The latest: 9th December. Amazingly there is still a steady trickle of books being sold at the rate of 5-6 a week. I aint exactly competing with Amazon but it's nice the interest is still there both locally and interstate. Christmas has helped of course, most books are going out as presents - a damn fine gift to give to someone if I do say so myself.
2 Nov. I think you must have taken pity on me, the day after my last 'post' I sold 4 books (in one day) and it's been a steady stream ever since. I guess now I've written that, sales will dry up :) Going to have a stand at a Mens Health festival on Sunday; pretty apt since my book touches on Post Traumatic Stress just a wee bit at one point.
11 Oct. It's darn heart warming to be starting to sell books to people who heard about it from others; no better marketing than 'word of mouth'. Only selling a couple of books a week now, a trickle, but equally, the nice emails and feedback is priceless, thanks :)
13th Sept. I found out while I was in London that ABC TV were going to do a story on my book. Filming with Lucy this Sunday at a few locations, then meeting up with the club. After going to Harper-Collins and the BBC while I was in London....oh, I can feel 'the big time' looming :)
21 Aug. If you order a book I'll not be back from London to process it until 12th Sept; sorry. I'll make it a priority on my return. Been contacted by a TV station to do a story. Then got told they weren't sure where to run it. Back burner for now but who knows? The US mag Self Starter ran a great 2 page feature on Lucy in the August issue; 7000+ subscribers around the world-cool!
11 August. 3 people in just one day (Monday) emailed me wanting to know when Book 2 - Lucy Rides Again - is coming out. It's 95% finished BUT is totally on full cryogenic hold, so, sadly, don't ya'all hold your breath ya'hear :)
4 August. Oh the power of advertising! Yes, of course the ABC Radio interview generated a spurt of book sales; woo-hoo. I'm still selling hardly any eBooks though...got any ideas?
29 July. Well, the ABC Radio interview came out great. Go to the ABC web site and follow the Peter Goers prompts if you want to hear it. That steady flow of book sales have continued this week too. Very nice.
21 July. Had a nice little burst of book sales this week plus have a major radio interview coming soon. More on this after it happens. Not a huge amount of books left now......can I justify keeping this site when they are all gone? Then again, how can I let it die :(
12 July. Did last week's bulk order get me marketing again? Had the very best of intentions. Made a list of marketing goals. Did bugger all. If only the sun would shine........
4th July. Independence Day must be lucky. Just got an order from a local bookshop for 10 copies of my book. About time, sales had been slipping of late as I've done bugger-all marketing for a coupla months. Will this get me motivated to get back to some serious marketing!!! Probably not :)
24 June. Started cleaning Lucy at 9.45 this morning. Washed then dried; then used a cleaning glaze & buffed that off; then used a sealing glaze & buffed that off; then used a pure wax & buffed that off (wax on/wax off; all by hand and with lots of sweat). Removed steelies and replaced 'wires'. Stopped at 5pm. Still got interior, trunk & engine bay to go. What a blissful way to spend the day. Oh, sorry, nope, no book news (again).
16 June. Nope, no book news so watch this fab vid about the new Cadillac station wagon. (Shh; don't say it. Yeah, it looks a lot like a Commodore sport wagon don't it.)
9 June. I have got to do some marketing. Haven't done any for several months now and am down from selling a couple of books a day to one a week! I guess I'm just gonna have to give up sleeping.
3 June. I haven't mentioned it for a while but Lucy's 'first time' web site visitor numbers continue to go through the roof, month after month. Fantastic. I really appreciate all the emails too, especially those from Overseas. Cheers guys & gals.
26 May. Just go check out all the new music & clips, especially the one at 'Latest News - This Site'.
20 May. I can't sit still; book, eBook, DVD and yep, there's now another Big Lucy retail project on the go; details in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, do me a favour and tell a friend about the site :)
13 May. What with the Movie, eBook and lots of work on this site, book sales are at an all time low; so how about suggesting it to a friend, fellow club mate or buying it as a present for someone? Hey, at least the Movie & eBook have created some new deals!
3 May. Eldest son Chris and I took Lucy out to lunch today, a sunny cruise along Adelaide's pristine coast before dining at a seafront hotel, looking down at her parked in the sun while we ate. What better way for an old LA doll to celerbrate her 50th Birthday! Nope, no other news here this week either.
28 Aprl. Ian has finished the eBook, go on, go buy it! Thanks to Kym for the idea and to Ian R for action above and beyond the call of Cadillac duty in making it possible.
20 Aprl. Ian's my hero. Yes, Ian is that certain retired former Bank Manager IT guru and yes, he's working on my eBook for me. I'll keep you posted on progress. What's happening with the 'real' book? Let's just say it's obvious I've taken my eye of the marketing ball at the moment. Gotta get back on that!
14 Aprl. It's easy. Anyone can do it. Download this free program, click, click, click, and you'll have an eBook. Yeah, right. Not nearly as simple as folks make out and I'm still working on the Big Lucy eBook. (I might have to ask a certain retired Bank Manager IT expert I know for some help.)
8 Aprl. Just about got the eBook ready so all you 'cheap' Westmacott rellies in the UK will have no more excuses! Mate Stuart is also wrapping up final editing on the Tasmania DVD. The DVD will be free (apart from P&H) and will also be a total no-cost inclusion with all 'real' books sold overseas, eg, no extra P&H charges.
31 Mch. Currently working on having an eBook version of my book available for people overseas. The postage to the US & UK is almost the same cost as the book, gotta do something about that. Going to be a Big Lucy DVD soon too; woo-hoo.
17&24 Mch. I've been so busy getting Lucy ready for 'The Salt' there's no real book news other than I spoke to a Dr this week who told me one of his patients mentioned Lucy to him, plus my mechanic was at a party, talked about Lucy, and one of the partygoers piped up and said he'd bought my book in Cooper Pedy! It's a small world and ol' Lucy sure is getting well known.
10 Mch. Spoke to Leo Pruneau today (GM Design 1961-1988) and he told me how much he enjoyed my book and how much he admired terrific old Lucy. Wow, all that from a man who knew Harely Earl, worked on a daily basis with Bill Mitchell and who started at GM in Detroit just a few months before Lucy rolled off the line. WOW!
3 Mch. Book sales have been given another boost by that terrific Advertiser story but I've also had 4 requests in less than a week from people seeking help in publishing/selling their own work. I'm more than happy to help but there's a catch; you have to buy a book first. And there's my first free lesson for you, it wont be easy and don't expect everything to be handed to you on a platter :)
24 Feb. What a fantastic story & pics in Saturday's newspaper. It was even better than I hoped & I'll get it up here soon (you can see it on my Facebook page if you're keen.) As if that wasn't enough, that Sydney radio station got back to me a few days ago for an on-air interview. Woo-hoo, my stars said it was going to be a great year.
17 Feb. Buy the Advertiser this Saturday as my book gets a colour feature in the paper's weekend suppliment magazine. Hmm, that just might be the very last of my original print run sold out! (Yes, your copy will then officailly be a collector's item!!)
10 Feb. Had two emails this week about the same part of my book - the Ghost Motel. Both ladies, one from Vic, one from WA, wanted to check I hadn't made it up. I assured them it's a true story, right down to the disappearing jam. Best part is they both believe in that sort of thing but just wanted to check. (You may now hum the theme to the Twilight Zone.)
3 Feb. Had a 2 hour photoshoot with a professional lens-man on Monday. Yep, the day it was 42.5! And the Editor wanted the pics taken with Lucy on a dirt road so the snaps were shot at the back of Clarendon. Boy was my nose twitchin' for the first hint of smoke! Two hours of non-stop 'don't move' posing like some sort of over-the-hill fashion model, Lordy that sure would get to be a boring job once the 'glamour' wore off. When the feature hits the stands I'll let you know.
28 Jan. A couple of days ago I was interviewed by a main stream journalist about my book and a photo-shoot with Lucy is happening next week. It looks real promising but...in the past there has been both a TV & a radio gig that didn't end up working out so I'll say no more for now...
20 Jan. What with the floods and Christmas, book sales have dropped to a trickle (no pun intended). Can't complain because they stayed high for 9 months, which is amazing when you think of how limited my marketing is, but I've got to pull my finger out. Meanwhile, do me a favour and tell a friend or family member how great the book is - especially if they're a publisher!
13 Jan. Due to the shocking QLD floods and in respect to the tragic deaths occuring in so many places Lucy has travelled thru, I don't think it's 'right' to report some 'book' triviality here. Let's pray things are better soon.
6 Jan. Happy NY and my NY news is the shock of selling 6 books at a NYEve dance I went to. A total stranger asked if I had any books with me (silly question) and I ended up selling 6 without trying; I should have got up on stage and done some 'pitching' but I was too gone dancin' daddyo.
29 Dec. I've still had a trickle of sales even though it's Christmas week, quite a few to suburban Adelaide too, which is unusual. Not much else to report 'book wise' however as I'm being a bit lazy; hey, it's Christmas. See you in the New Year to compare NY Resolutions.
22 Dec. A very special Merry Christmas to everyone who received my book for Christmas, & there were quite a few. I hope you enjoyed it. Had two emails this week, one from an OS tourist in Queensland and one from the UK, asking what bookshop chain my book is available in - gee, if my sales are as good as they are just through my own two-bit marketing, imagine what they would be if my book was in bookshops! Maybe one day - say, there any US publishers out there reading this.......
16 Dec. Read this! Here's an email I got from a reader of my book: "Well, I read ya book steve...LOVE IT! Thanks for writing what took me from laughter to tears and back. Really. And for the sobering lessons about the pale rider too. Inspirational stuff. Cheers! Darryll Osbourne." Phew, don't think I'll write any more than that this week; thanks Darryll.
8 Dec. Big surprise on 4th Dec when I got an email, then a Facebook message, from two guys in Cairns to tell me Lucy had featured in the Cairns 'Cars Guide' section of their Saturday newspaper. Didn't even know it was happening. Best part is it has generated a few Christmas sales where FNQ book buyers have taken up my offer of free Christmas wrapping.
2 Dec. Steady trickle of overseas sales coming in but I'm sure numbers are hampered by the steep O/S postage which almost doubles the price of the book - I gotta get an overseas publisher! Interesting too that so far no one has gone the 'free Christmas wrapping' offer; which still stands btw.
25 Nov. With the Festive Season looming I've decided that anyone who buys a book as a present for a friend will have it posted to them gift wrapped in Christmas paper at no charge. What an offer :)
18 Nov. Couple of weeks ago I got a paying writing gig by a big name mag but had a 2 week deadline. Ouch, rushed job. But they loved the story, bought it AND gave me an advance for the next article; which I finished today. What's this to do with my book? It shows new visitors (particularly O/S ones) I'm a good writer and they can't go wrong if they buy my book!
11 Nov. Any news about my book is a trifle on our WWI Rememberance Day, so all I'll say is my success today is because of the ultimate sacrifice by so many young men in the past.
4 Nov. Bugger, my 'mindblowing' news of 13/10 isn't going to happen. But the glass is 1/2 full because I've now sold a book to Scotland. Yes, I know, it's only 1 BUT hey, it's another country to add to the list; US, Canada, NZ, England, Scotland, Netherlands and Sweden: and that's international sales!
28 Oct. Just when I was thinking there'd be no book news this week I get an email from a SA suburban library wanting a couple of copies of my book. "...getting so much better all the time..." there's a song in that.
21 Oct. It's just about time to bite the bullet and decide if I'm going to run a re-print of my book...thinking...thinking. So you'all better get in fast if you want to grab a 'collector's edition' First Issue!
13 Oct. Huge, exciting, mindblowing book news. But I can't tell you - and it's killing me. I'm the worst person in the world to keep a secret but when this breaks, in 6 or more months, you'll say "Oh THAT was what he was on about."
8 Oct. The power of modern communications. Within 24hrs of my Oct 6th message (below) Alan had called, we sorted out his problem and a book was in the mail. Amazing!
6 Oct. Got a message on my answering machine from a man saying he'd bought a book online but wasn't sure he'd done it right & to call him. Except he didn't leave a name or phone number. If this might be you, ring again please.
23 Sept. Had a few bulk sale enquiries lately (all from women, interesting) wanting to buy books to give as Christmas presents, so I now have a discounted rate for bulk buys, including discounted postage. Ho Ho Ho. Every book now also comes with a Big Lucy book mark!
17 September. Sold a book to Sweden a couple of days ago (thanks Hans). Only one sale but that's not the point - what a bloody thrill that someone on the other side of the planet, and where they speak another language, stumbled over Lucy and bought a book! So far that makes it books have gone to US UK NZ Netherlands & Sweden. Who'll be next?
8 September. Got an email today from Outback magazine. Lucy's going to be in the next issue too - just a small mention but what a fantastic thing, a plug in two issues in a row - what great advertising. Goodness me but I have been blessed with how my book sales are going.
2 September. Wow, book sales went thru the roof thanks to Outback magazine; sold heaps on the Darwin road trip too. Was astounded to be recognized on the road by people who had read the Outback review too, man what a thrill, to be recognized as an author. Then in Glendambo a local, 'Johnno', told me my book got a mention in the UK mag Classic & Sports Cars. And I didn't even know about it. Fabulous!
12 August. Got 100 copies of the Outback magazine review of my book and a box of books loaded in Big Lucy for my 6000 kay road trip to Darwin; gonna be doin' the hard sell at every camp site and roadside stop all the way. Gonna feel like one of those Depression era door to door brush salesmen. See ya when I get back.
5 August. Hard on the heels of the fabulous review my book received in the RM Williams 'Outback' magazine, I got another one, this time in the July Unique Cars. Colour, Page 12, a 1/3 of a page. Man, I could never afford this type of National advertising!
26 July. If I died tomorrow I'd be a happy man. Lordy you should see the 1/3 page review my book received in the RM Williams Outback magazine. Fair dinkum, if this dont generate a reprint I'll eat my RM riding boots with my Akubra as a side serve!
15 July. I've spent most of my free time lately working on my FaceBook site and networking 'friends' as (again according to my publisher), this is apparently a fantastic marketing tool. Time will tell.
8 July. I've put some of my book at The First Few Pages of My Book but not much else to report other than sales still tricklin' in - and thank you, 'cause a trickle is better than a drought.
1st July. Got confirmation my book will be reviewed in the Aug/Sept issue of a major Oz Mag that has double the circulation of good old Street Machine. It goes to an entirely different readership type too; whoa, look out Stephen King!
26th June. Sold 8 books of this website in just 1 day last week - shame that sort of thing don't happen every day ha ha.
10th June. Received a letter this week from a guy recovering from cancer and doing the Big Lap of Oz as part of his recovery. He described my book as 'inspirational'. Phew, that one letter just about makes the entire exercise worthwhile!
3rd June. Got a call from a mainstream mag that sells twice as many issues as any Oz car mag. They might run a feature on my book. Only a 'maybe' but still, it was darn nice to know I'd been short listed as it's pretty prestigious.
27th May. Have to say that the June Street Machine magazine plug for my book is such a high I have to carry over that news this week. Exciting stuff.
23rd May. Scott G...make contact pronto, ya'hear. Great news is my book getting a 'four thumbs up' plug on P12 of the June Street Machine. As one of the biggest selling car mags in Oz, who knows, my book might be a sell out!
18th May. Came back from Brisbane to find a book sold to the UK; wow, my first on-line International sale. So, who is going to be 1st from NZ? Here's a carrot; 1st to NZ gets Oz postage rate.
6th May. Only sold a few books this week and not one went to Strath or the Adelaide Hills. Interesting after my comment last week. Had it confirmed yesterday that my book will get a mention in the June 'Street Machine' and that's Australia's biggest selling car mag.
29th April. Wow, I got a fantastic big photo and write up in the Strathalbyn local paper (readership 13,000) as a result of the Zipple Cruise on Monday 26th. An Advert that size would have cost a fortune so it will be interesting to see if any sales are generated.
23rd April. Looks like I might get some coverage in one of Australia's biggest selling magazines. Fingers crossed. The SA book launch is on the back burner - I've just no time.....
15th April. I've been approached to have an Adelaide book launch. Early days & we'll see. I've also had a couple of people emailing to buy my book outside of an electronic purchase - yes, I can & will do anything to sell you one!
6th April. I'm so happy with last week's I'm carrying it over - 2nd April: Got an email from a buyer of my book today, here's what it said, "First book I've read from cover to cover for many years, very entertaining and you sure tell a good story Steve, it was enthralling. Congratulations." Wow, praise indeed, so if you too liked my book, tell a friend, recommend it as a gift; it all helps.
25th March. Sold around 65 books at my Bathurst book launch, plus another 25 or so over the Nats weekend. Best part is that since then word of mouth has people buying on recommendation and some Nats buyers coming back for more to give as gifts (one lovely lady bought three more!) Wonderful stuff.
4th March: What a thrill to be selling my own book! Wow. Bigger thrill to see it mentioned in a new car magazine, Retroautos; double wow. And on top of that we are now off to Bathurst for my offical book launch on 13th March in pit lane Mt Panorama Bathurst. Hope to see you there. Oh, and drive safe now, ya'hear!
26th Feb. Yes, all of my books have arrived and I have sold plenty. A heartfelt thank you to every purchaser. Had lots of emails from lots of interstate folks wanting me to take copies to the Bathurst Caddy Nats. No problem there folks, Lucy's got a BIG trunk.
19th Feb. Got a call on Monday "Sorry Steve, printer's broke...gonna be a delay." Oh no. But. 100 books had been printed before the breakdown and these were rushed to me. Yes, I HAVE MY BOOKS!
11th Feb. What's the latest? As Crocodile Dundee said about a husband & wife holidaying in the NT from Eastern Europe and who inadvertantly camped beside a crocodile infested river, "The Czech's in the male." Soon!
4th Feb. Received an email today saying printing had started. Another step achieved. Have around 60 orders so far but received my first on-line purchase payment last week - what a thrill (thanks Ian!).
28th Jan. The next step clicks into place. Book delivery to me is about 2 weeks away but, secure facilities to buy a copy now exists at my Home Page. Oh it's so close!
20th Jan. Well, I was tearing my hair out at how long it was taking but it's done. The book front cover, spine and back page are finished. In fact, IT'S ALL FINISHED. OMG! Only got to be printed now. Talk about a dream come true.
8th Jan. "Holy Nightmare Batman!" The printer sent me my book cover design. Long story short; they thought my picture was just to give them an IDEA of what I wanted and they thought a RED car would look better and so used a red...are you sitting down...'57 Chevy! They were very apologetic and are now redesigning using my photo of Lucy.
4th Jan 2010. The book came back from the printer again on the 2nd with their corrections done (it took a while over Christmas/New Year) and I have now 'okayed' the typesetting. Now they know how thick the book will be the designers will set up the cover, back page and spine for my okay.
23rd Dec. The book came back from the printer for me to check the page layout - of all 335 pages! That was a job and a half. I've now sent that back to be 'set in stone'. Once that's done I get it back again to check it again before it's signed off. Phew. What a time consuming process this is.
13th Dec. Book text is with the typesetters. Cover photo is with the design people. To quote the Blues Bothers Band in Bob's Country Bunker "Rollin', rollin' rollin'..."
Earlier: OMG! It's finished at last. Off to the printer tomorrow; Friday 11th December 2009.
Earlier: The 2010 Cadillac LaSalle Nationals Committee have decided to make the launch of 'On The Road With Big Lucy' an offical part of their Bathurst event program. Wow!
Earlier: Yes, we have now taken the cover photo. Helen and I had a fantastic time in the Flinders Ranges on a photo-shoot and found the perfect location - see the mock-up below.
Earlier: The plan was to have the book ready for Christmas. Shame I never locked in which one. They say effort is rewarded and nothing worthwhile comes easy - well in that case this book will be an international best seller!
I've now had a session with a professional photographer about the cover shoot and that's on track, so Plan B is to have everything to the printer by the end of November. But we've all heard that one before haven't we.
