Why I don't keep pushing my book
I wrote 'After Grassmeade' for supporters of Cray Wanderers and for supporters of football in general to buy and read if they are interested in what happened to the club during the 1970s at Oxford Road in Sidcup. There was, and still is, no intention to hard sell the book to anyone. As I see it, we are all capable of making up our own minds about things and, deciding whether or not to buy my book comes under this banner.
Obviously, I will be happy if you do decide to buy a copy; of course I would! It charts my experience as a Wands committee member at the start of Cray's new life outside of St Mary Cray village and many things that I witnessed as though they happened yesterday. A lot has been written and published about the club as a whole, but very little has been scribed about a specific time that can still be recalled by someone who lived through such an era. That, in time, can prove to be an invaluable asset for so many reasons.
Like most books, there are those readers who will and, those readers who won't. I can't, nor will, force anybody to put their hand in their pocket and pay for a book that they have no intention of reading; a book that some will buy just to let it gather dust on a bookshelf already full of books they've bought to read but haven't done so. How do I know that can happen? I was just such a person many years ago; I'd buy a book intending to read it but it would get put on a shelf and forgotten about then lost in various house moves. Then one day I had an epiphany and started to read the books I had purposely bought and it was like the sun appearing from behind a very dark cloud.
I enjoyed writing 'After Grassmeade'. I enjoyed the recollections and creating the book for publication. I enjoyed remembering all the Cray Wanderers characters I mention therein, be they players, supporters or committee members. I enjoyed the idea that some, but not all, supporters would definitely buy a copy and read it. I enjoyed the fact that some supporters who have read it have said they have enjoyed it. What a buzz that last one has given me!
I get the idea that the more recently-acquired-since-Cray-moved-into-Flamingo-Park supporters of our club don't appear to be 'into' its history. I don't have a real problem with that, even if it is difficult to understand if I'm being honest, but the book will still be available on Amazon for all to buy for the foreseeable future, as, if or when you decide the time is right. I don't rely on sales of the book for income; the prices you see for it on Amazon just about cover the print and dispatch costs. My income is provided by my pension and, as I learnt how to do so many years ago, I try not to live above my means, which helps my missus and me get by. Maybe someday I'll write a post about how to achieve that.
Trevor Mulligan