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First and foremost I hope this is of use and help to any aspiring writers who feel that the world in general and the literary world, in particular, has a mighty grievance against them, personally!

Humble Beginnings

I started writing in 1970 when I was nineteen - sci-fi stuff mainly, which nobody wanted to look at. Then I got caught up in the mundane things of a career, feeding a family, that sort of thing.

However, I never lost the spur to write. I took up the typewriter keys again in the late 80's and produced another sci-fi masterpiece.

Much better, this time, I thought, but again, nobody was listening, except for one comment which I took as an insult at the time, but later found very useful.

Never say die…

Someone told me my style was better suited to short stories, so I decided to write a really short one, 800 pages long!

My book "Letter from Poitou" was completed, research and writing while I was working as a bus driver for what was then PMT.

By now my determination was at a peak, but despite several publishers taking a look at it (one kept it a year!) it was the same old story - nobody wanted to take a chance on an unknown.

This is not surprising when you consider the capital cost of publishing a book this size and it's an unrealistic expectation for an unpublished novelist. Ho Hum!

Bring on the computer

However, by now I had also got my teeth into home computing, mostly to keep up with the demands of my new job in the offices at PMT.

I realised that there was a lot of mystique and rubbish talked about PC's

and as soon as CD-ROM burners became common, a whole new vista opened up before me!

The "Letter From Poitou" manuscript was converted into a website, with pictures, sounds, and other goodies. It was also transferred to CD. It could be read on screen or printed off one chapter at a time for conventional consumption.

Freeware

All this from software or goodies off the web which were free (I had no spare cash!).

Because my novel contained authentic family history, my American relatives were very keen and soon fifty or so copies were shipped across the Atlantic.

Web references to the book on my website were spotted by an American publisher and I was then lucky to get a deal with them to publish the book conventionally.

Man on a mission

I set out on a mission to tell other unpublished authors how to do the same as me, and that's how my website audleypublications.co.uk was born.

I maintain that any author can reach any audience and do it largely for themselves through electronic media.

If you don't have a computer yourself it's unlikely you'll be reading this. And if you are you can probably do any of the things I mention yourself, or with a little guidance. At the very least, you'll know someone else who's got a PC and may help you.

Since the site opened I have received requests from America, Africa, and Europe to help people get their work to the audience it deserves.

Do-it-yourself

CD-ROMs cost pennies and pre-installed software that comes with most computers will allow you to print a substantial booklet on your home PC.

So the production costs are low and it's relatively easy to produce all manner of publications from poetry to travelogues and song lyrics to short stories.

I hope my story helps you and inspires you. Feel free to contact me for advice and help.

Michael Eardley