That London

If today is Friday April 29th then it's the day of the UK Blog Awards at which the Coronation Street Blog is shortlisted in two categories.

Since setting up the Coronation Street Blog back in 2007 it's the first time I've entered it for any awards. 

You can read my thoughts on the awards ceremony, the voting process and the whole thing here.

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New book ‘celebrates’ the life of Corrie’s Richard Hillman

As hard as it is for me to do this myself, I do it because I know by now that no-one else will. It's my trumpet and I have to blow it. Matron.  The book is an unofficial Coronation Street companion book all about soap's best loved serial killer ‘Norman Bates with a Briefcase‘.  Actor Brian Capron, who played Richard Hillman, writes the foreword to the book.

You can find out more and buy it here.

A lovely little write-up of my new paperback book. 

The piece comes from ATV today and very nice it is too. 

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I'm on twitter @flaming_nora

Self-publishing - the pleasure and the pain

I'm writing this blog post about my first foray into self-publishing because it's less painful than banging my head against the wall. If this blog post helps just one other person to stop banging their head against a wall then it's done its job.

After the e-book success of my Coronation Street companion book "Norman Bates with a Briefcase: The story of Richard Hillman" I decided I'd self-publish it in paperback.

I investigated Lulu.com and spoke to Sunderland author Alan Parkinson who had good things to say about it.  However, as I'd already invested in Amazon with the e-book for Kindle and felt I knew what I was doing, I decided to go with CreateSpace, which is also run by Amazon.

Here's what I did:
1. Set up a CreateSpace account. Simple.
2. Decided on the size I'd like my book to be. I chose 8" x 5" and downloaded the 8" x 5" template. I uploaded all of my text into the 8" x 5" template.
3. Downloaded the correct size template for the front, back and spine.
4. Emailed my author friend John Beresford in Manchester for help with the cover as I'm no good with graphics.
5. John filled in the template for the front, back and spine and sent it back to me with a nice chatty email. He's a lovely bloke and so is his wife. Smashing couple.
6. I uploaded the text and the cover to CreateSpace.
7. I received a message from CreateSpace to say that although I'd chosen the 8" x 5" size for my book I had downloaded the wrong size template.
8. I double checked the size of the template I'd downloaded. It was 8" x 5".
9. Thinking that CreateSpace must be right as this was my first time doing this and therefore I must be wrong, I downloaded the 8" x 5" template again and repeated step number 2 above and step number 6.
10. Step number 7 happened again. Actually, it happened three times. I doubted myself twice even though I knew I was right.
11. This time, CreateSpace kindly told me that as I'd downlaoded the wrong size template, (even though I hadn't) it had reformatted all of my text to fit an 8" x 5" template.
12. I had to go through all of my text again. CreateSpace had reformatted it and I had to make a lot of tweaks.
13. CreateSpace emailed me to say the cover and spine template wasn't in the highest resolution they'd asked for. This was my fault for not checking.
14. I emailed my friend John in Manchester again nd he changed it for me, emailing it back with another chatty email.
15. I resubmitted amended text and cover to CreateSpace.
16. They sent me a PDF proof, it looked good.
17. I ordered a sample of my book from the USA choosing the fastest delivery method possible. It arrived in a few days. It cost about a tenner all in for the proof book and postage.
18. A few days later, I leapt about the living room with joy and my book in my hand. It looked fantastic. I was over the moon.
19. Approved the proof copy online.
20. Ordered 15 copies of my new book to give away to people including John in Manchester, the lady who designed the cover, Pickled Jo and various other people I've offered a freebie too.
21. My book doesn't appear on Amazon.co.uk after a few days. I email CreateSpace suppot.
22. CreateSpace support tell me it'll take 2-3 days to have my book listed on Amazon.co.uk
23. When it's not there after 10 days I contact CreateSpace support who send me a link to Amazon.co.uk saying 'Look, there it is'.
24. I look. It's still not there. Not in the format they promised. What is there is my book being offered by three different third-party sellers, offering the book - my book - for sale at ridiculously inflated prices around £60. The lowest price currently on offer is £2 more than I choose the book to sell for.
25. I get annoyed with CreateSpace support, my frustration evident as I want to find out what's going on.
26. I write this blog post.
27. I think again about banging my head off the wall.
28. Stop banging my head when I receive an email from CreateSpace acknowledging (finally! finally!) that there's a technical problem with linking between themselves and Amazon.co.uk. They are investigating, they tell me. I'll wait and see what happens.

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I'm on twitter @flaming_nora

Having a bit of a moment

Today I had my absolute day / year / life made.

Met a woman for the first time, we got talking about Corrie and she tells me all about this wonderful book about Corrie's Deirdre that she'd read.

Not only did she read it she took it into her social club for the club's library - and there's still a queue of people waiting to read it.

When I told her I'd written it, well, both of us had a bit of a moment. 

Hugs and tears were involved.

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I'm on twitter @flaming_nora

Norman Bates with a Briefcase

My book, Norman Bates with a Briefcase is now available to buy in paperback from here.

It's an unofficial Coronation Street companion book.
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I'm on twitter @flaming_nora

Corrie weekly update - velour leisurewear and a bit of chitty chat chat

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here.

This week on Corrie, it all went a bit chitty chitty chat chat.

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I'm on twitter @flaming_nora

Corrie weekly update - Big fibs in the Bistro and Battersby's back

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here.

This week on Corrie, Leanne announces she's gone back to her surname of Battersby.

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I'm on twitter @flaming_nora

Vinyl

If you haven't yet watched an episode of Vinyl (it's on Sky Atlantic, Monday nights), then watch it, right now. It's the best thing that's been on telly in ages. It's up there, for me, with The Sopranos. And when I tell you I've watched the box set of The Sopranos five, yes five, times, then you'll know how much I like it. And then tells you how much I'm enjoying Vinyl too.  It's fantastic.

Find out more here.

Find out more about my books. Click on the image below:



I'm on twitter @flaming_nora