Putting your LIFE out there
A few weeks ago I wrote about writing a memoir when the memories are fresh.
That was before the physical books arrived for distribution. The eBooks are somehow not quite as real, I understand why some of our readers waited for the paperback, the physical book. Even our Mr O Jnr 2 fanned the pages in front of his nose and said, ” Oh, the smell!”
The Managing Director of my employer bought a book yesterday. Many co-workers have also bought copies. Even my local bottleshop bought a copy. As I said in my previous article (link above) it is scary. I am the same person these people knew yesterday. I haven’t changed, but there are things in the book they did not know about me. For 40 years I rarely mentioned my parents both committed suicide. Now it is “out there”. Will people think it is hereditary? For the record, my GP tells me I am past the age for that to be a risk! Just in case you were wondering!
You see, some days I feel strong. Proud that I’ve had the strength to put it out there, to tell it as it really is.
Other days I feel scared. Today was a “scared” day! What will people think? Will they think less of me because I was driven to the point of wanting to drive my car through the doors of the Melbourne DIAC building in sheer despair? Or will they understand? Will they feel it?
The glamour of being a one woman band
To the traditional publishers who turned me down, may I just say I hate you. I am sure there is something to be said for you guys handling all the damn paperwork/packaging/postage!
This self-publishing gig is damn hard work, you know.
You, dear reader, may remember I had a little glitch with generating my invoices for advance orders. I forgot a minor detail: the INVOICE NUMBER! OK, so sending out invoices is OK once you get that minor detail right, but then one has to keep track of who has paid. Create a spreadsheet to keep track of the GST (who invented THAT anyway?) and the postage collected.
Box of Books
Today’s processing started with getting a co-worker to help me lug four cartons of books to the car. Each book weighs almost half a kilo, so muscles are needed.
By the time I left the office I had already autographed 11 copies of the book.
Stopped off at the store to buy a marker and a pen. Stopped at the post office to buy the padded envelopes and the boxes for the multiple orders. This meant lugging a half empty (luckily) carton into the post office to make sure I picked the right sized boxes. Naturally, the closest car park was half a block down the street.
Got the boys to haul the cartons out of the car.
Love versus Goliath in paperback arrives tomorrow!
Print edition cover
I am SO excited, I have to share!
As advance order people know, I ordered the first print run of the paperback of Love versus Goliath on April 24th. I had expected them to arrive early this week at the latest, so this morning I called Lightning Source to enquire as to progress. I got the big boss on the phone and I have to say, Paul is lovely. As are his staff. I have been a complete newbie at all of this and Lightning Source really have been very helpful and have gone out of their way to answer all my newbie questions. I have no hesitation in recommending them!
I was assured I would receive the books on Friday and asked they change the delivery address to my work, as otherwise I wouldn’t get to collect them until Saturday morning. Then there is all that autographing and envelope addressing stuff to do!
Tonight I received an email advising the books will be delivered to me just after lunch tomorrow! Grinning from ear to ear I am!
Today I also signed an eBook library lending agreement with Wheelers Books, who supply school and other libraries and sent them electronic files. Wheelers have already listed the paperback! The book is already catalogued by the SCIS. I am so grateful for the support of the SCIS!
Given I now have Friday night to get some of the autographing done, I should get most posted over the weekend.
Now I just have to find a way to get to sleep tonight! I honestly didn’t think I’d feel as excited as I do. Even getting the positive sales reports for the first half of February for the eBook edition wasn’t as exciting as actually being able to send out autographed copies! Thank you so much to the advance order people who trusted me to deliver, even though most of you knew me only from here or social media. I could not have done this without you!
Related articles
- Love versus Goliath in the media (teamoyeniyi.com)
- Love versus Goliath had a GREAT 24 hours (teamoyeniyi.com)
I am a woman of calibre
Well, well, well: I’m a woman of calibre. How nice for me! I don’t earn that much, but the rest of it fits!
I never got a cent of paid parental leave. I didn’t get a baby bonus either, or a first home owners’ grant. I did earn a degree and damn hard work it was too. Readers of my memoir already know my parents both committed suicide when I was 15. I left school. I earned my degree working full-time, studying part-time and raising two kids. It was bloody hard work. I did Year 12 part-time over two years before I started the degree and missed medicine by 3 marks. I never did Year 11 at all.
Melanie
Personally I have never believed in paid parental leave, but I’ll come to that. The baby bonus was just stupid. Here we are with a massively over-populated planet and we started paying people a bonus to have a baby while China has a one baby policy. W. T. F.? Billions of us on this planet and we started encouraging people to produce MORE of us? Not only encouraging, but PAYING! The mind boggles.
Paid parental leave? No. I believe in parental leave, most definitely. I think it is a wonderful thing if companies incorporate child care in their employment policies, as a number of companies do. I support flexible hours for parents and working from home.
If human rights is not something you think about, I invite to read Dr George Venturini
Dr Venturni has an impressive legal bio. He has started a new series of articles on Independent Australia looking at “the history and reasons for Australia’s current unfair and illegal refugee policy”. I invite you to click on the picture below and read Dr Venturini’s excellent article.
Dr Venturini on Independent Australia
ME time! Lovely nail polish!
Everyone needs “me time” and today after the shopping I took some!
I lined up some new nail polishes which a very generous supporter has sent me as a gift! A much appreciated gift!
Nail Polish
Now I agree, maybe nail polish and laptops are not the best combination in the world – can you imagine nail polish spilt into the keyboard? Doesn’t bear thinking about, does it? Read more 
Live export or asylum seekers?
I’m really not ready to write about the 4 Corners program which so graphically revealed the conditions on Manus Island and Nauru, the concentration camp conditions we are sending asylum seekers into, including children.
However, as I watched the Twitter feed later in the week, I spotted this tweet:
Re: 4 Corners
I have no reason to question the truth of the tweet, but that day I also signed a petition to close Manus Island and notice as of today there are over 35,000 signatures. If you haven’t signed, why not do so now?
So back to the question of the Federal MP and the lack of letters about asylum seekers compared to the flood after 4 Corners did a program about the live export of animals. Why? Clearly at least 35,000 people care enough to sign the petition and I know social media sites were thundering disapproval, disappointment and shame.
It is that we have given up writing to our elected representatives over the issue of asylum seekers because we see the vast majority of them aren’t listening? Why do we think they will listen about animals before they will listen about PEOPLE? I’m certainly against cruelty to animals, but I DO think we should be at least as concerned about the welfare of our fellow humans! Or was it the sight of blood in the animal program engendered more horror? I don’t have an answer. Perhaps someone who actually wrote to an MP about the animals, but not the people, may comment here and explain their logic.
I am heartened by the number of signatures on the petition!
Jane Fynes-Clinton has written a terrific article as a follow-up to the 4 Corners program, The real story of asylum seekers is drowned out by fear and bigotry, and politicians like it that way. I have previously expressed very similar sentiments on this website.
All this reminded me of an exchange I had a while ago on Twitter. I once stupidly engaged with one of the “we must stop the boats to save their lives” brigade, trying to point out the motivations of asylum seekers are not exactly how he sees them. It got to the point where I suggested he read my book, to gain a perspective of asylum seekers as PEOPLE, rather than a political topic to be bandied about. Initially, he agreed, until he found out what my book was actually about. O. M. G. I had married an asylum seeker.
What do you think happened then?
Guesses, anyone?
Wait for it…….
