Questions, oh questions

I don't know if I should believe Stat Counter.
Today it tells me that some two hundred  people have viewed my blog yesterday, yet when I look at the behind pages, they record only 65. So what exactly is going on?

I've often wondered if the views each post gets on Facebook are recorded. If they are, that might account for the difference. If anyone knows the answer, please tell me - it would be good to know for sure.

It seems that independent book publishers are still going to the wall. The latest to close its door is Samhain, one of the bigger names in the US. I had two books with a smaller independent and that closed in January after 17 years in business, so I have two books waiting to be given a new lease of life, but I don't think I shall look for another independent publisher. They all seem to be rather precarious. Better to publish my books myself via Amazon Kindle. That way I know I am in control, but a .curious question came into my head the other day.

 A case in point is Banners of Alba, the paperback version. The rights came back to me when the independent publisher closed, but I see the paperback is still up there on Amazon. Amazon say they keep every edition up as a record and it has a silly price on it, but supposing someone wanted to buy it. With the e-publishing process, Amazon could print a paperback copy of Banners whenever they liked and I would never know. I am not in control of that particular item as Write Words, Inc went ahead with the paperback some years back. Is there a way of getting that paperback title removed from Amazon? another question is - what happens when I die? Assuming that my books would still sell, do Amazon get to keep the royalties? Can I will my rights to someone else?

In the search for a good way to promote, I've been doing banners, like the one above. They're fun to do and don't take a lot of time, and hopefully they avoid the readers response of "oh, not that old ad again."

Another life?



Shiny new Viking helmet

It may have been a Roman soldier during an event day at Wallington showing the schoolkids how to fight with a quarter staff. Or it may have been a day when a Viking Warrior was stalking the grassy sward. I really can't remember, and it isn't that important. It might even be me, visible in the reflection, taking the photograph of the shiny helmet. Sometimes these events promise more than they deliver, and both these days were of that kind. Maybe only kids were supposed to be there. It was during the school holidays, after all.

It struck me last week that I have two books, once published by Quaestor, but  no longer available unless there are a few copies still floating around on Amazon and the like. I should do something with them. I have the rights back. So I'm investigating Kindle Direct Publishing, and currently tieing myself in knots trying to unscramble the formatting on the only document I have. It is a valuable lesson - I wish I'd kept a clean Word Document copy for just such an eventuality. It probably seems a bit like death-wishing your precious work, but these things happen. Publishing companies go to the wall with astonishing regularity these days. It's as well to be prepared.