New Edition of ‘An Unassuming County’ by Brian Kerr is now available

Author Brian Kerr decided that the time was right to update and revise his first book.

About the Book

“Landscape provides a rich recording of our past. In this revised and updated version of an earlier text, Brian Kerr traces the changes which have shaped the countryside of #Bedfordshire. Beginning with the fundamental #geology, the author describes the natural landscapes and then charts how these have been used, giving us the familiar pattern of #countryside, we see today.

There is a renewed interest in farming, #food security, the establishment of new #woodlands, and the impact of #climate change. Written in non-technical language, this book will appeal to a wide audience interested in the future of our countryside in Bedfordshire and beyond. This second edition of, ‘An Unassuming County’, has been substantially updated and includes many new photographs.

Brian Kerr is a soil scientist, living in Bedfordshire and is a Visiting Fellow at #Cranfield University.”

About the Author

Brian Kerr on one of our longest standing authors at Eventispress. He trained as a soil scientist and has applied this knowledge of the environment in unravelling the landscape history of Bedfordshire. He has published three books; the first two focusing on the shaping of the Bedfordshire landscape, and the second on the people who made the greatest impact. His third, ‘How to Value a Skylark’, debates current topics and controversies regarding decision making impacting the land in the UK. All are readable accounts, which will be of interest to anyone with an interest in the #countryside. Brian previously worked as a consultant on #agricultural projects worldwide, and during the past decade has engaged in land projects in the UK, Ireland, Rwanda, and Tanzania. He presently holds a post as a Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, UK.

This revised and updated edition of ‘An Unassuming County ~ The Making of the Bedfordshire Countryside’ is now available for bookshops to order through:

Book Distributors Gardners

and for the reader to order at

Waterstones or any good bookshop

Amazon UK

or directly from ourselves, especially if you would like a signed copy as a gift; orders@ eventispress.com

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Latest Update from Eventispress

All of our recent publications are now available for bookshops to order through Gardners.

PUBLISHING A BOOK? ~ IT’S A GAME OF TWO HALVES by Author Brian Kerr

Savour the moment your book is published

So, you have just published your book: possibly your first – and it looks great.  Congratulations!  It is time to savour the moment. You have in your hand – or on your screen – the output from months, or perhaps years, of hard slog.  Sure, there have been some good moments but it mostly has been about gritted teeth and working at it. You deserve to enjoy the moment, but don’t become lost in the euphoria, and not think about how to sell it.

What next?

No matter how often you tell yourself it is not about the sales, or money, or recognition, it would be nice if someone read it, or better still bought a copy or even better lots of copies. Yes of course you have thought about a launch, and you have set aside a pile to pass on to friends and family and those who pitched in and helped along the way.  They deserve a free copy – but not absolutely free.   Perhaps a review could be encouraged.  A beer and sandwich session in a local pub with a book priced at a small mark down on Amazon, will start the process.  Worth the cost of a few beers?

…but remember, you are a new author to the block and you need to reach out to others but how?

Great Marketing Ideas for reaching out

Would your new readers and friends take a small pile of flyers to leave with other friends, or in the pub?  Are they a member of a book club and this is a good time to ask if book clubs are active in your area? Make sure the organiser of the club is aware that there is a published author on the doorstep.  Book clubs will often give an author a few moments if only to have a new voice in the room.

What’s App and other platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn ~ the list goes on

For some people the business of networking is second nature and dropping in a reference to a new book would not seem intrusive.  For others the idea of self-publicity is cringeworthy.  Many neighbourhoods have shared WhatsApp groups and you can be sure that a reference to a new author with an invitation, ‘to look it up on Amazon’, will be more interesting than a moan about the parking of the need to find a plumber.

The list of useful initiatives worth a try is lengthy and can be exhausting.  Do you have presence on LinkedIn for example? This can be like a ripple in a pond?  Worth a try but be aware this will also attract offers of all types of publicity service, at a price. These may be tempting as you may want to move on to a new book or simply playing more golf

There are lots of ideas out there and it is worth making a list and dipping your toe in the water.  Many ideas will not appeal but you may be surprised at how the doors do open.

One final thought …

Before you finish the champagne a few sobering facts.  In 2020 UK book sales rose to exceed 200 million. The figure for new titles is more difficult to pin down:  in 2018 there were 185,000 new ISBN numbers issued. That would mean that, if my calculator copes with all the zeros, you need sell more than 1000 copies to beat the average unit sales.

Time to go and sell!

Eventispress adds: “It’s hard to begin at ground zero without a huge marketing budget from your publisher, but even those authors published by the large companies have to start at the beginning.

Best of luck!

Author Brian Kerr is Out and About!

We are pleased to say that Author Brian Kerr is out and about again in Bedfordshire in spring 2022..

He has been invited to speak to a meeting of the Geologists Association in March on how we begin to place a value on landscape and the countryside.

This invitation stems from his most recent book  How to Value a Skylark: the Countryside in a Time of Change  and reflects a rising interest in how we gain access to and protect green spaces and the landscape. 

One aspect of this is the possibility of estimating the true value of what policy makers call ‘ecological services’ and how to be begin to attach a real value to the benefits which we gain from nature. This approach has both advantages and real dangers. 

It should make for an interesting evening!

Currently on special offer from WATERSTONES UK

See Brian Kerr’s Page for more information on Brian, his books and where you can buy them.

Author Brian Kerr talks to the CPRE ~ Bedfordshire

Here’s their review of Brian’s book:

“The central premise is that how we use land matters but the big question is how do we decide on what we do with it? The topic is rife with divided opinions from developers to conservationists, politicians to farmers, and landowners to the general public. The book considers the way in which the government narrative has changed towards public funds for public goods i.e. spending money in ways that are in the public interest. This might include ways in which the countryside can help to tackle climate change but also leads us to ask questions such as ‘What do we expect from the countryside? How do we decide priorities and make value judgements?’ What balancing acts do we need to perform? …”

To read the full review:

CPRE ~ The Countryside Charity Bedfordshire:

How to Value a Skylark can be ordered through any Waterstones or at an independent bookshop.

or on Amazon

How to value a skylark ~ a book for the here and now!

ISBN 9781838152611

Now bookshops in the UK are opening once more, we shall be notifying many of this wonderful book

‘in the moment’

and hopefully you will see it. However, you can always order it giving the ISBN.

If you would still like to purchase it on line please can I recommend one of the following sites:

WATERSTONES

Currently £15.99

BLACKWELL’S

Currently £12.46

HIVE

Currently £11.89

(where you can nominate a local Indie Bookshop of your choice for a donation)

 

 

author brian kerr leads zoom discussion (1) ~ the right trees in the right places

Following the successful Zoom Book Launch for Brian Kerr’s third book:

‘How to Value a Skylark –

The Countryside in a Time of Change’

Eventispress hosted the first of our controversial discussions on environmental issues related to his book yesterday evening.

‘THE RIGHT TREES IN THE RIGHT PLACES’

We would like to thank the 21 folks who attended and contributed to this thought provoking discussion.

 

If you would like to join next week’s discussion:

‘Rewilding: How far can this ideal be pushed in a crowded Britain?’

on Thursday 25^th February at 7:30 pm

please contact us at eventispress@outlook.com

 

 

 

 

 

Author Brian Kerr’s New Books Have Arrived

This is a special moment for an author when all that work comes into fruition. Brian Kerr was understandably proud when his author copies of his latest ‘How to Value a Skylark’ arrived so he sent us this snap. We are looking forward to the on-line launch on

Wednesday 20th January

It has been a long time away — Beds Country File

Eventispress Author Brian Kerr begins writing on his wordpress blog once more and news of his book launch:

The last blog on this site was in mid 2015. David Cameron was the Prime Minister; the word Brexit has seldom in the news; and pandemics were something that happened in the history books. Since then the world has changed and we are all coping with very different circumstances. The idea of the previous Blog […]

It has been a long time away — Beds Country File

 

Exciting News at Eventispress! How to Value a Skylark by Brian Kerr will be released in January 2021

Let’s look ahead towards a brighter New Year!

Eventispress are gearing up to a positive 2021 with the news that:

How to Value a Skylark

The Countryside in a Time of Change

by Brian Kerr

will be released on 20th January 2021

Author Brian Kerr asks these key questions as we face a new year and a new beginning for the world. Have we the courage to change things for the better?

“Will the British countryside cope with global warming, new farming methods and increased public access? Can rewilding landscapes and wildlife conservation be balanced against rural livelihoods?”

More news of this release in January.

That just leaves us to wish you a happy and safe Christmas and, if you are like many of us and will not be seeing loved ones until after a vaccination, our hearts go out to you all.