POSTING PRAISE

Now that my book is up and running, so to speak, I’d like to pay tribute to those who had a key role in producing it. I was initially doubtful about venturing into self-publishing, but am now a committed fan. One of the principal advantages of this route to publication is that as author and holder of the copyright, you retain control at every stage of production, and face none of the pressures to leave bits out or do major rewrites, as you might find with conventional publishers. Naturally, this leaves a considerable responsibility with you, the author, to get things right  and not be afraid to make cuts and changes where these seem to be indicated. I had great help with this from  those who read my drafts and gave invaluable critical responses (as well as huge encouragement). You can find them in the Acknowledgements. But I also owe a big thank you to those at my publisher, YouCaxton, specifically Bob Fowke, who produced excellent and clear guidance throughout the whole production process, and Ella, YouCaxton’s  specialist book designer, who was tremendously helpful and efficient. I could not be more pleased with a handsome and well produced book.

While on the subject of efficiency, I must mention the Post Office, an organisation that does not always, these days, attract admiration. But when I posted off several complimentary copies to family and friends from a rural Welsh post office in Knighton at 4pm on a Friday afternoon, the very next morning I  received news that copies had arrived in places as far flung as Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, West Harptree in rural Somerset, and a suburban part of Leicester. So I’m posting in praise of the posting service.

Many years ago, while working overseas, I had occasion to address 500 members of the Postal Service of the Philippines on  the British postal system (please don’t ask why). I began by declaring that the best thing about the British postal system was that if you posted a letter in any part of the United Kingdom one day, it would always arrive the next day. Stunned and loud applause from the serried ranks of Filipino postal staff, who have to cope with huge rural areas and several islands. Then a member of the audience asked for the microphone and declared ‘Well, when you post a letter in the Philippines, you have no idea when it will get there, but IT WILL ALWAYS ARRIVE!’ Even louder and very patriotic applause.

You will find the story of my own labours as a temporary British postman in Chapter Fourteen, Working Life