the launch of 'cycling to Bohemia'

Welcome to the launch of 'cycling to Bohemia' 

In the days before 'social media,' authors pleaded with their publishers to host a book launch, usually at a local bookstore. The publishers stumped up a few bottles of wine and some finger food and organised a fellow author to say something encouraging about the newly-released book. It gave old friends a chance to catch up over a glass of wine and perhaps buy the author's book. Everyone was a winner - free grog and book sales!

Now, books can be produced and published electronically, without the author ever having to leave his/her study. So many people are omitted in this process - editor, designer, proofreader, publisher, distributor, salesperson. 

I'm well aware of the dangers of this new world. There is no wise voice suggesting to the author that perhaps he/she needs to rethink Chapter Ten. No-one to say, 'do you really believe people want to read about you washing your cycling knicks in the hotel sink?'

The author is 'master of their domain.' We Seinfeld fans know where that ends.  

However, the e-publishing world also offers opportunities. As an author, I can write and publish these books for a fraction of the price of my mainstream children's and YA novels. These ebooks sell for $3.99 (Australian) and in paperback for $6.99 (plus postage). In comparison, my children's and YA books sell for between $10.95 (ebook) and $18.95 paperback.

E-publishing allows an author such as myself an opportunity to find a niche which may not exist in mainstream publishing. I doubt these books would have been accepted by my usual publishers because they don't 'fit' the market for such a long, slow and cumbersome enterprise as publishing a mainstream book. 

Indeed, the mainstream publisher may not have known where to market these books. Judging by the sales of the first three in this series, it seems to me the 'standard' buyer is a middle-aged person who lives in either the UK or USA and is interested in either cycling or slow-travel in Europe. It would be very difficult and costly for an Australian mainstream publisher to attempt to reach this market. For an e-author, it's simply a matter of writing a good book, uploading on Amazon and waiting ...

Sure, the book may sink without trace. But, I've been very fortunate in gathering enough positive reviews and sales to see these books maintain a respectable position in the Amazon rankings. Given the mysterious nature of Amazon algorithms, this has in turn generated more sales and a much longer 'shelf' life than a mainstream paperback. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm no fan of Amazon. I know where all this could lead for those of us who value the written word and its role in our society and culture. 

Equally, I love the opportunity to offer books, of which I'm very proud, for the same price as a cup of coffee. I receive more from this ebook 'latte' than I receive from my $17.95 novel. 

Finally, the thing I really love about ebooks, is the opportunity they offer the reader to download a free sample (usually the first chapter or two). 

Please do. 

If you like it, consider buying the book. If not, you've saved yourself a cup of coffee.

So, welcome to the social media launch of 'cycling to Bohemia' - thanks for coming. I'm sorry there's no wine and nibbles, but as I say, there is a free download. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

The only thing I enjoyed more than the writing of this book was the 'research' - cycling the kilometres between St Malo and Prague.

I've written four travel ebooks on my cycling adventures across Europe. They sell for between $2.99 and $3.99, depending on which currency you use. You can visit my Amazon page here for the USA; here for the UK and here for Australia