If, among the millions of new books in the world each year, approximately 100,000 are fiction novels in English – around 2,000 per week and 300 a day – then why in particular should you read mine? (Trader Bob by Vince Hawkins.)
After all, I didn’t write it for you. I wrote it because there had long been a burning ambition inside me to produce a novel. Ah, but don’t all new authors say something like this about their first work? Isn’t it just a trite cliché to cover up the blushes caused by poor sales? No, I think it is true during the period when the work is under production, and shortly after. But now it is finished after two years of painstaking work what else is there to do but try to drum up interest and make a few sales.

New Books

New books are notoriously difficult for an author to get off the ground. Trader Bob is a case in point. These days you don’t even approach book publishers directly unless you have a good friend in the trade. First, you must find an agent who will approach publishers on your behalf. I tried 33 agents before deciding that I ought to get the book on sale with Amazon & Kindle myself. If sales go well, maybe an agent will show interest later.
So, if you are a reader interested in new books, why should you read mine?
Are you interested in crime? There is one major bank robbery in the story and then there is the major crime that is the banking sector itself. Examples of malpractices perpetrated by the financial sector are to be found in this saga.
Do you like thrillers? There’s an element of James Bond in this story, especially in the action and some of the locations like Raffles and the Fullerton hotel in Singapore.
Do you like travel? Bob takes off to some mighty exotic places when he goes on the run after his crime. If the latest Bond movie Spectre kicks off against the backdrop of a carnival in Mexico City, readers of Trader Bob will find themselves in the midst of the Loi Krathong water festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand; the Nyippi new year festival in Ubud on Bali; and the carnaval in Rio.
Are you interested in romance? The anti-hero alone has four marriages in this new book, and the total wedding count is at least six. Incidentally, also there are at least two funerals.
These are some of the ingredients, but there are elements of a classic English novel, too, and much more besides. Like viewing pictures in a gallery, I don’t expect the same result for each reader. Even in the early stages of launching this new book, it is clear that every reader appreciates it differently. The question really is whether my book can be unique to each reader and that is a box it already ticks. I have received only encouraging feedback so far. Therefore I have no hesitation in recommending it with pride. Take the plunge and buy a copy today.

New books - Carnaval Ubud style

Carnaval Ubud style: how many new books also contain the thrill of a monster-fest? Photograph by Vince Hawkins

New books - Loy Kratong

Carnaval Chiang Mai style: how many new books contain three carnivals? (Ubud, Chiang Mai and Rio) Photograph by Vince Hawkins