Hello,
We are published!
I'm not using the royal 'we', I mean all of us in Team Sewing Machine. WE DID IT, and you are all part of it. Your names are in the front and back of the book and although many of us have not met, I feel as though I know you.
The book is getting some great reviews on Goodreads here.
And it has some lovely amazon reviews as well.
NEWS
The paperbacks are now "in the system", so if you enjoyed it, and would like a paper copy, or perhaps one for a friend, it can now be ordered by any bookshop from the wholesalers, and it's also on amazon.
There is going to be a book launch in Blackwell's in Edinburgh on Wednesday 3rd May from 18:30-20:00.
About 50 people have signed up for tickets so far, and they can take 80, so if you would like to come, please book a ticket here.
I NEED YOUR HELP
If you have read the book, please leave a review on amazon (and Goodreads).
It doesn't matter that your ebook didn't come from amazon in the first place, so don't let that stop you! You can be anonymous if you prefer.
I am told that amazon really takes notice of reviews, particularly the number of reviews, full stop.
So your review doesn't need to say BEST BOOK EVER, and it certainly doesn't need to be an essay your English teacher would be proud of. Just a couple of words is enough, and whatever rating you choose to give it.
If you have already given it a rating on Goodreads, and wouldn't mind taking two minutes to do that on amazon as well, I would be very grateful.
It's this numerical review-count which nudges amazon into including the book in emails, and in "you read that, you might like this" type promotions.
ROADTRIP
On publication day, Monday, we took the book on a roadtrip.
We left from home by car and drove through to Clydebank.
This is the platform which Jean stood on. It was quite an odd feeling to look down the track and remember how she felt, because of course to me, she is as real as you are.
There really was, and is, a station called Singer. It sat right beside the factory.
This image is from 1895, just look at how crammed the platforms were.
This photo is one of 15 on the West Dunbarton website, including a rather poignant one of a stove, very like the one Jean would have used. Do visit them here.
I'll stay in touch and let you know how things are going.
I hope to have all the pledges dyed, wrapped and sent by the end of May (there are quite a lot of them). I'll update here when the parcels have been posted.
Now that the book is published I will be blogging again on my website.
Please visit here...
Thank you, again. I will be saying thank you forever, I think, because I really do mean it.
Natalie