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My First Self-Published Book was a Bestseller
“Flying off the shelves faster than Harry Potter”
Towards the end of 2003, I put together a book that sold 30,000 copies in three months. The book, titled Little Book of the Toon, boasted little in the way of literary merit, but it became a regional bestseller.
Before I get into how it all happened, a word about the title. Here in the north-east of England, those speaking in the local dialect pronounce the word town as toon. Despite being a city, Newcastle is fondly referred to as the Toon, and similarly, Newcastle United are known by that unofficial nickname. Hence, Little Book of the Toon.
The idea came to me when I looked through the multi-million best-selling book The Little Book of Calm, by Paul Wilson. The author, aware that stress is the biggest killer in the West, put together a collection of short pieces that offered calm and reassurance. The book was small enough to be carried around, and its purpose was that when faced with a stressful situation, the reader could open it at random and find words of comfort and encouragement.
The Idea is Hatched
This set me thinking. Supporting Newcastle United, as I do, is a fairly stressful occupation, so why not put together a similar book relating to that? I had lots of…
