Wednesday 18 August 2021

International Shelves

 

What do you see? Do you notice it? Have you found it yet? This is like looking at a giant page of a Where's Wally book isn't it lol.

My book poeple! I'm All In is stacked on the top shelf YAYYY! I'm so happy (smiling with all teeth emoji).

I would have taken a picture of me next to the shelf or had the staff do it but not only is that too ostentatious for me but the staff were not that enthusiastic so it was out of the question, BUT THEY WILL NOT BRING DOWN MY HIGH! 

MY BOOK- FIRST BOOK, IS ON SHELVES PEOPLE! And not just the shelves of customers within their homes although that is the greatest honour, but it is on retail shelves which is the goal of many Authors. Especially for self-published Authors as we have a steeper hill to climb in order to get given half of the same opportunities for distribution and exhibition thus sales, considering our limited resources of not publishing our books with a (commercial) publishing company- BUT I DID IT! BY MYSELF I would like to point out. No publishing house, no distributor, no Publicist, no Assistant just my persistence (meant to rhyme).


I would also like to point out that not only did I forget this year that it was the publication anniversary this month seeing as August is usually a miserable time of year- ANNUALLY KMT. That aside, this opportune time of year in 2021 had the first exciting news of my debut book on retail shelves in July, when I sold copies of it to The Ankh Centre in Willesden (North-West London)! That made my year you don't understand. Simply because it is was full of simplicity, ease and a welcoming attitude. It was the beauty of simplicity and clear communication, no nonsense, just details exchanged, money explained and respectful honest correspondence which was all I needed. THIS IS A RARE OCCASION PEOPLE! Usually in any case it's nonsense, hesitation, an unnecessary attitude from an unprofessional individual, misinformation or contradictions and misleading. There was none of that crap here, everything was what it was AND DONE. Along with the positivity of productivity that came at just the right time.

I'm smiling now at the progress and lack of stress (wasn't meant to rhyme) granted from that experience.

So now, my book is not only easily distributed online and of course sold at the biggest retailer in the world right now (Amazon) but the paperback is also available in hard copy at a store in London (with whom I coincidentally performed at their flagship branch 10 years prior!) More excitingly thus far, that same book is now stocked at a bookshop in Kigali- RWANDA how exciting is that! And not just at any bookstore people but a renowned iconic store of the region, Ikirezi Bookshop. They have lots of great material there I must say; their art supplies, range of text books, business books, history books, self-help, fiction, great children's books and multi-lingual stock by the way (French, English and Kinyarwanda). 

Please note that many retailers set their own prices which does not reflect on me, that goes for some of the ludicrous prices that have been reported to me recently (I would not ask or expect you to pay the far fetched £39-42.00 offensive fee for just one paperback book) given by associated online retailers via Amazon. THAT IS NOT MY DOING. My price is £8.99 as sold on Shop Infiniti and in person at performances and appearances. Furthermore the only price that I agree to on Amazon is the £9.85 listing when it is sold directly through them as the Seller.

 

The pictures were taken at Ikirezi Bookshop, Kigali. Years later and I'm still in love with my cover design. I'm so proud. B*tch don't kill my vibe.