A little over thirty-six hours ago, I took a deep breath and clicked the big yellow button on Amazon’s Direct Publishing site. The one marked SAVE AND PUBLISH. Wheels span for a moment in the guts of my Blackbook. Then a congratulatory notice pinged up, and a book that I had spent a day’s work and fifteen years writing was on its way to the Kindle Store.
Big news, Readership. You can buy some of my writing on Amazon.
The book is called Untruths. It’s a compilation of all the short fiction that’s been available on the site since I started Excuses And Half Truths. For the time being, at least, that short fiction will stay as it is. If you want to read it for free, you can continue to read it for free here*.
Why should you pay for product I already offer for zero dinero? Well, it would be silly of me to charge without adding value. Every story featured in Untruths has been extensively reproofed and tweaked, and some truly grim smelling pisstakes excised. The stories have been compiled in a way that now shows the connections between some of them. I’ve written new introductions for each tale, giving a bit of background, context and history. And there’s a new story, A Mercy Killing, that gets its premiere in Untruths. A gen-u-wine exclusive. For you, Readership. Because I love you.
Added to that, I’ve designed a cover for the whole shebang, with a unified design aesthetic that will carry across into everything else that I put up for the foreseeable future. If you see anything of Jan Tshichold and Germano Facetti’s work for Penguin in the cover – congrats, you’ve just spotted one of my major influences.
And there’s lots to come. I’m about to start work on a reproofed version of Satan’s Schoolgirls, which will come with cover art from a very exciting new talent. I want to light a fire under the Pirates trilogy, starting with the first appearance of Pirates Of The Moon before year’s end. That’s right. I said trilogy. From there, who knows? There’s a lot of stuff in the tank that I’m just dying to turn the tap on. Perhaps, finally, The Prisoner Of Soho?
For now, there is work to be done around Untruths. A Smashwords version will be ready before the end of the week (as long as I can get my head back around Microsoft Word, *shudder*), and I’m pressing the go button on a print version through Createspace. I’ve already had a request for an audiobook version, which I should have seen coming (hi, Sandi). That’s gonna need some research. And a little help. Anyone?
And of course, The Dead Files continues its lurch towards world domination – the call for submissions for volume 2 is coming very soon indeed. I hope to get a story in there, but we’d love to be swamped by work from new writers, so let me know if you’re interested.
But right now, I’m just basking in the glow that comes from typing my name into Amazon and seeing it come up prefixed by the one word that has honestly been my one ambition since I was a boy scribbling away at tales of starships, monsters and adventure in a Black ‘n’ Red notebook.
Author.
Untruths is available to buy at the Amazon Kindle Store for the low, low price of 99p.
*as you may have noticed if you’re looking at the site post September 2012, it’s no longer possible to read the stories that make up UNTRUTHS on the site. I figured it was confusing matters a little too much. If you’re really anti- the idea of spending 99p on the stories, then download them via Smashwords, where you can set your own price.
EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS 
Good luck with the book!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations on getting published!
Well done Rob. I’ve just bought my copy on UK Amazon, so don’t spend that 9p all at once! Looking forward to The Prisoner of Soho…
Theresa, Phil, Zen: Thank you so much for your kind words. After the first giddy rush of publishment, I’m now back in the mire of formatting Untruths for Smashwords, and the print edition via Createspace. Fun fun fun.*
*not fun.
Clivey: bless you for dropping a quid on me. I might have to push POS up the writing schedule. Especially for you, bro.