It’s been eighteen years since I wrote my first book, “Run, run”, the autobiography which dealt with my life in the motor industry. The book needed a reprint so I’ve written a revised version which introduces my second career, writing and publishing novels and photo albums. Here is the introduction to the revised book.
Introduction
Eighteen years ago I wrote my first book, the autobiography, Run, run as fast as you can, and published it in 2009 through the then Canadian company Trafford.
Trafford targeted unpublished authors and provided them with various design aids, such as text and covers, and for other services like editing and proof reading. They also print on demand, thus providing flexibility of capital outlay.
My initial dealings with the Trafford editors were highly satisfactory. That changed when the company was bought out by an American publisher and the orientation became a drive for more business.
Nevertheless I owe Trafford a debt of gratitude for giving me a start which I subsequently built on when I found people in South Africa who could provide me with the help I needed to self-publish.
Recently I ran out of stock of the autobiography and approached Trafford with a request for a small re-order. The price for printing and shipping was approximately four times the cost of a similar order in South Africa. I have therefore terminated my contract with the publisher.
This presents me with an opportunity to self-publish the book and add more content. Initially I thought of continuing to write about the exploits of Tangawizi Motors which continued for another 16 years before being sold. But, although I remained the majority shareholder of the company for all except the last years, I was not operational and that story is for someone else to write.
Also, reading through Run, run again I was struck by the thought that it is a timepiece, history, not to be meddled with. Nearly 40 years of my life. As I write in the Preface those pages represent the intense personal experiences of my life in the motor industry. Let them be.
Instead I want to write about my second career, a career that fulfills my early dreams of doing creative work.
For the past 17 years I have been writing and self-publishing fictional novels and collecting my photographs into photo albums. The numbers astound me, as there was a time when all I wanted was to write that first novel. And when I found I had a desire to write another it was a pleasant surprise. To date there are 23 novels and 10 photo albums.
And so there are two words added to the sub-title of the book:
A life in the motor industry, and beyond.
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