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"No one told me it would be like this!" The novelist wailed as she hurled her computer through the window. The cat sleeping beneath escaped by a hair's breadth. He fled up the breadfruit tree, yowling in terror."
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The first sentence of my next Fiji Islands Mystery? No, it's my current state of mind as I wrestle with endless self-publishing tasks. You see, sales of Death on Paradise Island on Amazon have encouraged me to go about this gig in a more professional manner, so I enrolled in Mark Dawson's course, Self-Publishing Formula 101. Great course title, isn't it? Seduced me into thinking, "Okay, I'll follow the formula this mega-successful thriller author has developed. He did the blood, sweat and tears so I can just apply it, right?"

Well, not quite. See my first sentence above.
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Don't get me wrong. Mark Dawson's course is packed with valuable information, expertly organised and delivered. It's just that for a novice like me, for whom IT skills are a necessary evil, implementing the recommended strategies has been, er, time-consuming. And that's an understatement.
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But not without success. My e-book is now for sale on Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, Scribd, Tolino, Inktera and other e-book retailers. My paperback is available through Booktopia, Book Depository and selected Sydney bookshops. Mr Dawson advises me that to get the book noticed, I must build up my email list through giveaways. A tough emotional decision, but even tougher to implement.Â

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However, I'm doing it!  Death on Paradise Island is now free from my website sign-up form. Simply enter your email address and the wonderful service BookFunnel will deliver your e-book to your Inbox in your favoured format for Kindle, Kobo, Nook, or iPad. BookFunnel will also help any readers who have problems. But I tested this out last week on my readers' group and none had any problems at all.
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If you haven't yet read the first Fiji Islands Mystery, now's the right time while it's FREE.Â
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 Next, I need to get started on my Twitter profiile...
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As ever, I'd appreciate your feedback and questions in the comments box below.
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all the best,
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 Bernadette  (B.M. Allsopp)