the Bulls websites
are still a regular port of call every day and thanks to Twitter and
texts from my brother I’m always there in spirit on match days.”
he says “As I’ve written an e-book, it’s given me the chance to
link to United’s Fighting Fund webpage. It may not make much of a
difference compared to some of the fantastic efforts other fans are
making at present, but fingers crossed it’ll raise awareness of our
current plight with readers. I’ve also got my ticket for the
Shrewsbury game which should be a cracker!”
Always
the DJ is available on
Amazon to buy here: http://tinyurl.com/99cx99t