Self Publishing or How I became a No1 Best Selling Author!

A couple of weeks ago I published my first and probably only book. I’d decided to do it whilst sat waiting on various riverbanks for a kingfisher to allow me to take its picture! As you’ll know I’ve spent a lot of last year sat around waiting and it gave me time to think, plan and map out the journey I’d been on.

I’d done a little bit of research into self publishing and Amazon seemed simple and easy with a huge potential market to tap into. The book itself didn’t take very long to write, I had most of it already in my head and I had hundreds of pictures to use to illustrate it.

The Amazon process allows you to put the book together in a Word document, drop in your pictures and then add some simple formatting. Once you’ve done that and used a spell checker and two or three people to proof read your document you’re ready to go.

You then simply drag and drop the files to Amazon and they send you an e-mail to say your book is being prepared and should be available on the site within 72 hours. Being the impatient type I checked after an hour and there it was, ready to be bought by anyone virtually anywhere in the world.

Obviously I bought a copy straight away!

Two days later I checked to see if anyone else had bought it and imagine my excitement when displayed next to the book was the words No 1 Best Seller in Nature and Wildlife Photography!! How many had I sold? Will I regret saying all proceeds would go to the nature reserve, I could be a millionaire !!!!

A Year Looking For Kingfishers

21 Oct 2015

by Steve Midgley

4 out of 5 stars

#1 Best Seller in Nature & Wildlife Photography

Well let me tell you, it certainly doesn’t take as many books as you’d think to be a No1 Best Seller on Amazon !! But I don’t care, I’ve sold some and not all to family members, my ego’s had a boost and I’ll be able to donate some money to Cromwell Bottom nature reserve. Cartoonist, author and photographer. A job well done I say.