Dark Days

With the Ukraine still in the grip of political forces that seem intent on creating division our thoughts go to those involved in the crisis. Those people who are trying to live a decent life are exposed to suffering that they could not have expected, nor deserve.




While we contemplate what is to be done, the situation continues to develop with lines becoming firmer and the chance of a simple resolution disappearing like the famous "Scotch Mist".


The power of the written word plays its part in some many ways. It alerts us to the emotion and harsh reality of those involved in the struggle. Not just the political and military leaders but also the people involved in the horror of war and the threat of violence. Through articles we can attempt to understand the emotion and the journey that those involved and those who are forced to be involved are going through.




It struck me that the emotion viewed from a safe, secure Scottish home is so remote but intense that at times it is difficult to comprehend. But comprehend we must. Our responsibility to our fellow beings and to each other is to attempt to understand not just the political actions but the real suffering and motivation of the everyday people involved in conflict around the world.




The book, "Three Dark Day" for me was an emotional journey of some intensity written by a humble Scotsman to try and articulate his experience when faced with the horrors of war. Although from a different era when the eyes of the world were more focussed on South East Asia the lessons and learning is still there for us to see and understand.




We could do well to remember the admonition of Edward Burke when he said,

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".

Once In Royal Baby's City...

With the recent news that Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first child (and with some sources claiming twins) it's safe to say that the Royal Baby (who has somehow managed to Tweet from inside the womb) is going to be the media focus for the next few months/years.

On the other side of the coin of this media attention is the way this particular Royal couple are very private people, as private as you can be with camera lenses poking into your life of course.

So what is our obsession with Royalty and where did it begin? Was it with the invention of TV, of the news media tapping into the growing trend to know more about the finer details of celebrities lives? It's hard to say and I'll let you decide on that one.

However for the Royalists among us it is no wonder that there is a growing trend for memoirs of princesses and queens popping up on Amazon. Whether you're a fan of Royalty and the concept of a Royal Family there is no doubt that there are those who are very keen and fascinated by Royalty. 

Source: 25 Chapters of My Life: The Memoirs of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna

A family reunion in the late 1880ies:

Back row from the left: Princess Marie of Orleans (married to Prince Valdemar of Denmark), Princess Louise of Denmark, (daughter of Crown Prince Frederick),  Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, Crown Princess Lovisa of Denmark, Prince  Max of Baden, Princess Marie of the Hellenes, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia, Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Crown Prince Constantine of the Hellenes, Princess Victoria of Wales, Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia, Princess Alexandra of the Hellenes.

Seated in front: Princess Thyra of Denmark, (daughter of Crown Prince Frederick), Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) Alexandra, Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra), Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, Queen Louise of Denmark, Emperor Alexander III of Russia.

As one keen reviewer on Amazon said of the book '25 Chapters of My Life: The Memoirs of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna': 

As the title says, this is 25 chapters, none of the terribly long, but nevertheless this is a good read and a book anyone interested in Olga should buy that will undoubtedly be highly sought after by royalty buffs in years to come.

Grand Duchess Olga Aleksandrovna was the last surviving member of Nicholas II’s immediate family and in this book she recalls her life and relationship with her brother’s family. This includes personal reminisces from the childhood and reign of Nicholas II. Alongside a first-hand account of escape from the Bolshevik regime and life in exile from a member of the imperial family. 

The Life of a Pilot Is Never Dull.

Image credit: Death on Small Wings, Neville Atkinson.

Last night a ground-breaking documentary was shown on Channel 4 titled 'The Plane Crash.' The Channel invited viewers to book a virtual seat through the Channel 4 website on a flight with an unusual destination. The 170-seater Boeing passenger jet was unlike any other air craft as it was set on a flight path to crash-land on purpose for the sake of science. Viewers were invited to log onto the site after the programme aired to see what their fate would have been in their chosen seats. Many newspapers are criticising Channel 4 for being insensitive after the Sita Air crash in Nepal less than a fortnight ago in which 7 Britons died, killing 19 in total.

However the main objective of the documentary seemed clear: studying the mechanics and impact that a plane crash causes and what passengers can do to reduce fatalities in a plane crash situation. The documentary followed a team of scientists, other experts in the field and skilled pilots as they crash-landed the passenger jet 'Big Flo' in the Mexican desert.

One of the pilots, Jim Bob Slocum, was a seasoned pilot who'd previously parachuted out of three planes and had given the nick name 'Big Flo' to the passenger jet that was intended for the crash experiment. Big Flo was taken up in the air by a team of pilots who then parachuted out of the aircraft at which point it was remotely controlled by military experts. Pilot Jim Bob, one of the most experienced pilots in the experiment, was the last man out of the air craft.

Once the air craft had crashed in the Mexico desert it became apparent that if there had been anyone on board to pilot the air craft that they would have met their maker as the plane took a slight nose-dive and the nose eventually broke free from the craft, being squashed by the remaining chunk of the plane.

As well as the experiment demonstrating where to sit, as a passenger, for the best chance of survival it also demonstrated that pilots put their lives on the line every time they set off on a flight. This is certainly highlighted in the Death on Small Wings eBook, written by Neville Atkinson (pictured above) who left a career as a fighter pilot in the Royal Navy to take up a position as personal pilot to the President of Libya, Colonel Gadaffi. The turmoil of the Middle East at the time meant that the jet was constantly under attack as well as being forced to transport Carlos The Jackal and three other terrorist from Algeirs to Moogadishu in Somalia after a kidnapping in Vienna.

So whether it's parachuting out of commercial air-liners in the name of science or being the personal pilot to one of the most infamous men in history there is one thing that rings true in my observation: the life of a pilot is never dull!

Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied.

The recent revelations on Hillsborough sadly reflect the public’s view of what had been long suspected but is now clear; the establishment will cover up and protect its own. If this was an isolated incident we would all be less worried, but when taken with other separate, but related, cases such as Jean Charles de Menezes and the Bloody Sunday case we should all be concerned about how the establishment deals with cover ups.

We should recognize that in a free country eventually the truth will come out. The well known and well used legal maxim that 'justice delayed is justice denied' can be applied in these cover-up cases. And is also the theme in the novel 'The Hangman's Fracture' by David Crigman. While dealing with a fictional case of an innocent man being hanged and the battle to take on the establishment. 

Of course we should show support to the forces that we all need in a civilised society, but those who commit crimes (and let’s be clear; much of the cover up is criminal) need to be brought to justice. Ultimately this is the role of the police to serve and protect, even if it to protect the public from their own colleagues.

Happy Memorial Day.

image credit.

To our American readers, followers, fans and everyone in between we want to wish you a Happy Memorial Day from North Highland Publishing.

Friday Social Media Tips: Twitter and Facebook.

Whether or not you opt for the marketing packages North Highland Publishing has to offer or you decide to have a go at marketing your own book you'll have to get the news out there that your book exists. 


So, with that in mind, how should you go about doing just that?

The power of Facebook and Twitter should never be overlooked. 


On Twitter you can directly search for your readership as Twitter filters out users who share the same interests as you by clicking on the '#Discover' button. Once you've done this, type in the exact keywords you'd like to find relating to your search. This will lead you to find users who 'tweet' about the same topics that relate to your book or writing. Twitter is free of charge to use and allows your followers to feel as though they're having a direct conversation with you. 


Facebook 'fan pages' are ideal for either setting up in the name of your book or under your author name. Facebook follows a different format than Twitter but it still allows you to have a direct line of communication with your 'fans.'


Through both of these mediums you can share links, pictures and any updates with your books.

DIY Self Publishing: Should You or Shouldn't You?

When you heard the words 'self publishing', they sound pretty tame in comparison to the traditional route of publishing you might be more familiar with; the competitive conglomerates who will take up only a handful of manuscripts per year, who are ultimately not able to meet the demands of many wannabe published authors.

Hence why self publishing is opening the door where it may have once been closed - and with digital book sales and e-readers growing in number and popularity, it's no wonder that any sales savvy author would snap up the chance to self publish.

Wikipedia says that self-publishing is; 

Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design (cover/interior), formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR. The author can do it all themselves or outsource all or part of the process to companies that offer these services.  

At North Highland Publishing, we're a company who will let you, the author have complete control over the design of your front cover, the formatting of your fonts, marketing and promotion - with a little help from us. You send your manuscript to us, we'll pass it onto our Editing Department and we'll send you a quote based on our most updated price list as to what work needs done on your manuscript. 


Authors probably have enough on their hands with the marketing and promotion of their books so we will take your manuscript and sculpt it into a book; hard copy, eBook or both. 


But, if we can do it, anyone can do this - right? 


Our team have a combination of industry and personal experience when it comes to self-publishing and eBook publishing, specifically. 
We have worked on various manuscripts; fantasy, crime, thriller, fiction and non-fiction works. 
We have converted books to be sold as eBooks.
We manage several on-line book shops. 
We sell hundreds of eBooks per month. 
We sell eBooks across the world. Our authors have sold hundreds of their print copy books.


The difference between 'Do It Yourself' self publishing and jumping on board with North Highland Publishing is that when you DIY your publishing, you may make many mistakes along the way. Mistakes that may cost you time and money to make. 


We're not saying we haven't made the same mistakes as the DIY'ers make, we probably have, but the difference is that we have learned very quickly with each mistake. There is also the advantage of a whole team there to cushion any blows we might have faced. 


So can a person 'do it themselves' when it comes to self-publishing? Absolutely. Is this for everyone? Absolutely not. 


Not everyone knows where to begin when it comes to selling and promoting their book, not everyone knows how to edit their book and not everyone knows where to sell their book once it's completed. And once you decide to get serious about publishing, these are just the top three most important things to know.


Most people starting out in the self-publishing world won't know about these things and will spend an awful lot of time - and money - discovering what works and doesn't. With an established publishing company like North Highland Publishing you can rest assured that we've been there and done it several times over, getting it better each time we do.


Another hurdle that authors face is that they don't have the experience of repetition, which we do. We've done this several times over and over, are signed up with a number of book retailers and have guaranteed monthly sales. 


If you're serious about publishing with North Highland Publishing, get in touch with us here. 

Smashwords Announcement.

We're now very happy to announce that our eBooks will be available now on three on-line outlets; Amazon Kindle, Kobo and Smashwords.


We're also working with Google Books and the iBookstore this month to bring you more great content that is accessible to all, in all formats and countries.


North Highland Publishing started selling eBooks on probably the world's most famous book store - Amazon. And now we want to be able to offer eBooks in all platforms. We're fast approaching this goal with more and more on-line retailers being added to our list. 


It has been a wonderful start to the new year to welcome in these new retailers and this is of course wonderful news for any potential author whose looking to sell across different eBook platforms. 


In 2011 we could only offer to sell an authors eBooks on our own website and on Kindle. And now, in 2012, the possibilities are becoming realities as we're opening the door on these marvelous opportunities to sell on other well known websites. 


We'll keep you updated throughout the month - and the year - as our progress grows from strength to strength. 

Write a Book Challenge.

So, now we're 6 days into our new year - how many resolutions have you stayed true to? 


Or are you finding out you're one of those who promised themselves to lose that extra weight they've been trying to shift and are cracking open the chocolates instead?


Why not take our New Year's Challenge for 2012 and write a book?


This Challenge is great for those who've spent a long time promising themselves they'd write their book. Make 2012 your year to finally get started on your book - and to complete it!


Follow us on both the North Highland Publishing and 'Write a Book for 2012' Facebook pages to kept updated - and motivated.


Be quick as spaces on this Challenge are limited!

Happy Hogmanay!

(Image credit)

Whether you're fireball swinging in Aberdeen, or 'burning the clavie' in Moray we hope you have a Happy Hogmanay!

But what is Hogmanay? 


In Scotland it is New Years Eve, the day before the New Year. Most celebrations don't kick off until Hogmanay night into the early hours of the New Year and with January the 1st and 2nd being public holidays in Scotland this is probably time enough for people to recover from the Hogmanay celebrations.


When the clock strikes midnight it is customary to hug and kiss the person next to you and wish them a happy new year. If you're at a party - or indeed at the Edinburgh street party - then you'll probably find yourself singing Auld Lang Syne, a traditional Scots poem by poet Robert Burns which is set to traditional folk music.

Whatever your plans are - and wherever you are, we wish you a Happy Hogmanay and a Happy New Year, all the way from Scotland and from North Highland Publishing.

Merry Christmas...

and a Happy New Year from the team at North Highland Publishing.

(Image credit)

November Recap.

We were delighted to attend the book launch of 'Latter-day Pioneers' at the Alloa library on the 26th of November.

George Stewart (pictured), the author of the book, and North Highland Publishing had been working very hard to bring the book to publication and we were delighted to share in the excitement of the book launch. It is an interesting and exciting book which chronicles the early beginnings of the Latter-day Saints church in Scotland to the present day and George shares his view from Scotland in the book.

The book is avaiable on Amazon, at the Kindle store, here.

We've had an exciting run-up to Christmas with the publication of another book about Scottish identity with Ken Pratt's 'The English Student' which, yep, you guessed it can be bought at the Amazon Kindle store here. 

Kindle Announce £89 Kindle e-Reader.

Before Christmas wish lists were compiled Amazon.co.uk announced the October 12 release of their new £89 Kindle e-Reader.

So why this Kindle? Well it's the same e-Reader, only with the following features:

• 30% lighter than before, less than 170 grams
• 18% smaller body, same 6" screen size - fits in your pocket
• Most advanced E Ink display, reads like paper

• Built-in Wi-Fi - Get books in 60 seconds
• 10% faster page turns for seamless reading

It will literally fit in your back pocket (Amazon have an interesting photo on their page here to depict the fact if you don't believe them.) And with the £89 price tag instead of the regular £111, it is markedly more attainable to the public than it's ever been before.

The reason why I love my own Kindle e-Reader so much is the speed in which it downloads eBooks. And of course Amazon knows eBooks well - as it outsells on copies of eBooks versus hard cover books.


Amazon are making it easier and easier for the general public to jump on the e-Reader love bandwagon and has made e-Reading a thing of the present - and the future.


To find out more about eBooks on Amazon from North Highland Publishing click HERE.

Why Self-Publish?

If you're reading this it's safe to assume you fall into the following three categories:


1. You have an idea for a book, you want to write it but you believe getting published is a one in a million chance. 


2.You have a manuscript ready and waiting to be looked over by an agent - or even better, an editor of a huge publishing house.


3. You're neither of the above and have just stumbled onto this post.


If you're in positions 1 and 2 then this post is for you. Number 3? Read on by all means, but this probably won't have any great meaning to you.


You have already 'worked for yourself' by writing your manuscript - so why should you lose control at the publishing stage? Traditional publishing usually doesn't allow for lots of input from the writer, whereas with self-publishing you have the best of both Worlds: an editor, proofreader and even a full marketing team supporting you at every step but ultimately the decisions are still yours to make.


Whether self-published or published by a traditional publisher, you still have to push the sales of your book. You still have to believe it will sell and you still have to identify who you're telling the story too - in other words, treat your book as a business.


If you had a business, would you want to give complete control over to someone else and reap very little reward in return? This is effectively what happens with traditional publishers. If your goal is to see your book placed into the bookshelves of some of the top-selling book stores, that is still a goal North Highland Publishing can make happen.


Amazon.com is massive and they outsell on Kindle eBooks over hard cover books. And with over 22 million eBook sales as of June, 2010, it would be silly for any author not to have their book or eBook on Amazon.com. 


So, why self-publish? Because the World is changing. Traditional publishing is becoming outdated and a far cry from what it used to be. Authors want to have more control over their books and don't want to work to the limits placed on them by traditional publishers.


To find out about North Highland Publishing's top three Publishing Packages click here. 

Amazon Kindle and North Highland Publishing.

A few weeks ago North Highland Publishing completed a deal with Amazon which will allow for our authors eBooks to be sold on the Amazon Kindle store.

Amazon is outselling on Kindle eBooks as for every 143 Kindle eBooks sold, 100 hard cover books are sold. On top of this is the fact that Kindle has over 725,000 books on their store - and growing. 

All of our authors, on any of our packages, will have their eBooks featured on the Amazon Kindle store for sale - on both US and UK sites. With the rise of Amazon's own eReader, the Kindle, self-publishing has become the natural choice for authors from all walks of life.

To check out our range on the Kindle store, click here.

To find out more on self-publishing with North Highland Publishing, click here.

Tuesday Book Club: Recommendation Week.

Hello and welcome once again to the Tuesday Book Club!

As you'll all know, our book of the month was 'The Land Beyond the Green Fields.' It is available for purchase on Amazon (Kindle and paperback) here.


If you've read this book then we'd like to know your thoughts - to be published here on the blog. Have you recommended it to a friend? Or perhaps it wasn't your cup of tea? Maybe it was the best book you've read all year - either way, we'd love to know what you, the reader, thought!


Leave a comment with your thoughts!


We'll be back again in September with another great book for your hungry eyes to devour ;). Until then, keep filling out the comment box!

Tuesday Book Club: Review Week.

Once again, Tuesday is here and this means that the Book Club has landed onto the blog once more. Read more about it here and here.

This months book is 'The Land Beyond the Green Fields' by Joan Campbell and can be purchased here. 

If you have read the book we would love to hear your thoughts, recommendations and reviews on the book. 

If you haven't read the book then sit back, relax and enjoy the following preview...

Thomas cannot live with his terrible secret.  As he heads away from all that he knows 

and all that he loves he has the word BETRAYAL engraved upon his every thought.

How could his mother do this to him?  His beliefs force him on to seek a land he is 

assured does not exist this side of death.  That decision sets in motion a series of events that allows evil to encompass what is left behind, allows those whom he loves to be cruelly tested.

His is a learning journey that brings love and hate, despair and joy in equal measure, 

mixed with adventures beyond his imagination, shared by a travelling companion 

whose loyalty is all that matters in this quest.  His troubled mother and his autocratic 

mentor wait at home with the news that will free him from all anxiety, if only he 

knew.

Will those who follow in his footsteps find him?  Will he make it back home to a 

heroes welcome, or spring the trap that is set to destroy him?  Read on and find 

out…

Tuesday Book Club: What To Expect.

If you missed out on last week's post here about our great new on-line Book Club. 

Every first Tuesday of the month we will release an eBook as part of our Book Club. It will give you, the reader and lover of books, author interviews, Editor recommendations, a chance to share your views and opinions with other readers - and even writers! 

So join in, be a part of something great that's happening at North Highland Publishing and in your eReader! 

For the month of July we're reading the book, available here, "The Land Beyond the Green Fields." 

The timetable for the Book Club is as follows:

Week One: Introduction. 

We will announce the book here on the blog, provide you with the link to the eBook store and catch up with you next week.

Week Two: Reading Week.

Once you have downloaded the book you should begin reading straight away. Every second week in Book Club will be a 'Reading Week' to prepare you for Week Three.

Week Three: Reading and Reviewing Week.

Time to finish up reading! This week has more of a focus on reviewing that month's book. This doesn't have to be lengthily so long as it relates back to the book. Write as much, or as little, as you like - all reviews are at home here!

Week Four: Recommendation Week.

By this week it is expected that you'll have already put a review forward and completed the book. It is time to give your recommendations! Would you tell a friend about the book? Would you like to see more or less of a character? Or perhaps you couldn't put the book down - we want to know it all!

Good luck - and remember to catch up on this month's Book Club book HERE.

Tuesday Book Club: The Land Beyond the Green Fields.

On the first Tuesday of the month we will run a Book Club and here's what you can expect:

• One free sample chapter available to you with no obligation.
• A chance for you to join our exclusive Review Panel; sharing your thoughts and recommendations on the book of the month.
• A new book to read and review every month.

For this month's Book Club we are going to be reading and later on reviewing 'The Land Beyond the Green Fields' from author, Joan Campbell, who has recently been featured on North Highland Publishing.

For your free sample chapter click here.

To purchase click here now.

Have you ever wondered what cats are thinking? 

In the Land Beyond the Green Fields follow the story of life on a Highland croft through the eyes of the cats who inhabit the draughty croft. A grown up version of your favourite childhood story books Watership Down and Duncton Wood.

Gaddafi eBook Give Away.

FOREWORD BY JOHN SIMPSON CBE In 1972.

 Neville Atkinson left a career as a night fighter pilot in the Royal Navy to take up a position as personal pilot to The President of Libya, Col Gadaffi. During the next ten years his role was to fly The President, Government Ministers and many world dignitaries around the Middle East and Africa.


You can read more about the author, Neville Atkinson, HERE on Wikipedia.

A picture from 'Death on Small Wings': (Above) A Young Colonel Gaddafi

Death on Small Wings is now available for the first time ever as an eBook on our eBook store for £9.99 and to celebrate this, North Highland Publishing are giving away 5 free copies as an exclusive comeptition for our Facebook fans. 10 runners up will recieve discount vouchers for the eBook.

To be in for a chance of winning, 'like' our Facebook page HERE and then set your status as:  '@North Highland Publishing Gaddafi giveaway'

This is a time limited give away which ends once all the copies and discounts are taken or otherwise ends on 15th June 2011 1:00PM GMT.


GIVE AWAY NOW CLOSED.