Facebook memories are a mixed blessing, aren’t they? Sometimes they’re poignant, sometimes they’re funny, sometimes they’re downright depressing, and sometimes they make you pause and think about how far you’ve come.
Today, my Facebook memory was a post I’d written here on the Anne Boleyn Files on 13th March 2012 and shared on Facebook, its title was “The Anne Boleyn Collection – Number 1 Bestseller!”. My very first book had hit number one on an Amazon bestseller list and I was so excited. It was a book that went on to sell tens of thousands of copies worldwide and its publication made a huge impact on my life.
Now, The Anne Boleyn Collection is a weird beast. It’s not really a book, it’s a collection of blog posts from this very site. It was published in February 2012 after my good friend Linda Saether said that I should collate some of the most popular blog posts into a book to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the Anne Boleyn Files. I thought that this was a great idea, and I’ve learned to listen to my gut feelings. I chose the articles by looking at their popularity – number of comments on them, “likes” on social media”, the debate they’d caused etc. It was the perfect book for those who enjoyed the Anne Boleyn Files and I’m truly thankful to those who encouraged its publication and to those who bought it and reviewed it. Of course, there were those who didn’t like it, mainly because it was a collection of blog articles, and “popular” style articles by an armchair Tudor history lover. Hey ho! It was never meant to be anything other than that. You learn as a writer that it is impossible to please everyone and that you have to focus on your target reader.
While The Anne Boleyn Collection, or “The ABC” as I call it, is not going to change the Tudor history world, I’m still proud of it and pleased that I published it. It enabled me to go on and publish my other, slightly more serious books, and it also led me on quite a journey. I’m not a serious academic historian, and I bow down to those who are, but I will always do my best to put meticulous research into what I write, to make history accessible, to share my sources by referencing what I write, and to allow feedback on my work. I love engaging with people online, I love debating, and I’ve learnt so much from getting feedback on my articles – thank you.
This is rather rambling, but what this post boils down to really is a thank you to those who have taken me seriously, who have encouraged me on my journey, who have provided feedback, who have bought my books, who have left reviews, who have joined me on my journey, who have given me advice, who have given me ideas, who have listened to my mad ideas, who have trusted me, who have made me a better researcher and writer, and who have forgiven me for the mistakes I’ve made… Thank you.
I’m still on my journey. I learn something new every day about history, writing, publishing, living! Thank you for being a part of it all. And I mean that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
If you want to read my books, they’re listed on my Amazon author pages at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, the other Amazon stores and on other online retailers. The Anne Boleyn Collection is just $0.99 or 99p on kindle.
