Like most humbly paid people in the world I need more income.
I’m not good with money and did inherit a large debt after divorce but like a proverbial ostrich ,I so need to get my arse into gear, and my head out of the sand and sort it out.
One day a week from May , I have started to write the book of Going Gently. It’s an incredibly hard task, much of it is like herding cats as there is literally 20 years of blogs to sift through and highlight yes, no or maybe.
Ive also had to print these pieces out and re arrange them into some order , placing the book into chapters that make some sort of sense.
As a money spinner it’s a work in progress!
PS: I’m basing my style loosely on James Herriot…frothy and friendly!
Counselling time can be increased and I’m now taking zoom clients which is helpful but I still need my two hospice night shifts a week to pay the main bills so increasing my counselling days will mean I’m working four long days a week ….not an ideal thing with a bloody catheter, ( please chip in with more ideas)
So do I advertise for a sugar son with a cardiac condition ?
Do I start dancing in my kitchen on TikTok!.?
My troll will soon accuse me of touting for handouts
But I do seriously need to review my old age income
As many need to do in their pre pension twilight days , lol
It’s a serious blog hidden behind the humour
Have you had a State Pension forecast? We were quietly opted out of part by the NHS so it is much less than expected, even though we paid in full. It may be possible to buy back some years.
ReplyDeleteNo ideas, sorry, but if you need a proof reader (no charge) I'm your woman! xx
ReplyDeleteA book at last, hooray, looking forward to it, ditto Happy Hooker, my offer of proof reading is also free of charge. Jan in Castle Gresley
ReplyDeleteSee a councillor re: spending problems! Do one more shift per week and put that money into a special, do not touch savings account. Do not eat at restaurants, same with coffee out. Make it at home, put in a flask, then go to the beach to drink it in your car after walking with the dogs. Keep on working on your book. Love you John. Gigi
ReplyDeleteThe book is a great idea. I love the cover you posted and I am a big fan of James Herriot. I just started watching "All Creatures Great and Small."
ReplyDeleteWell done lad!
ReplyDeleteNow I have to buy a copy of the bloody thing given I have been bashing on about it so much!
Neil (Yorkshire) used Amazon for his book, he may be able to offer some advice. If you use their Kindle and Print on Demand option, your readers in the USA can buy a copy. And yes, some Tick-Tock/YouTube videos of short story telling will help spread the word about the next best seller from Wales.
ReplyDeleteHow fabulous, you could become a world renowned author with your multi national following. Easily run to several titles published at eagerly awaited intervals. Then there’s the television series, who would you like to see star as you John I wonder.
ReplyDeleteI for one can’t wait.
Sue from Hertfordshire
Well, the book is VERY GOOD NEWS!!! I hope those of us in the US will be able to purchase a copy. I know a few people that have self published here but not sure how that works in the UK.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a book. You write beautifully and your insights are always worth reading. Seriously.. If I can help at all (just got a contract for my 4th book, woohoo!) then just let me know. I am totally sure you can do this. Jxx
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled you're working on a book. No. It won't be easy. But you've been needing to do this for a long time.
ReplyDeleteA real picture of you would be better than an AI version. The book will take a long time to publish and bring money in. Hopefully, more online counseling appointments can bring in the money you need now.
ReplyDeleteCreators need financial support.
ReplyDeleteCreators it on Patreon?
Working more shifts
means writing/editing less pages...it will take longer, and your readers want to help and see results sooner.
For supporters, it’s an investment in a project they believe in, not a handout.
Asking for help does, perhaps for most of us, require shedding age-old shame, but that could be a great self-counseling project.
https://nybookeditors.com/2023/09/how-to-use-patreon-to-support-your-career-as-a-professional-writer
At last you are buckling down and getting on with the book, it in itself could be your retirement fund if you manage to get it finished. Don't be afraid of lifting some blog posts in their entirety as mini-chapters. Personally I love books that are written in diary format, after all if it's good enough for Stanley Tucci and Nigel Slater it's good enough for a prolific blogger. Good luck with it, and yes I am another actual proof reader willing to check it over for you.
ReplyDeleteJust a suggestion because I think it would be a bloody good read.... But maybe it is a series of books... If you wrote the first chapter or two with a synopsis of the rest of book 1 and sent it off to some publishers? The Winnie Years... Sweet William... Down at the Ukrainian Village... I see a series of books. I have been reading along for a lot of years but will wish you well and go back to lurkdom.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, going the book route! I'm not sure how much money there is in books these days but if you sell like Herriot you're sure to have a secure retirement and then some. Especially if you get picked up by the BBC! And then Russell Crowe can play you and Nicole Kidman can be Chic Eleanor!
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about book publishing but I think Lisa has a good suggestion to write up a proposal and some sample chapters and go from there. Also, you'll want to try to get an agent.
We all get there at some point - one day we wake up and realize we're old, slightly more vulnerable and no chance for a do-over - it can be a scary time for us all and while there's some solace that we're not alone, it's hard not to worry.
ReplyDeleteI haven't followed your blog for long but my thoughts from 1,000 ft are that, in addition to a strong support network, you have the advantage of a long life-experience with the things that scare us most - aging, dying and dignity. It seems to me that in this crazy world where our families and we will need to understand and negotiate the bureaucracy of growing old that someone with your skills would have a place of value - mentor, advocate, speaker, writer - you name it. All of us are going to need some help with this.
All the best
Dave
Good wishes and good luck w both the book annd counseling career. Counseling, esp via Zoom, seems very positive and creates immediate income. Going forward--sorry to say this, but every penny saved counts. I have not traveled or gone to a film or theater since my ex left 15 years ago-ish. No coffee and porridge out, no non-essential drives to pretty beaches. No emotional shopping, wait til next day to click cart. *Small* gifts only to immediate family; strictly budgeted. [not theatre weekends in London w Royal Ballet]. Only one pet who will not be replaced. Only new clothes or shoes that are essential. Other than my companion dog these things are not essential to living. [I know your readers cheer you on, but you do NOT need to travel or go to movies--you need food and roof overhead]. I also sold all my jewelry to survive when ex left me w kids/ penniless. One has to pare to essentials. Not advice, I know you hate advice--just saying how I coped. I'll be one of the first in line for that book! PS Kofe/ patreon/ youtube, go fund me--quick sources: "Save John's Cottage" Fund etc
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. There are “wants” and “needs”…..you need to cut back on so many “wants”.
DeleteI will keep up with the occasional theatre trip and cinema.these alone keep me sane in an often insane world and I need them
DeleteTomorrow’s night shift is extra and that money and my counselling monies go into a separate account
John I've just wanted to make a little money on the side and i can't figure out how to do that.. soooo I'm afraid i'm no help to you... I will be following closely as you take this book idea and run with it... like many others i love how you write... it has kept me here these many years... tell stories.. be a story teller... I don't think we ever grow out of liking having a story told to us.. Big BIG hugs! deb
ReplyDeleteAs a single retiree of 8 years, I wonder how you can afford all the cinema and trips you take and also meals out. Yes, a lovely way to live, but I would rather not work so much at any real jobs and cut back on so much fluff and extra spending like I feel you do. And cut back on the spontaneous spending. But, everyone is different in their priorities. I just could not work as a nurse any longer. My body wanted some good years in retirement. We chose our own poison and what works for us. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteA college friend of mine retired after a full career in opera and theatre. He got a consulting gig with a medical school, teaching patient communication to young med students who have only lived with a phone in one hand. …and who turned out to be quite awkward with face to face conversations, especially the difficult ones. Is there a school near you? This kind of follows what Dave said above.
ReplyDeleteI’ve helped several people self-publish. There’s not much money in it after you pay for your own printing. Better to find a good agent and commit to public speaking & book signing. That’s all part of the sell these days.
Don’t write the whole book before you find an agent, just an outline. They can see your beautiful writing style on your blog.
With all wishes toward success, Bonnie in Minneapolis
John you will have to do the Jilly Cooper version of your blog 😜Then Netflix will buy it off you !! It’s all very stressful I know and foregoing your enjoyable beach coffee won’t make that much difference! There has got to be some small joys in life or it’s not worth working at all . ! Every man and his dog has a side hustle these days it’s just hard to find the right one . Try not to get burnt out after all your efforts to get out of the job that really burns you out ! John try not to worry you will prevail ! X Bernie
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the $8.00 coffee, it's the gas used, he isn't close to the beach, and wear and tear on BlueBelle who he can't afford to replace. To be really frugal means eliminating self justified wants as needs. John can have coffee in his beautiful back garden instead.
DeleteOh! What wonderful and exciting news and an excellent book it will surely be.
ReplyDeleteThink some time ago I mentioned to you a book I'd read by Margret Renkl called "Late Migrations" that had one to three pages for each of her stories. Perhaps that format would suit your blog pages better than Jame's Herriot's longer chapters?
Hugs!
Caution. Not wanting to rain on a parade, but......
ReplyDeleteMore than a decade ago, I was an enthusiastic follower of a blog. Wonderful writer, fantastic blog. Author's background was in journalism. Her blog was basically about her adventures in being there for her elderly mother. We readers laughed, cried, sympathized and empathized with the two of them. MANY, MANY times readers commented that "A" should write a book. She should put that blog into book form. We were so sure it would be a bestseller! Well, the day came, after some years, when the mom died. The blog was taken down, since a book was planned. Alas. No good outcome. Publisher could not be found. Finally found one who insisted that the book needed to be shrunk, etc. The book never happened. Very disillusioned blogger; equally disillusioned readers, Such a disappointment. I just wish the blog had not been taken down. So many memories.
Please don't let your future be dependent upon having a book published. Meanwhile, somebody needs to come up with a way for your blog readers to support this blog! We certainly get a lot from it! I mean, we would pay for a book---- why can't we choose to pay for that same book that is in blog form?
Good real world advice. I'd be happy to pay/ subscribe to the blog. Patreon?
DeleteI agree with RnR above
ReplyDelete