In 2006 when most vanity publishing was not very trustworthy, our Writers Circle decided to help writers self publish. We started with a book I put together from my published articles and short stories and I added a few other bits and pieces and titled it
Something to Read on the Plane on account of the customers who came into the charity bookshop looking for something to read on the plane. We knew nothing about illustrations or printing etc and had a local print shop cobble the book together. I took the proof copy to our Ladies Literary Luncheon and one of the ladies was on her way to the airport to see friends off on an overseas holiday. She said it was just what she needed as a gift for them. The glue on the spine was coming apart, but she insisted she wanted it, must have it. So I reluctantly gave it to her, but also realised I might have a winner.
We made it small enough to fit in a pocket and cheap enough to be an impulse buy. To cut a long story short, in 2007 I had 1000 books printed by a local printer and I managed to get it into the airport bookshops and it was placed in the prime book real estate next to the till.
I reprinted it several times over the years and sold over 10 000 copies mostly at the airports. I saw publishers launching books and stacks of them piled up by the till, but they would be replaced in a matter of weeks or even days, and there sat my little book in its prime place next to the till. I wonder how many books lasted 18 years next to the till
Unfortunately the cost of printing has spiraled and I now have to courier the books to the different airports and the cost has risen so much that it's no longer viable. I sent off my final batch of 24 books last week
But it's still available on Amazon.
