Meanwhile, I'm a little embarrassed by Decentric's praise. Thanks D. very generous of you. Glad you're enjoying the book. I've not read it myself for about ten years and idly picked it again the other day after reading your comments. If you enjoy my work you should probably try The Fighting Man next - it has some similarities with Mr C but is set between 1060 - 1066 in the lead up to the Battle of Hastings.
I've got 4 mates who are authors - one who has written children's book for decades. It is a tough gig. My mother published 5 children's books too - all taken on by publishing companies.
I know another who is a globally recognised author who is the wife of one of my favourite craft brewers. All I had known her as was pouring superb beer and cleaning up glasses from tables. Don't know her well enough to call her a mate, but she is an extraordinarily talented author in historical fiction.
One author told me that book companies base appraisals for books to be published, on reading the first two pages of a book. Also, that it is virtually impossible to break in to a publishing company as a newbie, unless already a screen writer or current journo.
Whether true or not, another self- published author claims that even top Aus authors, like Thomas Keneally, only earn $18 000 average from book sales!
Another phenomenon, is publishing one's own books. With the FB algorithm, a mate of mine's publicising his book seemed excessive to friends he knew in person who were sick to death of the book promotion, whilst other FB friends saw no publicity for his book whatsoever.
Originally, I read you posted football analyses on 442/IS, to publicise your fiction books. IMO, and I read a lot of very popular authors, which my better half always states are not works of literary brilliance, your book Mr C is so good, you should be a full time author, given comparisons to a lot of very popular authors, globally.
I can embarrass you a lot more and list a lot more global authors who Mr C stands up well well against in comparison too!