Name & Cover for the Book

To help sell a book, a good cover is very important. A book on display at a shelf has to attract attention. Once this is done, the potential reader may next pick up the book and flip through the inside pages. Hopefully he would then buy the book.

There are three essential elements of a book cover. They are the book's name, the author and the cover design.

About the name, I have given further thoughts to it. I'll try to give this book a short name that can convey the main message or content. I'll give it a direct and positive statement like, "Surviving a Benign Brain Tumor".

For the cover design, I need an attention grabing photo image. This is more important than conveying the book's main message which is done through the name. But I'll try to select a photo that is related to a part of the content. The photo image may be something like these two below.




There may be other texts on the front and back covers. This may be like the sub-title I suggested earlier, and that this is the 3rd book that I've published.

Writing in 3rd or 1st Person

This is about the writing process for my 3rd book.

At first I found this book difficult to write, unlike the first two books. In this book I am talking about my problems and difficulties over the past 11 years, and how I adjust to them. But then while writing, I had to start and stop a few times, feeling unable to go on. Then I notice why.

By nature I try not to grumble. It goes against my grain if I force myself doing so, which is exactly what I am doing in this book.

Then I change to write in the 3rd person, as if I am writing a memoir about somebody else. I try to detatch myself emotionally from this person who is actually me. I notice somehow the writing becomes smoother. The sentences flow out more easily, and more smoothly.

The trouble is that afterwards I have to edit and change the 'he' and 'his' over the whole manuscript very carefully. I change them to the 1st person like 'I', 'mine', 'we', etc.

On something else, as I am trying to publish this book for marketing and sale, I have to treat this more seriously and try hard to do it well. For this I need good opinions.

At that time, I was introduced to an American writer who has published a number of books. I was trying to seek his opinion and suggestions. He is a friendly person. But unfortunately he does not have time now, until a few months later. He however introduced me to two of his working contacts. They'll be useful, but later.

Titles from the 3rd Book's Manuscript

These below are the titles from the manuscript of my 3rd book.

Multiple Whammy
Professor Facing Retirement, Bereavement and a Worsening Benign Brain Tumor
All Alone

Contents
1. Childless Bereavement
2. Benign Brain Tumour
3. Further Treatment Opinions
4. Epidermoid Brain Tumour and Childhood Accident
5. All at a Loss from this Multiple Whammy
6. A Lonely First Few Years
7. My Home Refuge.
8. Upkeep my Wellbeing
9. My new Passion Sculptures
10. Overseas Travels with Groups of Friends
11. Making Continual Lifestyle Adjustments
12. Changing my Art Passion to Oil Paintings
13. An Unexpected New Tumour Symptom
14. Keeping Active with Writing and Self-Publishing

My 3rd Book May be Different.

For more than one reason, my 3rd book will have to be different from the first two.

In terms of writing and publishing processes, I have kept the 1st and 2nd one nearly the same. I was trying to gain experience from both books. For the 3rd book, I felt I could try to get a publisher to market and sell them. If I cannot, I'll self-publish it and then pay a publisher to market and sell them.

One other reason, an important one, is personal. My life had a big transformation after my dear wife Dorothy passed away in 1999.

I love Singapore but I might have to face life alone here. Dorothy and I had no children and I had no relatives here other than my in-laws.

I was due to retire soon from my comfortable university career in 2002 when I turn 62. I asked to cut it short and started semi-retirement in 2000.

A big personal problem started before 1999, in 1996 when I was diagnosed with a long-term medical problem that could be grave. I was diagnosed with very probably a benign brain tumour of size like a golf ball. My tumour called epidermoid tumour is at the base of my skull slowly grows in size since my birth or my early childhood. This size growth causes a number of worsening symptoms the most notable is a worsening vision called double vision. In 2010, the tumour caused a new symptom which is a worsening ability to walk steadily.

Thus my life since 1999 is mainly about my sane survival facing the multiple whammy.

In publishing this book, I mainly aim to reach out to other people who suffer the same or a similar benign brain tumour. We very much like to read about the experience of other sufferers. Selling the book to make money is not an important aim.

So far I have not found a publisher although the manuscript is nearly ready.

Details of My 2nd Book

Here are the chapters of my second book. It has now been printed and being sent out to my friends. If I miss any, do let me know.

Contents.
2-1. Off to Singapore
2-2. Settling in and Exploring Singapore
2-3. Friends Came Visiting Singapore and Stayed
2-4. We formed a Discussion Group
2-5. I went Scuba Diving
2-6. Where did I first meet Dorothy?
2-7. We got Married
2-8. Dorothy's Siblings
2-9. Her Early Jobs and Her Further Studies
2-10. Dorothy and I
2-11. My Mother-in-law and I
2-12. We Worked at the Same University
2-13. She Started Student Debates at the University
2-14. Dorothy's Mental and Physical Health.
2-15. We Went Travelling to S E Asia
2-16. Our Own Home
2-17. Self-learning the PC and the Internet
2-18. We Travelled Further Afield
2-19. Our Lovely Dogs
2-20. What we did for Exercise
2-21. Dorothy's Last Few Months

Thanks to Colin and HingYan for joining this blog to be a 'follower'. I hope and would be glad to see more. I'll try to treat this blog seriously.

Going into my 2nd Book

While waiting for my first book to be printed, I've started writing my 2nd book called "My Life Story Vol 2"

This is a continuation of the 1st book after I left England in 1969. I took up a university employment in Singapore. This book is about my subsequent life in Singapore especially my happy marriage to Dorothy. The book ends in 1999 when she sadly passed away.

With my experience from writing the first book, this writing was easier. Although there were more episodes I could remember, I tried to keep this book small. I thus left out the less interesting details.

The new difficulty was selecting interesting relevant photographs. There were too many from among my collections even though I am not a keen photographer. I had to get myself organised laying out the photographs.

I decided to pay for both books and not to sell them. This is partly to gain writing and publishing experience in case I make some mistakes. There is less pressure to ensure both books and the English are prefect. I do not rule out marketing and selling future books.

I didn't mention that for the first book I gratefully got the help of a young relative Ting for proof-editing and arranging with the local typesetter and printer. I continued to get her help for the second book. But for more than one reason, the typesetting and the subsequent printing got delayed. This 2nd book has now been printed.

Some Details of my 1st Book

These are the chapters of my first book "My Life Story, Vol 1".

1-1. My First Childhood Memory – Being bottomless among strangers in Hong Kong
1-2. Watching Air Raids over the Hong Kong Harbor
1-3. My Nasty Fall into a Storm Drain
1-4. Kite Flying on the Rooftop
1-5. Our Family
1-6. My Primary School Years
1-7. Our Hong Kong Neighborhood
1-8. Playing with Dangerous Firecrackers
1-9. Our Mother Cat
1-10. My Hands-on Interest
1-11. I Discovered I Cannot Smell
1-12. Our Bonham Road Home
1-13. A Boy School at Last
1-14. Growing Up in a Strategic British Colony
1-15. Did I have an Early Interest in Art?
1-16. My Senior Years at the St Paul's School
1-17. Good Teachers Can Make a Difference
1-18. University Hostel Life
1-19. Engineering Education in the late 1950s
1-20. My University Student Activities
1-21. My Engineering Second and Third Year Studies
1-22. Off to England for Industrial Training
1-23. Culture Shock in England
1-24. Exploring England and Continent Europe
1-25. Working at a Large Manufacturing Plant
1-26. At Imperial College, London
1-27. My Activities in London
1-28. Enjoyable Motor Camping in Europe

And here is a picture of the book cover.

My First Self-Published Book

Years ago while I was still an engineering academic with the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, I have jointly authored and published a few books related to engineering. I think they are by now out-of-print.

After I retired in 2000 and after the passing of my dear wife Dorothy in 1999, I looked around for activities I enjoy and I got interested in visual art. I went seriously into doing sculptures and oil paintings. I was fortunate to receive sponsorship by the local philanthrophy organisation Ngee Ann Kongsi to present a large solo exhibition in each of these art activity. The solo sculpture exhibition was in 2007, and the solo oil painting exhibition was in 2009, both at Ngee Ann Kongsi's headquarter building at Tank Road, Singapore. A catalog brochure of the artworks have been published for each of the exhibitions. Spare copies are still available from me.

After these shows I noticed I have become physically clumsy, due to not only old age, but also a long standing medical problem. This clumsiness made me very much although not completely house bound. I reluctantly and sadly had to put a stop to direct involvement in sculpture and painting activities.

I decided to spend time at home doing writing and trying out publishing books. My first effort is to write about what I remembered of my early years in Hong Kong and then in England. This covers the period 1940 to 1969. Some of my b/w photographs are placed to illustrate the text.

I self-published this book calling it "My Life Story, Vol 1". This small 115 pages book has now been printed. It is not for sale. I am presenting it to friends who know me. My friends interested in reading this book are welcome to contact me.

The book is called Vol 1 as the intention is to follow it with other volumes.