Becoming a first time author

The fun of being a first time author

 

Over the years I have written a number of articles for magazines and newspapers on subjects ranging from the West Mersea oyster industry and the repair of antique clocks to a monthly column on various veterinary subjects in the county newspaper. I am a retired veterinary surgeon.

 

I have even written three novels which, although enjoyed by family and friends, have proved to be insufficient to interest the publishing industry.

 

Persistence has eventually paid off and my first book is to be published by John Wiley & Sons in the middle of next month. (October 2008). Entitled “Computing for the older and wiser – Get up and running on your home PC” it is a manual aimed at the mature generation who are seeking ways to join the Internet revolution. I have taken great pains to avoid all jargon, acronyms and general ‘computerspeak’ and tried to explain how much fun the older generation can have ‘surfing the Net’. It is already featured on many Internet booksellers sites and more detailed information can be found on the Amazon website at http://tinyurl.com/6rrk77 .

 

The whole venture started some four years ago when I did some market research on the Web and in the local library and found that there were very few intelligent and light-hearted manuals designed for the Third Age. I thought I had found my niche but then I was approached by our local historian to write a book on the history of the village. This took two years and subsequent research into the computer manual market proved that I had been right and that there were now more than fifty books aimed at “my” market.

 

Undeterred I continued my research and realised that there was still a market for the type of book I had in mind. By this time I had already written about 40,000 words and collected over 150 screenshots so I put together a book proposal. There are a number of publishers that came to mind but the market leader in this field appeared to be John Wiley so, without much expectation, I sent the proposal off to them with the obligatory stamped address envelope. Three weeks passed before my envelope returned to me in the post with a thin sheet of paper enclosed. I have received enough rejection letters to realise what were the likely contents.

 

You can imagine my delighted surprise when the commissioning editor said that they would be interested in seeing more of the book. So, it was back to the keyboard and I started to refine the text. I sent in the first three chapters and they were even more interested. This was all about 15 months ago and since then I have notated the screenshots, submitted the full text, received two advance payments, been in endless emails with a delightful copy editor until the final document was sent off to India for typesetting. Now it is with a company in Italy who are printing the book ready for publication next month with a first print run of 10,000 copies.

 

That, I thought, would be that. No way! The publishers now want a website to accompany the book with newsletters, more tutorials, blogs and video interviews. They have even expressed an interest in a second book along similar lines so it looks as though I am going to be busy as I pass my 70^th birthday.

 

Robert the Bruce, all those years ago was quite right when he said “If, at first, you don’t succeed – try and try again.”

The big day is approaching fast when my first book will be published - October 17th to be exact - and it is getting very exciting. I had not anticipated the amount of work that has to go in to the process of publishing if the project is to be a success. There are signing sessions to be arranged, video interviews to be organised, flyers to be distributed and an accompanying website to be developed.

The book is already ready for pre-order on many booksellers websites and the publishers are enthusiastic about the prospects for sales.

If you want to have a taster of what the book will be like, these are the Authors comments I have posted on the Amazon website -

From the Author
I have been teaching members of the Third Age how to use their home computers for the past ten years and it soon became apparent that much of what I taught during the lessons was quickly forgotten. To overcome this I created a number of revision notes for the benefit of my pupils and it was these notes that formed the original basis for this book.In this respect I can say that the contents have been extensively consumer tested to provide the easiest understandability of the lessons which make up the text.

I have made a deliberate choice to avoid all acronyms and "computerspeak" within the text without patronising the reader in any way. The book is designed to help the readers enjoy their computing experience by laughing at their mistakes and not taking life too seriously. The learning process is designed to be fun not a frazzle.

There will be a website linked to the publication of the book where readers can put their own questions and difficulties to me and between us we should be able to sort out most of the early computing problems From the Back CoverComputing for the Older & Wiser is a simple–to–follow user friendly guide aimed at the older generation introducing the basics of mastering a computer. Covering the latest release of Windows Vista Home PremiumTM and Windows XPTM, this book is designed for people who want straightforward instructions on how to use their home PC.

Written in plain English, using no unintelligible ‘computer speak’ Adrian guides you step–by–step through the basics of computing including chapters on:

Use of the keyboard and mouse
Email and the Internet
Customising your desktop
Word processing
Digital photography
Useful websites
and much more

Useful tips and tricks and a question and answer revision section in each chapter will build your confidence, get you up–to–date and technologically savvy in no time!
If you want to learn how to search and shop online, email or chat to family and friends, and you have the enthusiasm to learn a new skill then this book is for you.

With explanatory screenshots in full colour
Easy to read font
Supplementary website – including additional exercises to help improve your PC skills, further online hints and tips, and a directory of useful resources. www.pcwisdom.co.uk

“Computing for the Older & Wiser will take readers comfortably through getting started on their home PC. The content is similar to what we would take our clients through if they were to attend a class, which is exactly the right level.”
Faye Lester, Computer Training Coordinator, Age Concern Camden, UK

“I have not had so much fun for years”
Renée Moore, 79, pupil at Age Concern, Colchester, UK

About the Author
I am a retired veterinary surgeon who was one of the first of the profession to computerise his veterinary practice before becoming President of the British Veterinary Computing Association. Since retiring, my main hobby has been teaching members of the mature generation how to use their home computers. This private work has now been expanded since becoming a computing tutor with Age Concern in Colchester. Excerpted from Computing for the Older and Wiser: Get Up and Running on Your Home PC by Adrian Arnold. Copyright © 2008. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.One Texan doctor began his computing career at the age of 86 and now has his own web page ten years later. My oldest client is 91 and happily sending e-mails to her grandchildren scattered across the globe.

The mind may be a little slower and memory more elusive but if you can drive a car or use a video recorder you should be able to use a computer. Note that I did not say "understand" - few of us understand the finer points of the internal combustion engine but that does not prevent us using a car. Decreasing vision and slower reflexes may result in a road accident but you will never run anyone over with a computer. So long as your mind is active and enquiring a computer can expand your horizons far beyond the comfort of your own home.

There is invariably apprehension at the approach of new technology. My father had a brilliant mathematician's mind but he insisted on checking the early calculators' answers by doing it manually. It took him about three years to admit that they could be faster and occasionally more accurate. Cash machines are simply basic computers like the controls of a microwave.
Personally, I risk personal damage if I try and program the video recorder because it bears a specific grudge against me and insists on recording any program other than the one I had intended. My wife has no desire to use a computer and yet the video recorder obeys her every command. This is not to say that she does not recognise the benefits of computers at home - she asks me to organise things on the Internet several times a week - it's just that she has no desire to learn computing skills and that's just fine.

Some familiarity with the QWERTY typewriter keyboard is an advantage but touch-typing skills are not called for. I have been computing for 25 years and I still only use about four fingers and even then I get it wrong from time to time. It can be frustrating `hunting and pecking' for letters and symbols but like riding a bicycle, it comes together after a short while. After all one thing we older members of society should have is time.

This is just so much fun!

Second Impressions of Google Chrome

I have been using Google's new browser for over a week now and I still like it. It is definitely faster than Firefox and less cluttered than any of the other browsers. My main problems with it are that there are few toolbars that work with it yet - it is only in beta form as yet - but I am really surprised that you can't attach a Google toolbar to it.

The best things so far are the address bar that works both as an address bar as well as a search box offering intelligent suggestions and its memory of one's recently visited sites when clicking the plus icon on the tabs bar.

The let-downs are the absence of toolbars and other useful programs attachable to other browsers such as Robotform. Only time will tell how quickly these issues are addressed but I am sticking with it for the next month.

First impressions of Google Chrome

This is the first day that Google Chrome, the new web browser, was available for downloading by the general public.

These are my impressions of my first 40 minutes of using the new browser - 

1. It is very clean - as one has come to expect from Google
2. It is so clean that it takes a while to find all the usual tools such as setting your Home page and using tabbed browsing.
3. Tabbed browsing works in the same way as in other browsers - using the Ctrl key or mouse wheel.
4. Once I had found the tools - by using the integrated Google search - it all seems very logical.
5. The bookmarks and links are automatically imported from one's previous browser on installation.
6. Page loading is as quick as Firefox.
7. The integration of the address and search bars makes for a very economic use of screen space.

I will continue to experiment with the program and post another blog on the subject in a few days time.

The Italians are nicer than I thought

Murano Island

I last visited Italy on a camping trip with a student friend some 40 years ago and our experiences with the Italian people left us with the impression that they were unfriendly and unhelpful in spite of trying to use their language which they seemed determined to misinterpret.

This has now all changed. My wife and I spend five days in Venice at the end of April this year and they were a totally different experience. They could not have been kinder or more willing to go out of their way to help.

It only goes to show how wrong first impressions can be and how long they persist. We can strongly recommend Venice in the early Spring before the rest of the tourists begin to clog up the Grand Canal and delightful back alleys. It did help that the weather was unbelievably kind to us during our trip - even the odd shower of rain fell mainly at night.

We will be back.

First Blog

I thought I would try out this 'blogging' business and see what it involves and how it works out.

Why The Curious Vet? Well, I retired from the profession some 15 years ago and since that time I have had a lot of fun teaching members of the Third Age how to use their home computers. So far I have successfully taught more than five pupils over the age of ninety. Anyone over that age who wants to learn to use a computer has a very active mind and their life stories enthrall me. I am a great collector of trivial pieces of information - the central pole of the Copenhagen Town Hall clock takes 25,753 years to make one complete revolution. I didn't say they were useful pieces of information!

I am looking forward to the publication of my first book on October 17th - Computing for the Older & Wiser - if you are interested. You can find out more at http://tinyurl.com/6rrk77

I have always enjoyed writing and I have had the good fortune to have had a number of newspaper and magazine articles published in the past. I have also written three novels but without publishing success. Looking back at the first two novels I can see perfectly well why no-one was interested in their publication. The third one is definitely better but I am going to stick with computer teaching handbooks for the time being. In fact I am in the process of developing a second teaching manual to follow up the initial publication.

The next hurdle to cross is a video interview that the publishers, John Wiley & Sons, want to make and publish on the web in support of the book. I have no idea what this entails but it will be a new experience and even at the age of 69 I am all in favour of those.