Yesterday I had quite a fraught hour and a half at Blackwell’s on Charing Cross Road, using their new book printing machine. I read about this is the papers- not only can you print off from a wide range of obscure titles but you can also print off your own work.
As someone who has finished a novel and is currently trying to find a voice and get in the swing of the next one, it can be quite unnerving having your old book on your hard drive. The temptation is to dip in, make a few alterations… the only trouble is if you keep doing this there is a real danger that you will never move on, stuck in an endless cycle of revision and improvement. There comes a time when you have to move on, to create something new. This is where this printing machine comes in- I now have 2 copies of a pretty proffesional looking book- my book- for under £20. No more changes- it is finished. I hope in times I will be able to sit on my commute and read it, rather than now when I am too scared to look in case I find a typo or a really bad line.
While I was in Waterstones I became a media star! Firstly a Spanish television company filmed my book being printed, some reactions shots of me (very bad, me leafing through my book) and an interview afterwards. I was also interviewed for a Washington radio station- so at least I was busy that hour and a half as the machine kept breaking down! Was quite settling into the celebrity life until I had to slop off back to work.
I will upload some pictures later- you can even get your own cover printed though I just used their general one. It really is something having a copy of your book- perhaps if I dont make it lucky in 50 years time I can just pretend I was published!
