So here we are, well into the 21st Century. So far into it in fact that no one bothers to use that 20th Century phrase “Information Age” any more. We’re now bathed in information, from our phones, tablets and even our watches.

For instance, I got married two years ago and we had the wedding at our house. After the ceremony, when the adults were talking and the children got bored they didn’t run off to play, or nag their parents to go home.

Instead, they came up to me and asked “What’s the wifi password here?” Once armed with this magic incantation they sat happily by themselves playing games or chatting to their friends hundreds of miles away. (Yawn! I’m at this wedding in Wellington.)

So that’s where we stand, and in the midst of this digital milieu I’ve published my first novel. Of course, I choose to publish on the web because hey, in the 21st century who wants an actual paper book cluttering up their lives.

Well it turns out, lots of people. We’ve been busy emailing the e-book url to anyone and everyone and more than half of them have replied with the likes of “Oh no. I don’t want an electronic version, I really like to have a physical book to read”.

Maybe its a kiwi thing. Maybe not. Regardless, its prompted us to look seriously at doing a print edition. I’m determined not to end up with a garage full of unsold books, so we’re going try out CreateSpace. This is Amazon’s print on demand service – they only print a book when somebody orders one.

The book still needs to be ordered on the web, so for the folks who don’t even want to buy their book digitally, well I guess you’ll have to wait for us to try something else.

You’d think being Amazon I could just send them my Kindle file and say “Print this please” but its not that simple. I need go through another formatting exercise for the text, produce another cover file, etc, etc.

Don’t hold your breath but a print edition is on the way. We might even manage a proper launch in a real book shop. I’ll keep you posted.