From the founder of Linux to the founders of a group of Liverpool / Merseyside writers -'Scouse Power'
June 17, 2006 (Press Release) --
It took a cyber-journey of thousands of miles and the rapidly growing North Carolina based Self Publishing Sensation, Lulu.Com, to bring five aspiring writer’s together. The five in this select group are from Liverpool and its outlying districts, including Japan. Ok, strictly speaking, only three are born and bred ‘Scouse’, but the other two have strong links with the area through such diversity as researching the City and its environs due to the area being the setting for a new crime novel, and a Scouse-Japanese connection through another member being a former teacher at a well known Independent School in Crosby.
Just like Ben Hur who lived to tell the tale, these five writers have, ‘through stranger fortune’, come together through the vision of one man - Mr Bob Young, founding member of Red Hat, the company behind the Linux operating system. But, Mr Young has since moved on to form an ambitious self–publishing operation called Lulu. He chose this name because it was an old American term for something out of the ordinary, and Lulu certainly is out of the ordinary due to not a penny being paid in outlay for the basic service of publishing a book, calendar, CD or DVD. Read what these five writers, collectively known as Scouse Power, have managed to achieve through Lulu. But who are they exactly?
First of all there is one of the founding members of the group, Wirral born Kathy Barham. Kathy has only been with Lulu a few months and yet her first book published through Lulu − 194 Radio City – The Heart of Liverpool − really is selling like hot cakes.
Here in Kathy’s own words is the story behind the book: − “Radio City provided the soundtrack to many people's lives in the 1970s and 1980s, as it does today. Yet, until now, no-one has told the story of how this iconic radio station began and how it built a place in listeners' hearts. I was one such listener. It took a shock discovery in 2002 which sent my mind back to a time in the 1970s when Radio City inspired in me an obsessive devotion to music, record collecting, disc jockeys, and request writing.
“I hope, in fact I’m sure you will find the book amusing, insightful, and full of fresh stories from the people who made Radio City great, including Mark Jones, Norman Thomas, Johnny Kennedy, Johnny Jason, Dave Lincoln and many others. “However, as well as being a history of those early days, the book is also an affecting and engaging story of rediscovery of youth, and the people and music that meant so much to me.
“I hope this book will be of interest to the many thousands of people who tuned into 194 Radio City, and made it such a success. In the early years, Radio City covered a very wide listening area, from Liverpool and the Wirral to North Wales, Blackpool, Warrington and even Manchester. It’s been a tremendous adventure to write this book, and to seek out and speak to so many of the wonderful people who helped make 194 such a great radio station.”
DJ Mark Jones says "A great read, it's full of spot-on, perfectly remembered stories... that I'd either forgotten about or spent years denying!!"
194 Radio City – the Heart of Liverpool(£6.99) is available now through Lulu (lulu.com), the world's fastest-growing provider of print-on-demand books, go to http://www.lulu.com/content/266943. It is also available from Borders, local booksellers, and also direct from the author at kathybarham@hotmail.com. Tel 01824 704595. It will also shortly be available from most Amazon regions.
Kathy Barham is a first - time author, lives in Ruthin, Wales, with her husband Tom, and sons Jonathan and Daniel. Born and raised in Wallasey, Kathy has documented her publishing experience on www.radiocitybook.blogspot.com
And what of the other four members? Now here is Kathy’s co-founder of Scouse Power, Steve Robinson to tell you all about himself and his books.
“My Name is Steve Robinson, I was born in a small town in Liverpool UK. I have lived there all my life and I started writing a few years ago with the odd poem. People told me I had a talent for poetry and told me to start writing it.
“So I set out to write poetry, but I got distracted and began writing Comedy, I have incorporated some poetry into my books which I have kept in line with the humour theme. I like to incorporate as much life and fun into my work as possible, as there is nothing worse than reading something boring.
“If I make you smile in my work then it's work well done, if I make you laugh then the story has achieved its potential.
“Pushing up the internet daisy came about because I was bored with surfing the net, so I decided to write about the funny side of it. My second book was written just a month after my first because I still had many things running around my head and so I put them all together to make a second book, called Drying out the sponges, It wasn't easy to write about something so up to date and I kept having to update it all the time in order to keep it fresh.
“My third book came about to give people the chance to buy both books cheaper.”
To take a peek at all my books, please go to:
http://people.lulu.com/users/index.php?fHomepage=289592
And so onto the third member of the group, Ian Ruxton.
"Hi, my name is Ian Ruxton, I am 49, and I live in Japan where my main occupation is as an English teacher. Away from Education, I have worked on several translations of official British and Japanese Government papers and private personal diaries and other material, dating back to the late Victorian, and Edwardian eras.
“My connection with these gloriously mad Scouse nutcases, is not only through Lulu.com per se, but as an admittedly honorary member of a proud Lulu.com ‘Inner Circle' - Scouse Power. I have earned my rolled up copy of the echo and red and blue bobble hat and raincoat, by my strong connections to Merseyside schools and the world of amateur rugby. I taught at Merchant Taylors' School for a short period, but even now I still meet up with many players, coaches and teachers from Liverpool and its environs on my sojourns around the globe, but mainly UK and Ireland, where I get my brains bashed in and rather oddly go back for more the next time.
“I have been using lulu to publish my books since 2004. My first one published through Lulu is a translation about the unusual and unknown topic of Japanese students at Cambridge University in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. After the success of my first book ( which I did not manage to get placed to my satisfaction with a traditional publisher) I decided to use lulu.com for my main academic work, the life and letters of the noted British diplomat Sir Ernest Satow (1843-1929). So far I have published two lengthy books of letters and diaries from the Satow papers (held at the National Archives in London) and I intend to continue with this work.”
Please visit my store on Lulu, just go to:
http://www.lulu.com/ianruxton”
And next up is another honorary member, Keith Dixon. He hails from Cheshire and here is Keith now to tell you about himself.
“As our unseen emcee has almost told you, I actually hail from Rode Heath, Cheshire, about 40 miles south of Manchester/Liverpool, off junction 17 of the M6. I’ve been run over several times, but house prices have rocketed in the last few years.
“As the mystery writer of this crazy group, I may as well tell you about my msytery novel, self-published through Lulu.com − Altered Life.
"It tells the story of Sam Dyke, a PI in the north of England, who is asked by a successful businessman, Rory Brand, to find out who is trying to steal his company from him. In doing so, Sam finds out more than he expected about his own past, and in particular about a secret that was hidden from him by someone who comes back into his life in dramatic fashion.
”As for me? Well, I’ve worked as a copywriter, a college lecturer and an organisational psychologist. I've been writing for almost as long as I've been reading, so it was about time I got my head down and took it seriously. I wrote half a dozen books when I was in my early twenties but didn't follow through with them. I did learn how to write, though, and years later I decided that if you were supposed to write what you read, then I'd write a private eye novel. My heroes have always been the American writers in this genre, like Ross Macdonald, Robert Parker, James Lee Burke and lately George Pelecanos. So it made perfect sense for me to write in that genre. It's taken four years to complete the book, and I’ve chosen to publish via print-on-demand in order to have more direct control over all aspects of the book's printing and publication. Everyone knows how difficult it is to get published as a new author, so this is a perfectly viable way to get your work out there to the public. As with any book, it's the public in the end who create your sales. Word-of-mouth is king.”
Altered Life is available in paperback online at Lulu.com http://www.lulu.com/content/221358
And what about the fifth and final member of Scouse Power? Here he is now.
“My name is John Haines, I am 47 years of age, and I live in Crosby, a suburb of the great city of Liverpool. I am married with two teenage children, and, like the rest of this mad bunch, I am the proverbial struggling writer.
“I write and self publish my fictional works under the pen name of Josh Rogan. I published my first book away from Lulu, ‘A History of Patagonian By-Laws 1767 to 1811’, under the name of Vin D’Alou. It never sold any, and I realised that the uninspiring name was holding back such a vital work. I then arrived at Josh Rogan. The book still did not sell, but I put this down to it not selling.
“My first book I published through Lulu was ‘Mike Miller, Son of Pendragon’. This is a magic and fantasy tale with sprinklings of Arthurian legend punctuating a story otherwise set in modern times. I got the idea after my book-shelf, piled high with unsold copies of ‘A History of Patagonian By-Laws 1767 to 1811’ collapsed on top of me, knocking me out. I awoke 8 years later in hospital, and looking kindly down upon me, was an old man with long flowing hair and a robe, I thought he was Merlin. It was a short while later I was informed it was actually a woman, but the seeds had been sown, as well as the gash to my head.
To take a look at my wares, just go to: http://www.lulu.com/josh-rogan”
And there you have it. It took Mr Young’s great vision and a little matter of 4,000 miles, but, Scouse Power is here, and they hope to be around for a long time to come. To find out more or even join Scouse Power, or one of many other groups that have formed via individuals' membership of the site, just go to Lulu.com.
Just like Ben Hur who lived to tell the tale, these five writers have, ‘through stranger fortune’, come together through the vision of one man - Mr Bob Young, founding member of Red Hat, the company behind the Linux operating system. But, Mr Young has since moved on to form an ambitious self–publishing operation called Lulu. He chose this name because it was an old American term for something out of the ordinary, and Lulu certainly is out of the ordinary due to not a penny being paid in outlay for the basic service of publishing a book, calendar, CD or DVD. Read what these five writers, collectively known as Scouse Power, have managed to achieve through Lulu. But who are they exactly?
First of all there is one of the founding members of the group, Wirral born Kathy Barham. Kathy has only been with Lulu a few months and yet her first book published through Lulu − 194 Radio City – The Heart of Liverpool − really is selling like hot cakes.
Here in Kathy’s own words is the story behind the book: − “Radio City provided the soundtrack to many people's lives in the 1970s and 1980s, as it does today. Yet, until now, no-one has told the story of how this iconic radio station began and how it built a place in listeners' hearts. I was one such listener. It took a shock discovery in 2002 which sent my mind back to a time in the 1970s when Radio City inspired in me an obsessive devotion to music, record collecting, disc jockeys, and request writing.
“I hope, in fact I’m sure you will find the book amusing, insightful, and full of fresh stories from the people who made Radio City great, including Mark Jones, Norman Thomas, Johnny Kennedy, Johnny Jason, Dave Lincoln and many others. “However, as well as being a history of those early days, the book is also an affecting and engaging story of rediscovery of youth, and the people and music that meant so much to me.
“I hope this book will be of interest to the many thousands of people who tuned into 194 Radio City, and made it such a success. In the early years, Radio City covered a very wide listening area, from Liverpool and the Wirral to North Wales, Blackpool, Warrington and even Manchester. It’s been a tremendous adventure to write this book, and to seek out and speak to so many of the wonderful people who helped make 194 such a great radio station.”
DJ Mark Jones says "A great read, it's full of spot-on, perfectly remembered stories... that I'd either forgotten about or spent years denying!!"
194 Radio City – the Heart of Liverpool(£6.99) is available now through Lulu (lulu.com), the world's fastest-growing provider of print-on-demand books, go to http://www.lulu.com/content/266943. It is also available from Borders, local booksellers, and also direct from the author at kathybarham@hotmail.com. Tel 01824 704595. It will also shortly be available from most Amazon regions.
Kathy Barham is a first - time author, lives in Ruthin, Wales, with her husband Tom, and sons Jonathan and Daniel. Born and raised in Wallasey, Kathy has documented her publishing experience on www.radiocitybook.blogspot.com
And what of the other four members? Now here is Kathy’s co-founder of Scouse Power, Steve Robinson to tell you all about himself and his books.
“My Name is Steve Robinson, I was born in a small town in Liverpool UK. I have lived there all my life and I started writing a few years ago with the odd poem. People told me I had a talent for poetry and told me to start writing it.
“So I set out to write poetry, but I got distracted and began writing Comedy, I have incorporated some poetry into my books which I have kept in line with the humour theme. I like to incorporate as much life and fun into my work as possible, as there is nothing worse than reading something boring.
“If I make you smile in my work then it's work well done, if I make you laugh then the story has achieved its potential.
“Pushing up the internet daisy came about because I was bored with surfing the net, so I decided to write about the funny side of it. My second book was written just a month after my first because I still had many things running around my head and so I put them all together to make a second book, called Drying out the sponges, It wasn't easy to write about something so up to date and I kept having to update it all the time in order to keep it fresh.
“My third book came about to give people the chance to buy both books cheaper.”
To take a peek at all my books, please go to:
http://people.lulu.com/users/index.php?fHomepage=289592
And so onto the third member of the group, Ian Ruxton.
"Hi, my name is Ian Ruxton, I am 49, and I live in Japan where my main occupation is as an English teacher. Away from Education, I have worked on several translations of official British and Japanese Government papers and private personal diaries and other material, dating back to the late Victorian, and Edwardian eras.
“My connection with these gloriously mad Scouse nutcases, is not only through Lulu.com per se, but as an admittedly honorary member of a proud Lulu.com ‘Inner Circle' - Scouse Power. I have earned my rolled up copy of the echo and red and blue bobble hat and raincoat, by my strong connections to Merseyside schools and the world of amateur rugby. I taught at Merchant Taylors' School for a short period, but even now I still meet up with many players, coaches and teachers from Liverpool and its environs on my sojourns around the globe, but mainly UK and Ireland, where I get my brains bashed in and rather oddly go back for more the next time.
“I have been using lulu to publish my books since 2004. My first one published through Lulu is a translation about the unusual and unknown topic of Japanese students at Cambridge University in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. After the success of my first book ( which I did not manage to get placed to my satisfaction with a traditional publisher) I decided to use lulu.com for my main academic work, the life and letters of the noted British diplomat Sir Ernest Satow (1843-1929). So far I have published two lengthy books of letters and diaries from the Satow papers (held at the National Archives in London) and I intend to continue with this work.”
Please visit my store on Lulu, just go to:
http://www.lulu.com/ianruxton”
And next up is another honorary member, Keith Dixon. He hails from Cheshire and here is Keith now to tell you about himself.
“As our unseen emcee has almost told you, I actually hail from Rode Heath, Cheshire, about 40 miles south of Manchester/Liverpool, off junction 17 of the M6. I’ve been run over several times, but house prices have rocketed in the last few years.
“As the mystery writer of this crazy group, I may as well tell you about my msytery novel, self-published through Lulu.com − Altered Life.
"It tells the story of Sam Dyke, a PI in the north of England, who is asked by a successful businessman, Rory Brand, to find out who is trying to steal his company from him. In doing so, Sam finds out more than he expected about his own past, and in particular about a secret that was hidden from him by someone who comes back into his life in dramatic fashion.
”As for me? Well, I’ve worked as a copywriter, a college lecturer and an organisational psychologist. I've been writing for almost as long as I've been reading, so it was about time I got my head down and took it seriously. I wrote half a dozen books when I was in my early twenties but didn't follow through with them. I did learn how to write, though, and years later I decided that if you were supposed to write what you read, then I'd write a private eye novel. My heroes have always been the American writers in this genre, like Ross Macdonald, Robert Parker, James Lee Burke and lately George Pelecanos. So it made perfect sense for me to write in that genre. It's taken four years to complete the book, and I’ve chosen to publish via print-on-demand in order to have more direct control over all aspects of the book's printing and publication. Everyone knows how difficult it is to get published as a new author, so this is a perfectly viable way to get your work out there to the public. As with any book, it's the public in the end who create your sales. Word-of-mouth is king.”
Altered Life is available in paperback online at Lulu.com http://www.lulu.com/content/221358
And what about the fifth and final member of Scouse Power? Here he is now.
“My name is John Haines, I am 47 years of age, and I live in Crosby, a suburb of the great city of Liverpool. I am married with two teenage children, and, like the rest of this mad bunch, I am the proverbial struggling writer.
“I write and self publish my fictional works under the pen name of Josh Rogan. I published my first book away from Lulu, ‘A History of Patagonian By-Laws 1767 to 1811’, under the name of Vin D’Alou. It never sold any, and I realised that the uninspiring name was holding back such a vital work. I then arrived at Josh Rogan. The book still did not sell, but I put this down to it not selling.
“My first book I published through Lulu was ‘Mike Miller, Son of Pendragon’. This is a magic and fantasy tale with sprinklings of Arthurian legend punctuating a story otherwise set in modern times. I got the idea after my book-shelf, piled high with unsold copies of ‘A History of Patagonian By-Laws 1767 to 1811’ collapsed on top of me, knocking me out. I awoke 8 years later in hospital, and looking kindly down upon me, was an old man with long flowing hair and a robe, I thought he was Merlin. It was a short while later I was informed it was actually a woman, but the seeds had been sown, as well as the gash to my head.
To take a look at my wares, just go to: http://www.lulu.com/josh-rogan”
And there you have it. It took Mr Young’s great vision and a little matter of 4,000 miles, but, Scouse Power is here, and they hope to be around for a long time to come. To find out more or even join Scouse Power, or one of many other groups that have formed via individuals' membership of the site, just go to Lulu.com.
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