Imagine my delight when I went into my local Borders this week. My book a best seller! And here is the picture to prove it!
Tonight is the big night. Tonight I launch my speaking career at Kings House in Kaings Langley. I’ll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck.
My book signing at Borders went well this weekend. The weather was pretty bad so there were not too many shoppers around but I had a steady stream of visitors to come along and have a chat. Most of them bought my book so that was good.
The staff at Borders were great - especially Yen who looked after me during my visit. She made me feel really welcome and kept me supplied with plenty of tea.
There were also lots of people coming in who had already bought my book but had brought it back in to get it signed. I felt like a real celebrity!!
My new book is coming on well and it is great fun writing fiction. I will tell you more when we are ready to give out the details. Put it this way - it will be in the ‘crime’ section.
Having a book in print is addictive. I’m already onto the next one and I can’t leave it alone. I’m spending a lot of time at the computer because I don’t want to stop the flow. I wasn’t planning to do another one right away but I’m getting a kick out of people enjoying Don’t Ask Don’t Get.
If you’ve read the book, you’ll know I don’t hang about when I get an idea. I’m an artist and writing was never my chosen medium, but I can’t help getting creative and the ideas are flowing, so I’m going for it. This one is fiction, and that’s all I’m saying.
Earlier this week, I was interviewed about Don’t Ask Don’t Get by a very nice reporter from the Watford Observer and there will be an article in this week or next week’s edition. She really liked the book so I’m hoping she’ll write some kind words about it. I’ve also got a book signing scheduled for December 13th at Borders in Watford. I look forward to seeing you there.
For other promotional events and a bit of chat, watch this space.
I’ve been having the time of my life today. I had a free one so I thought I’d go out and do some marketing of Don’t Ask Don’t Get and it went surprisingly well. I didn’t know what a good salesman I am … well … I did, but I’ve never tried to sell a book before, and this was my own!
I started with the big ones, and Waterstone’s and Borders both agreed to stock it. I spend a lot of time in them, anyway, because I love books, but I never would have imagined that I’d ever be in there selling my own autobiography. I got a real kick out of that. I’m all set to do some signings, as well. I’ll keep you posted on dates, times and locations so that you can stop by if you have time … and buy my book. What else are signings for, if not to sell books? Well, yes, of course, I’d like to meet you too - that goes without saying, and I look forward to it. But I won’t be there for the good of my health!
On other business fronts, it’s a case of needs must when the devil drives. Because of the current economic climate a.k.a. the credit crunch, I’ve just extended my investigative services and launched another website: www.infidelity-detective-agency.co.uk. It’s sad but true that there’s never any shortage of infidelity. Look out for my van with the big red sign on the side. I’ve made sure it’s unmissable!
I am excited to say that my book, Don’t Ask, Don’t Get is now in print! It Looks fantastic, even though I say so myself and already the testimonials are coming in. I want people to enjoy the book as well as learn a bit about what goes on behind the scenes with an investigative journalist.
You can get the book from my publishers site, (Kavanagh Tipping Publishing) by clicking on the book or of course you can get it at your local bookshop. Please feel free to leave you comments on this blog. I want to know what you think.
My book “Don’t Ask, Don’t Get” is finally being printed as we speak!
Sorry for the delay. We delayed publication by a couple of weeks as there were some things that I suddenly remembered that I felt my readers would be interested in so we needed to add some more to the book. It will be out very soon and it would be good to know your comments.
Please send to my publisher info@kavanaghtipping.com or add them to the blog……
As an investigative photojournalist, for more than 30 years Steve Grayson has been the invisible man, the
by-line on a picture, the seeing eye of national newspapers such as the Daily Express, the Sun, the Mirror, the Guardian, the Observer, the Daily Mail and News of the World. He has seen more of the underbelly of life than most people would ever wish to. Stories have been told, lives exposed, but never his own.
Now, he turns the camera a full one hundred and eighty degrees and focuses the lens on himself to reveal a story more riveting, more complex, more funny and downright cheeky than any he has had a hand in reporting.
Steve Grayson - ex-senior photojournalist for News of the World.
I have been thinking about writing my memoirs for some time now. The chance meeting with Jill Tipping from Kavanagh Tipping Publishing made me take the plunge and go for it. I had been approached a couple of times from other publishing companies, but they wanted me to unearth and expose the news stories I had been involved with over the years. That was not for me. It didn’t feel right. I wanted to record the real truth about what it is like being an investigative photojournalist and I wanted to be able to talk about my life in general and how my work has affected me, and my nearest and dearest!
Interestingly, an ex-colleague of mine, Mazher Mahmood, a.k.a, The Fake Sheikh, has also just written his autobiography. The strange thing is that neither of us knew the other was doing it and we haven’t been in contact for years, and yet we are publishing our books in the same month! How wierd is that? His book is very different to mine. It’s called Confessions of a Fake Sheik (The King of Sting). I haven’t read it yet but the write ups that I have read are suggesting that it is a story of exposés and not really like my book at all. Interesting!
My colleagues that I have spoken to in the press have suggested I should have put all the details of those I have ‘turned over’ and what happened. After all I suppose that would seem to be more dramatic. Bit like the movies really. But I just wanted to tell the truth. That’s all.
There are a lot of things I have done in my life that I am not proud of and many things have troubled me over the years. Writing my book has been quite theraputic. I often think to myself ‘who would want to read about me’ but I suppose any story about someone’s life can be interesting, and I have certainly been involved in a wide variety of activities over the past 60 years.
I have written my book with the help of Frances Kavanagh. It has taken us around 6 months to do with weekly meetings to get all the information out of my head. No mean feat I can tell you. She has a lot of patience!
