Categories
Janapar The Book

For One Week Only, Get The Kindle Edition Of Janapar For Just 99p

It has been really rewarding to be able to share for free (in serialised form) the entirety of my first book, Janapar, on this blog over the last few weeks. In particular, the comments from readers who the story has resonated with have been a keen reminder of my motivations for penning this complicated tale.

Because I did not write this book in order to become rich and successful. (Trust me, there are far easier ways of doing that.)

No – I wrote it to be read and absorbed; to catalyse journeys that I don’t expect I will ever hear about. I also wrote it because I needed to make sense of my experiences. And I wrote it because it was stories that inspired me to travel in the first place, and the least I can do is throw my own tale back into the melee.

In the vein of lowering the barriers to entry, then, I’ve set up a 1‑week promotion on the UK Kindle edition of the book. This is primarily for readers who a) have recently received, from Santa, a Kindle or other such device, b) missed all or part of the serialisation, and/or c) are actively looking for things with sub-£1 pricetags in the grim aftermath of the festive season.

From now until midnight on Sunday 10th January, Janapar is just 99p on Kindle.

Get it here.

99p is the lowest I can make it without moving it over to the free library and losing all the book’s rankings in the process.

If even a quid is going to be painful to part with, the serialised form is still readable entirely for free, part by part, starting here.

And when you’re done, if I could kindly ask that you leave a short review, that would be just great. 🙂

Categories
Janapar Just For Fun The Book

Starting Next Week, Janapar Will Be Serialised For Free On This ‘Ere Blog

It’s really quite lovely being a self-published author.

I can do absolutely anything I like with the words that have emanated from my fingertips, without restriction from contractual obligations to publishers or agents, without the pressure to squeeze sales out of my readers in the hope of a royalty cheque that’ll do more than just pay for next week’s food shopping.

I am grateful for this luxurious freedom to do anything at all with what I create.

Such as, for example, serialising the entirety of my first book, Janapar, here on TomsBikeTrip.com.

The book tells the story of the time I spent on the road and off between 2007 and 2011 – my introduction to cycle touring, if you will.

It’s extremely personal. There’s much in it that my proud and childish side doesn’t want known to anyone. But it turns out that quite a few people think it’s a decent enough story. So, now it’s been a few years since it was published, I’d like to share it here in full.

There will be no strings attached. I will not be requiring you to sign up to my newsletter to read the last chapter or something dastardly like that.

(As the festive season nears, I may suggest that – if you like what you’re reading – you gift a signed copy to someone you know for Christmas. But that’ll just be a suggestion. Anyway, you might hate it.)

I simply hope you enjoy the pleasure of reading it, and that the story gives you a glimpse of what those years meant to me, and why the after-effects of the experience as a whole continue to drive everything I do today.

The serialisation will be starting on Monday next week. There’ll be a new section every weekday morning.

If you’ve not got round to reading it yet, you’re going to get to do so for free over the next few weeks and months, in nice little coffee-break-sized chunks.

(You’ll even get occasional photos thrown in, which the original paperback never had – incidentally, the subject of the book’s solitary and rather sad 1‑star review on Amazon.)

And if you have already read it, well – either you can read it again if you fancy it (I won’t blame you if you don’t), or you can ignore it and watch out for posts on other topics, of which there will still be plenty.

If you want to get the serialisation delivered directly to you during this time, there’s an email delivery widget for it below. Pop your email address into the form and you’ll get each new article instantly sent to your inbox:

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Categories
Philosophy Of Travel The Book The Film

Lessons learned from a DIY film & book tour

Sunrise over Yerevan and Mount Ararat

So I’m back in Yerevan, my Iranian visa application is filed, and I’ve a week to kill: a good opportunity to look back before the madness of travel descends. It’s been an eventful few weeks with much food for thought.

I’ve toured all over the UK and Ireland, attending 12 dates between the book launch in London a month ago and the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival last week.

I’ve travelled 2,627 miles by train (yes, I was bored enough to figure this out), taken 3 ferries, cycled a few hundred miles, and only encountered a single rail-replacement bus service.

I’ve stood on stage with a microphone in a 449-seat auditorium, and I’ve sat beside a pile of books in a café where only 2 people showed up.

I’ve slept in business hotels (nice, not-so-nice and truly abysmal), on the floor of student digs, and on deserted beaches in a bivvy bag.

The variety of experience has been fantastic, but the month has not been without its stumbling blocks. As with the annual review I conducted at the end of last year, there are two obvious questions:

What went well?

What didn’t go well?

(By the way, now’s a good time to grab a cup of tea.) 

Categories
The Book

‘Janapar’ is now available in paperback and eBook editions

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/58449502[/vimeo]

On the 17th of June 2007 I cycled away from my parents’ front door on a mission to cycle the world.

I’d called my project ‘Ride Earth’. I was a cocky 23-year-old and I thought I knew it all. I could not have been more wrong. 

Categories
The Book

Book Launch: Saturday 26th, central London. All welcome

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Nice day to be out and about in London

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Just a quick note to let you know that there’s a free meetup happening in central London a week on Saturday.

Officially it’s the book’s ‘launch party’ (because every book needs one) — the date after which the paperback will be on general release.

But it’s also a good excuse for a get-together in a cracking central London venue. Entry for this evening event is free, as is the first drink for everyone who comes along. The programme of events is to show the film first, followed by a short talk that I’ll do about the book itself, and then a Q&A session. Lastly, I’ll sign books for anyone who wants one (and doesn’t already have one on the way via Kickstarter or the pre-order), while everyone else can chill out and mingle until kick-out time.

It’d be great to fill the place with like-minded people for an evening — the more the merrier, so bring your friends — but I do need an idea of numbers. So if you’d like to come along, all that I ask is that you let me know via the link below. I’ll then send over exact details of the venue and time.

I’m coming! →

Really hope to see as many of you as possible there!

If you can’t make it and don’t already have a signed copy of the book reserved, you can still pre-order ’til this Sunday. Use TOMSBIKETRIP for a 25% readers’ discount.