The Frustrations of Self-Publishing

Hello all.
Today, please forgive me, I am going to be quite self indulgent. I will do my best to keep away from 'Oh woe's me!' and the like, but I can't make any firm promises.
So this self-publishing ebook lark. I started back in 2011 with no real idea what I was doing. I just got the first volume of Dhaka to Dakar out on kindle, and then wondered when someone was going to buy the thing. Forgot a bit about it as sales weren't forth coming and I was getting married and moving to Japan etc etc - life goes on.

2012 and I pressed on eventually with the second volume once settled here in Japan. I decided I could get SOMETHING out quicker if I released it chapter by chapter initially. And so I did that. And yes, I have a few more sales and I think it was a good idea simply because this way the titles were one-country specific, and not too broad. If someone was to search for a book, say, on Bosnia Herzegovina, my chapter on that might come up, and all the chapters were and are only 99 cents, aimed at actually making sales rather than money. And I continued on for the third book, Across Africa, which I think is easily the best of the three, the best written and the most interesting. And then combined them and put them out as volumes, and turned the first book Journey Through Asia into single chapter releases as well.

I mention the books in relevant blog posts, I hope I don't push too hard, and for a long while, apart from the very occasional facebook mention, that was all I was doing. As I was blogging very infrequently, that wasn't much in the way of publicity.

Last year in October I released Short Journeys: Ethiopia. I decided to do more writing, perhaps therapeutically more than anything else, but I included information on transport and accommodation as well as I continued the line with more Short Journeys, the most recent being Short Journeys: India.

Publicity

And this year I looked up the net for advice on how to publicise my ebooks. 2013 had a couple of good months, but to be honest I have never made more than 15 bucks in a month from my ebooks in total. So I read 'use twitter and social media', I found 'Goodreads' and have been listing my books there. When school finished I had a lot more time for this stuff, and I got into twitter, but I have to say - it's bloody exhausting! Publicising, listing in different places. As you know I've started publishing also with Payhip, which let's me keep 100% of the money made, and Lulu which doesn't, it keeps the first 99 cents as well, but it also put me on ibookstore, Nook and recently Kobo.

I made a page (and will make more) on Squidoo, my first was about India. I've connected with so many people in the last two weeks, primarily over twitter but tried to read as many blogs on travel as possible, like people's facebook pages if they like me back (I've had a lot of requests from people I started following, but any that didn't follow me back I can't even reply to!). I've thought about paying for campaigns but I'm not really sold on that. I joined tumbler but haven't started there as I don't really know what it's all about. I downloaded 'tweetdeck' (thanks to Dan Collins for that recommendation) so I could schedule tweets when I'm asleep and reach people awake on the other side of the world. I am living in Yokohama with no job other than this self publishing publicity lark (and writing) until May 9th when I return home to Australia and honestly, after just over a week here I'm a little crazy and bit depressed.

So where am I as of April 7th, 2014? How's it all going?

It's all, honestly, one big stressful ball of 'Argggggggghhhh!'.

Status of Payhip - around 6 weeks, with no sales. Maybe to be expected, it doesn't publicise your book at all and you publish in the rather boring PDF format.

Lulu. This picture says it all. I've link numerous times to Lulu and chatted about it here. I was very excited after my first sale, which took about five weeks. The graph went up. But now it's back down again. Second sale... where are you?

As for Amazon. Well, this year had been building very steadily, since December really. A few more sales each month. March I started to get into Twitter as I said. March turned out to be the best month ever in terms of total sales, I was really happy. Especially with Short Journeys. Short Journeys: Ethiopia has been the most successful book every month since it was published bar the first one I think.

A is for Amazon. But it is also for April. And despite the best of my publicity efforts, it's a week in and it's a shocker. TWO sales in a week. I've met my target 3 months running, but boy it's going to be hard with this start in April. I'm not sure what's happened. Have I over publicised? Have I reached everyone who was ever likely to buy the books in the first place? Who knows...

Reviews

One thing that's frustrating is getting reviews. I have two reviews for the Kazakhstan book, one for the Cameroon book, one for Dhaka to Dakar Book One: Journey Through Asia, and one each for the Bangladesh and Burkina Faso chapters, and that's it. All the reviews have been very positive thankfully. So, dear reader, I would ask that if you have read any of my books, and you don't mind, please do submit a review to Amazon or Goodreads, or even Lulu. They don't have to be more than a couple of sentences, and please... be kind!

I had no idea that this review existed for six months on Amazon for my Burkina Faso chapter of Dhaka to Dakar, it's really very kind.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent travel journal account of Burkina Faso September 1, 2013

By Penny L. Parker

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book, especially given its modest cost and production efforts. The photos are great and were easy to view in my Kindle Paperwhite. The author has an engaging writing style. I was trying to do some research on Burkina Faso as a country for human rights reporting purposes. This book gave me a very good anecdotal coverage of the people and countryside. I was especially intrigued to hear of the author's ability to use Internet cafes everywhere he went, which helped me establish in my human rights reporting that Internet access is possible in the country, even if it is one of the poorest and most technology-challenged countries in the world.

Thanks for your time today in my little self indulgence. Three places you can find my books -

Andrew Boland at Goodreads
Links to Amazon, every book listed, some videos also linked to certain books.

Andrew Boland at Amazon - Author page
All my books are released on Amazon first.

Andrew Boland at Lulu - Author Spotlight

Normal service will resume shortly! May the journey never end.
 

Culture Shock Part Two: First Experiences in West Africa

Grim reality of Accra

When I went to India, I was a very green traveller. It was my first solo trip, the first time I had travelled alone. When I went to West Africa in 2006, I couldn’t claim the same. I had been to India three times, I had visited Bangladesh twice and been through Pakistan and Iran to get to Europe by land. So, I felt I had the necessary experience to deal with whatever Africa could throw at me.

I was wrong. I arrived in Accra, Ghana, with the plan to make it overland via a number of countries to Senegal. I planned to go through Togo, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali on the way. But I was to immediately face culture shock in Accra, and the plans would flux and change and revert back to the original whilst I was in West Africa in 2006.

I was immediately struck with culture shock. In fact, on my way to Ghana I had already felt misgivings about going to this part of the world. Strange perhaps, because I had spent years researching and planning and imagining the good and the bad, the challenges and the adventures I would face there. I was, admittedly, worried that my peanut allergy was going to be a big problem, it’s a common ingredient in cooking in West Africa, but I had learnt how to deal with it by then. Or so I thought.

Life in Accra

When I arrived at Accra airport, I was a little surprised that despite an extremely long runway, the airport was very small. I was in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time! I flipped from panicky to excited and back again. I took a taxi into town, and with a little time, he found the Date Hotel. This place was a bit of an institution in Accra, there aren’t that many budget options so here was a place for less than 20 bucks and I took a room there.

Whilst the staff were really friendly, and the outdoor bar was nice, the rooms were poor to say the least. I was sharing with mice, the bathrooms barely functioned and the fans were loud. For a night or two it was ok, but I was there for quite a while.

Room at the Date hotel

The atmosphere in coastal Ghana is a little oppressive thanks to the humidity. It was well into the 90s (percent) and so very difficult to deal with, and for the first week or two I panicked at pretty much every meal I had worried that there might be peanuts inside. I was not coping well. I couldn’t get a handle on Accra – the way it was laid out, where I was, it seemed to be really big but flat. On top of that the only foreigners at my hotel were aid workers, and they were all too happy to pay for Nigerian hookers who were also staying at the hotel.

And the hookers were nice really, to chat with. And I should have expected something along those lines but well, it was all new to me and combined with quite a bit of poverty in parts, and the madness of the place (despite not being anywhere near as mad as India), and the fact that I felt completely on my own – no other backpackers around that I could see, well this flipped me out somewhat and I spent a couple of days with no-one to talk to much and certain that I was way out of my depth.

Cape Coast.

I eventually, after four days, moved on to Cape Coast, a quite pretty town down the… coast. I arrived at a cheaper, nicer, far cleaner guesthouse, and met a Canadian who on the spot was happy to see a backpacker and invited me that day to join her and her mother going to some tree houses in the jungle. I was very happy suddenly, I felt things were on the turn. I accepted, only for an hour or less later to be told that the mother had vetoed the idea as she wanted to spend alone time with her daughter. Well, feelings reversed again.

I tried to enjoy my time at Cape Coast, but I couldn’t connect to the other couple of backpackers. I went back to Accra, deciding possibly to skip Benin, Togo and Niger and go to Burkina Faso through to Mali and Senegal, quickly to, and get out to the UK where I was headed next. BUT back in Accra I met an Australian and we hung out for a couple of days. We saw the museum and a few other things around Accra, and like that, suddenly things were not so bad.

Market in Niamey, Niger.

Kindness in Miger.

He had been to the three countries I was considering cutting from the itinerary and in the end I decided to go there – I had a visa that covered them all anyway. And I moved on to Togo, which was strange, and Benin which was good although I had a bad moment where I lost it. Niger was again confronting with extreme, in your face poverty, but that was balanced by meeting a local with very little that offered me a bed for couple of nights. A warm and generous soul. I never forget these people. I had bought an electric stove because I wanted to cook to get around my peanuts fear, but then never used it. I gave it to this kind man.

Then, Burkina Faso. I had slept a night outside at a bus station in Niger as the buses leave at around 4am for longer distances, and to be honest it was fine if not a sensible thing to do. The bus took me to the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. At the guesthouse there I met some backpackers and we had a fun day around the town, and when I moved on to Banfora, well, I was feeling finally that I had conquered my misgivings about the place.

Happy times in Ouagadougou.

So then I caught malaria. Well, probably from a bite I received sleeping outside at the bus station in Niger to be honest. It takes a little time to manifest. Then the doctor gave me Larium, which induced panic attacks. I was suddenly in hell. The initial treatment did not cure the malaria either. I had a guy in Banfora who took me on a tour around to see things who kept turning up at my hotel asking me for money, and eventually I left Banfora, still sick and panicky, to get away from him.

I still remember when the malaria came on. I was hanging with a couple from the Czech Republic. We watched a drum performance which was really cool and I felt very happy about that. I was really digging Burkina Faso. We went out for dinner and I had a really nice steak. Then to an outdoor restaurant/bar and were sitting around a table having a beer and I started coughing. Very quickly I had a temperature and in the space of 30-60 minutes I felt really sick. I went to hospital and was diagnosed with malaria.

Drumming performance in Banfora.

The hospital provided its own culture shock. Just a flat bed, not sheets, no nurses, and a doctor who couldn’t find my veins. He used a plastic glove and wrapped it around my arm, and then got the other patient in the room to assist. The toilet was locked at night and I had to drag my drip and myself outside to piss on the wall. To say it was basic is an understatement, but they did have clean needles and the medication which is something, right?

I spiralled from there, still sick I went to Bobo-Dioulosso. I got angry and stressed when suddenly I couldn’t change money at a bank. It can be difficult in some places in West Africa, they ask for receipts and other things. In Ouagadougou again I was taken to another hospital which dealt with westerners thanks to a kind soul I met on the bus, and there I received, finally, proper treatment.

This trip to West Africa ended in ignominy, and I returned home to Australia in my only aborted trip. Was that all ‘culture shock’, no certainly not. Some of it was bad luck, much was in my own mind but I did learn that you have to be in the right mental place to travel, especially if you are going somewhere special. I would returned to the region in 2007 and see Mali and Senegal, I went with a friend this time – a very good idea if you go to Africa. Do it with a friend, it really does help.

For more on my time in West Africa, the third book to the Dhaka to Dakar adventure covers Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal. It’s available on Kindle.

Dhaka to Dakar Book Three: Across Africa

You can also find the individual chapters on Amazon.

Next Sunday I will talk more in Part Three of ‘Culture Shock’!

May the journey never end! 

Short Journeys: Cameroon

Hey everyone, the first book of 2014 is up and ready for Kindle download! Short Journeys: Cameroon.
I visited Cameroon back 2011 and found the place to be beautiful, interesting, inspiring even. Despite having a cold that turned to flu at one point, I really enjoyed Cameroon and if you're interested in seeing some of Africa and don't know where to start, then I think Cameroon is the perfect jumping-off point. It's bi-lingual - French and English, which helps as other West African nations are purely French-speaking. Here is an excerpt from the book.

Short Journeys: Cameroon  (Amazon US)

Short Journeys: Cameroon  (Amazon UK)

Doula

Cameroon is a really pleasant country to visit, nestled in an interesting and not-so-visited part of the world in West Africa. To the north-west you have Nigeria, to the north-east Chad, to the east Central African Republic, to the south-east the Republic of the Congo, to the south Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and to the east, the Atlantic Ocean. So yes, it borders a lot of countries.

Can any of them claim to be as pleasant or friendly as Cameroon? I’d say probably not. If you are looking for an introduction to French West Africa, then Cameroon is your best bet. It’s also bi-lingual, in the north English is the dominate language, and to the south it’s French (all in all, French is much more commonly spoken). So if your French isn’t so great, you should be able to find someone who speaks English to help you out.

Kribi

I spent around two weeks in Cameroon in 2011, and really loved the place. Does it have a lot of amazing, famous, tourist sites? Well, no it doesn’t. But visiting Africa is about much more than that. It’s the experience of being in Africa alone which is the principle reason I’ve visited the continent. I found Cameroon had less hassles than some of the other African countries I’ve visited. Finding decent food wasn’t an issue. Most people I met were friendly. In short, I was able to relax and enjoy the place for the most part. T’was a little laid back, friendly, smiling faces, and more than anything the feeling of ‘Que sera, sera.’ Whatever will be will be. You’ll get to your destination eventually. It’s about the journey.

Cameroon, compared to many countries in West Africa, is a pretty safe country to travel. I certainly had no issues around my security when I was there. In fact, I left a bottle of water accidently at a restaurant, and after leaving the place I had someone running after me to return it! (not to say you shouldn’t exercise caution whilst there)

Limbe Wildlife Sanctuary

I visited Doula, which has a bit of a reputation as a dodgy city, but I didn’t get that vibe at all. The highlight for me was Kribi, a small seaside town south of Doula where I stayed nearly a week and relaxed. It was a beautiful area, with waterfalls and not too far from tribes living in the jungle. Pleasant for a walk too.

Limbe, north of Doula, was similar in some ways. There’s a famous wildlife sanctuary there for Chimpanzees, Gorillas and other apes. It’s not too far from Mount Cameroon either. At over 4000 metres it is one of the highest mountains in Africa. The Ring Road is another place of great beauty in Cameroon, a bit further north and further inland.

Yaounde

The capital Yaounde rounded out the journey, and was probably my least favourite place in Cameroon. However it is interesting for a day or two, and features several interesting buildings.

Travel in Africa can be very challenging, but in Cameroon it was relatively easy. The people were friendly for the most-part; there aren’t a lot of tourists around so you have the chance to be really independent. It features some of the most stunning, green African scenery you can find. A mixture of farmlands, rolling hills and then jungle further south and east. For an introduction to the region I can’t think of a better country.