FAQ
Hello user,
...and thanks for visiting. Any questions, please get in touch via Twitter.
Cheers,
Nick
Why free books?
My agent vanished, so I’m publishing this book myself. I’m trying to get as many people to read it as possible. I printed a few to sell.
But I know it’s hard times for lots of people, so I’m giving away a few more copies than I’d planned. Key workers, bike shop staff, anyone who is skint basically.
Please note although the book is free, that I paid (union rates) to a designer, editor, and printer. Paper is from sustainable sources.
It’s as cheap as I could make it on Kindle, too, and it's free there if you have a Kindle Unlimited account.
Can I help?
If you like the Bicycle Clip Diaries, it really would be excellent if you tell your friends, or review it on Amazon, Goodreads, the New York Times, wherever you can. Some reviews to date, live here.
And if you got filthy rich stockpiling hand sanitiser, you can buy me a virtual coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/nickraistrick.
Also, I am available for hire. I'm a freelance writer and train people in media skills.
I've noticed typos
Please note that this is a first edition – so there are quite a few typos which have now been corrected for future versions. Apologies.
...older posts
“Thoughtful observations with wry humour…an unusual and very readable bicycle travelogue,”
(Road.cc)
The Bicycle Clip diaries is free for NHS, bike shop staff, and other #Coronavirusheroes heroes
If this is you*, or someone you know, please get in touch, via Twitter. Or send an email if you'd prefer. Shipping is less regular, obviously, but currently considered safe, and not a strain on resources.
The Kindle version £1.99, the cheapest I can make it, on Amazon.
The Diaries feature cycling in Shanghai, which is something most of us won't be doing for a while. As well as dog-sized crabs, edible ants, a Maasai bicycle messenger, a mystery envelope, a Wetherspoons in Nuneaton, and pretty much everything the average person needs to know about Tokyo's keirin racing scene.
If you've read it and liked it, please recommend and review. It's obviously not ideal trading conditions right now... and of course it's pretty much a certainty the book will not come close to breaking even.
*Even if you are just temporarily unwaged and want something to read, let me know. We'll work something out.
"An intriguing mixture of travel, memoir and mystery all tied together the love of bicycles. An involving read. Recommended. Five stars."
(Richard Fox, Goodreads.com)
prePandemic:
What's the Bicycle Clip Diaries?
When I found an envelope addressed to me from long-dead Granddad, containing a 1937 guide to Japan and a pair of bicycle clips, I took it as a sign. It became a quest.
The Bicycle Clip Diaries became a travel memoir, kickstarted by the discovery, in which I rode sensible bicycles in various locations from the Rift Valley to the Peak District.
There is a lot of meandering, historical reference, reflection, low key adventure, as well as mild technical references.
It's not backed by a traditional publisher, which means that it won't get reviewed in the books section of newspapers.... so honest reviews are the only way people will get to hear about the book and very welcome. Can be done on Amazon, Goodreads and and anywhere you like, basically.
So how's the book going? Are you rich yet? Is there anything we can do?
The book is going well thank you; many thanks for buying it, if you did. If you haven't, you still can, both here and less satisfyingly as an eBook. Very small quantities are in City Books and Waterstones in Brighton; Tilt also have a few copies.
It would be excellent if you could share these links on social media, post pictures of yourself reading the book, recommend it to your friends... if you want to.
I am not yet rich. The only way I will ever break even with the book is 'word of mouth', including online reviews. I would love for people to review it on Amazon, Goodreads and elsewhere.
People have said nice things about it to my face there's been a trickle of online reviews so far... thanks for these.
"Fascinating, hilarious and thoughtful," said one Amazon user. "Whole-heartedly recommended to cyclists, travellers and humans in general!" said another. "Laugh out loud often, poignant at times," said a third.
It made Kieron Connolly (author of Dark History of Hollywood and Abandoned Places) both laugh and cry, and James Spackman (Pursuit) called it "witty, pacy and highly readable... a remarkable story."
But please continue. Tell your friends. If you know any publications that review indie authors, please let them know. If you know people with huge followings and fan bases who would read it, please let me know and I'll get them a copy.
Are there any typos?
Yes. One or two. I've spent a lot of time removing other people's over the years, so I was horrified by this discovery. However, as with an early edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first edition will be probably be worth a fortune as a result. I've also recently started to become more Zen-like about typos. I wrote about the process here.
Why are you giving out free books?
The idea is to get people ordinary people reading and reviewing the Bicycle Clip Diaries. So instead of paying Internet giants for advertising, I'm giving out a few copies on a semi-random basis.
Some in competitions, but I'm also giving them to people whose bicycles I like the look of. Whether these are ordinary and overlooked, or customised and cared for... bicycles which look ridden. One of the ideas in the book is that bicycles are a really good form of city transport for ordinary folk like us, but they are often marketed as a piece of sporting equipment for elite athletes.
DM if you would like a copy of the book, but are skint, unwaged, whatever.
Also, if anyone who bought a copy really hated it they can get refund, and I'll recycle it for you.
Are you still delivering by bicycle in the Brighton area? Why?
Yes. I went as far as Portslade today. I'm trying to keep the supply chain as ethical, green, and circular as possible. I've sourced non plastic envelopes; the book is printed locally, on Forest Stewardship Council approved paper, and in a unionised workplace.
Er...I don't feel great about using Amazon as the digital supplier, but it was hard not to and still reach people. Suggestions on this one welcome.
What next?
I'm writing a few bicycle clip diaries-themed features for various people and I've been asked to do a couple of podcasts. If you know anyone who wants the Bicycle Clip Diaries
I also have to record the oft-postponed audiobook; and do some work for actual money.
Mainly I need honest reviews at this stage. People buy on the basis of recommendations. Particularly those with comparisons ('the Bible meets Catcher In The Rye', or 'J.K Rowling meets Andy McNab', that kind of thing).
If the reviews are terrible I'll stop.
Does it feel liberating to not have the constraint of a major publisher telling you what to do? Why isn't it in my local Waterstones?
Kind of.
I would much prefer for someone else to be doing the PR, but my agent vanished. I tried to get a new agent and a new deal, but it didn't happen. One potential new agent said this:
“It's rather agonising really; I think your writing is superb - witty, pacy and highly readable - and it's a remarkable story. Yet somehow I can't see the ultra-clear hook that's going to persuade a publisher to take a chance on it.”
I totally get that. But having written it, I thought I'd get it out into the world anyway. It's only in Waterstones in Brighton for these reasons.
Can I get a discount for a book club?
Sure. Contact details are below.
Can I get a copy to review in my magazine/newspaper/blog? Can you come and talk at my event? Can we interview you?
Why not? Contact details are still below.
Will there be an audio book?
Definitely, but it's been postponed again for operational reasons. Hopefully February.
Will there be a launch party?
Potentially. When it's warmer. Ideas welcome. Needs to break even.
Are the endnotes finished?
Not yet. They are emerging here.
(below are the original FAQs...)
Who should read it?
It’s aimed at the general reader, and assumes no deep prior knowledge of bicycles, nor bicycle clips. I hope that people interested in bicycles and how they are used might like it, of course. But it's definitely more flapjack than energy gel.
I’ve run a couple of sections through readability tests, and it’s suitable for someone with an average reading age of 14 – 15 upwards.
There are various mostly minor swears, and a few people seem to have bought a copy for their parents… so I hope they aren’t offended by these. It’s not really about elite athletes or extraordinary journeys. There's lots of meandering, and having a poke about. The Sino Japanese conflict and the history of the Anglepoise lamp both feature.
Where is it set?
The action takes place in Tanzania, Teesside, and Tokyo. I also ride bicycles in the Andes and on the Caribbean coast, as well as Shanghai, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam... and Bristol, Brighton, Bristol, London. There's an element of history too, so I go back in time in order to try and solve the mystery.
How can I buy a copy?
It’s possible to buy a signed copy of the first edition paperback here. At the moment, there's free postage, so it’s currently £12.99.
UK only for the paper book, I’m afraid. But there is a Kindle version too.
Audiobook will be available in the next few weeks. Official launch sometime in 2020.
(for more information, and to buy it, please go to the homepage http://www.nickraistrick.com )
I've got a media enquiry, how do I get in touch?
Please get in touch, via email
I'm self-promoting this book, ever since my agent vanished. So anything you can do to promote it would be welcome.
I'm doing a few podcasts and guest blogs, and I'm happy to send review copies to people if this helps.
Where are the endnotes?
The endnotes will live here:
https://nickraistrick.com/endnotes
As this is primarily a travel book based around a personal journey, I haven't used academic citation throughout. I took this editorial decision in order to retain the flow of the story.
I hope the endnotes/sources will become part of the discussion: and I'd welcome factchecking.
From the time spent I've spent on vintage bicycle forums, and from talking with experts, I'm aware there are several people out whose knowledge dwarfs my own.
Any other details?
I believe this is an ethical product: I used Brighton & Hove City Council's print team.
As well as being manufactured at a local and unionised workplace, it was printed on paper, which is either from Forestry Stewardship Council Approved sources, or recycled. Find out more here: https://fsc.org/en
It is 400 pages long, on 80 gsm uncoated offset. No photos.
Amazon does not score well as an ethical supplier; but it is the only realistic international marketplace for eBooks at volume.
I am aware there are a couple of typos in the first edition print version, which have been corrected in the Kindle version. I'm hoping the print version will be worth a fortune as a result.
This is the cover you get, although obviously it will be 3D and not flat. The resolution will be higher:
