Is the NHS too big to fix?

Evening gang,

In answer to the above question I've posed my own opinion is yes. But that doesn't mean folk shouldn't try. Most of you won't have read (or even be aware) of the recent Francis report into the failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. It hasn't received much news coverage because we've got carried away with horse meat being found in some foods but it's worth a read.

The thing is, I work in the NHS and I'm a fan of it but it's a shambles. But that's not because of the majority of folk working within it, we're just so bloody tied up with rules, regulations, targets and sodding cost savings that bugger all gets done. Of course, that's just my opinion and not that of my employer. Don't want to upset anyone and get hauled into teachers office!

But, in more book related news, my new 5* crime thriller The Trust is also linked to the NHS. Largely through the allegations of patient abuse in a long closed mental asylum and the suggestion that a group of well meaning but misguided employees might be carrying out euthanasia on patients in their care. Madness! But worth a look.

In other news I'm back at work on Monday after a week off so I intend to stay up late tonight drinking ale, eating pizza and either watching a film or mooching on the Xbox. I might struggle to sleep anyway since the wife mentioned in passing that she might fancy moving house! There is a lovely house up the road from here with a indoor pool. It's a steal at just 1.8 million. I'm not sure that's what she's got in mind though. We'll see how this develops. Don't tell the wife but if we can find an awesome house, in a nice area that means we can be well on the way to being mortgage free then I'm on board.

Anyway, things to do. Book is selling well, but never well enough so dive in and tell your friends.

Latest Kindle Sales Report

Evening/Morning folks,

Since I'm off work I've reverted to type and am existing in the small hours of the morning. It suits me and I'm getting loads done and am far happier. I feel a tiny bit sorry for my colleagues as they will have to tolerate me failing to tolerate them when I go back to work next week following about two hours sleep.

Still, in more interesting news I have some sales reports to report!

Overall, in the 3 months I've been an indie publisher I have had 1800 copies of my books downloaded of which about 160 were paid sales (the rest being free promo copies). These figures don't take into account books which have been lent to people via Kindle but a quick glance at the report tells me that almost a 100 folk have borrowed my books off someone else who has a copy.

This means that about 1900 people have a copy of something I've written and that this has happened in about 90 days. Given that my promotional efforts have been sporadic at best and non-existent since the 21st of January, I'm pretty happy.

Of course this doesn't translate into much in terms of royalties (an Xbox game, 3 cases of lager, one third of a Hugo Boss shirt, a month's water bill) but that's not the point at this early stage. To all those people who have made the effort to download, and more importantly, actually bothered to read, something I have written, many thanks. There is much, much, more to come! In years to come you will be the annoying, but cool, people, who will be able to say, "I read his debut novel, it wasn't very good as I recall. I never imagined he'd be as big as Stephen King!"

Until next time.