Is there anyone who has not been influenced by books? Books change lives and they change society. The novels of Charles Dickens and America’s Jack London gave cause for reflection and led to great changes in society. The Holy Bible, Alfred Rosenberg’s Myth of the 20th Century, Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kamp are a few of the books that changed and shaped the world. It is difficult to think of a single human achievement that has not found its basis in books.

Seafaring novels by R M Ballantyne’s (Coral Island) and Robert Lewis Stephenson (Treasure Island and Kidnapped) launched my seagoing career. I am sure each of you can relate to your own ~ stories.

Books educate and inspire. Books help us to become better (or worse) human beings. Books are a mirror reflection of what we are. Show me a person’s bookcase and I know as much as I need to know about that person.

Books are at their most potent when used to manipulate minds. The much embellished largely fraudulent Diary of Ann Frank has been published in over 60 languages. This novel, purporting to be a diary, has made millions for palace publishers and made millions sob. Much the same can be said of Hans Christian Andersen’s fanciful tales.

Few authors (or composers) write for a living. If they make money then this is a bonus but unlikely to be their motivation. With few exceptions’ books are written for reasons other than financial.

In my case, I accept that on this side of the tomb I will never make more than a pittance from my dozen published poetry collections. People love poetry but not enough to put their hands in their pockets to purchase poetry books.

My Reich and maritime-related books bring a modest income and my novels very little ~ until a publisher realises he or she is on a goldmine. But so far the income is far from sufficient to pay the modest rent on my humble home. And, I contribute much of my earnings to keep our Europe Renaissance going. How many can say that? Only one…. no guesses.

There was only one motivation in my putting pen to paper. Having been enlightened by the writings of others I felt the need to pick up the beacon of truth, to keep running with it, and in doing so inspire others.

When I began writing in the 1970s conventional publishers were unapproachable, self-publishing was too expensive and the financial returns speculative. However, for reasons I cannot fathom, I kept writing without realistic hope that my books would be published. However, the onset of the internet, self-publishing thanks to Amazon, and print-on-demand (POD) changed everything.

My first book, For Those Who Cannot Speak, was published by Historical Review Press, Brighton, circa 1978. This was followed by several others and HRP made money. These include Behind Enemy Lines, Special Weapons and Techniques, How to See in the Dark, Death of a City (since published on Amazon) and others.

The Holy Grail, Eureka or Hallelujah evaded me. I was to scratch the pad for another 35-years before I saw my first royalties. These are approximately 10% of the cover price. My reason for writing is however unchanged. I wish only to enlighten and hopefully inspire. In this way, I can give something back to those who gave me so much.