Dangerous Appointment
 

If the mods will allow ... a few months ago I asked if any guys-gals on PP would like a draft copy of my novel. Heavily helicopter orientated. Getting published is a 'hen's teeth' job, so I need publicity ... lots of it. Just e-mail or post with your details and a copy will wing its way to you via e-mail. All comments ... good or bas genuinely welcomed. IF the story gets published eventually, all sale proceeds will go toward the next DRK scholarship. OR Kindle owners can up load from Amazon for around three quid. FOC from me direct. Thanks to all. Dennis Kenyon.

PM Sent, DK - you've probably had hundreds already. This could be the next Chickenhawk!

Hi DK, pm sent. Thanks

Hello Dennis,

Sincere good wishes with the book.

PM sent.

Donal

Dennis - you can publish it yourself through lulu.com - PM me if you need any help with it

Phil

for those that would prefer to put a couple of dollars towards Dennis's scholarship fund.

Hi Dennis,

A friend of mine got her first book published using Britain's Next Bestseller (https://britainsnextbestseller.co.uk). This is a crowd sourcing model. You submit your book and if you can get 250 people to pre-order your book gets published.

My friend got her book published (Confessions of a mother inferior) and it has a pukka ISBN No etc. You can order it in your local bookshop - and a good read it is too (though it is aimed at Mum's).

Well done Uncle Dennis.



Would love to help and provide some introductions if I possibly can. PM me your manuscript.
(I still have a picture of us lounging together on BLACK HAWK DOWN)
Cheers
JerryG

Typescript
 

Hallo Pprunes guys ... so many thanks for the many posts and PMs. As at 22.14 hours 6th March, I've sent out 24 typescripts so happy I am.

And a huge thanks to the Mods for allowing me the space. IF I can get the book published apart from the Amazon 'Kindle' system, ALL receipts will go to the next scholarship. For Jerry Grayson and Phil C, I'll make contact shortly for your info. And thanks to all here. Any more for any more? ? Regards. Dennis Kenyon.

Firebird
 

Oh and just to add ... thanks to Firebird. I'm on to it. DRK

Dangerous Appointment
 

And a second Oh ... don't think I'm in the same league as Chicken Hawk, but my effort is a good read. If it ain't I've wasted a ton of hours. Cheers Chaps & Chapesses. Dennis K.

For Jerry Grayson
 

Hallo my boozy old mate. How things down under? Would like to have copy of our BHD pic please. I have the one of you and me (I) crouched in the desert sand ... 'Ant Racing' or were we discussing film tactics?

Jerry, can you PM me an e-mail address for the typescript and any areas you can help with the book ... assuming you think the work is good enough.

I'm still displaying and had a whizz time last September at the AAD air show at AFB Waterkloof. (MD530F) What an incredible ship that is! Best wishes to all PPs. Dennis K.

Hi Dennis,

I'm ready for a little piece of history PM on its way!

TJ

Dangerous Appointment
 

Loads & loads of 'thanks' for the guys & gals who've expressed interest. I think I've kept up with all the requests. Please PM me if I've missed any.

Also the typescript FOC offer is open to all and any Pprune readers. I especially need honest feedback to help me decide to go for proper publication. And as ever ... another thanks to the 'Mods' for their consideration. DRK

Dennis, if you use a traditional publisher you'll get 10% of royalties or less - and unless it becomes a bestseller that usually amounts to hardly anything. Why do you think most writers have other jobs? OTOH, if you self-publish using Amazon CreateSpace it costs you nothing except the price of a proof being sent from the US (and you can proof online if you want to save that), and you get most of the money from sales. So more for the scholarship. It's why a lot of writers are bypassing traditional publishers and doing their own.

Novel
 

Thanks WB ... especially for the helpful advice. I'm sure you know that even at 10% return, getting either an agent OR a publisher is nigh on impossible.

I'd like to think my years' effort at least produced a smidgeon of return for the next scholarship so we just live in hope. THINKS. Flying is so much more rewarding. CAPT has kindly referred me to an online publisher, but there the problem is getting exposure since one's novel is simply buried amongst a couple of thousand other titles.

The odd thing is, I've had a really good response from PP and FB readers and am waiting with baited to see the feedbacks.

Take care and best wishes from Dennis K.

Uphill Struggle
 

Dennis, my sympathies, I've published the 'Jack Mawgan Trilogy' through Lulu and attempt to promote it via my website 'www.geoffnewman.co.uk'. Each book has a helicopter link but perhaps with the exception of the final book 'THE MARK' is not heavily oriented towards the rotary world. As 'crime-thrillers' I focused on the crime and corruption that we see and experience in our daily lives and particularly in the aviation world.

Good luck with your book

G. :ok:

Bppks & Publishing
 

Hallo Geoff ... Glad to know I've joined the 'uphill struggle' brigade. I take the view that I've a better chance of joining the next space shuttle than getting a publisher. CAPT did refer me to Lulu and I will give it a go. I'm also told that BNBS is also worth a shot. (Britain's Next Best Seller) we hopefuls simply have to explore every possible avenue.

Take care down there with the Cornishmen ... a good sword and a trusty hand ... I seem to recall. Warm regards. Dennis K.

Dennis

Best of luck with it, I know what a struggle it can be. I tried BNBS for my latest novel and didn't make the 250 mark, so published it myself on Amazon as an e-book

That was definitely ant racing in the only quiet ten minutes we got (because Bobby Zee had gone to find a new tail rotor!). I'm in the UK at the moment but will scan my photos when I get back to Oz in April. I'll see if I can find some incriminating ones of Geoffers whilst I'm at it, shouldn't be too hard!

I have PM'd my email address.

Somehow my earlier post lost a chunk of general advice that might be helpful to all aspiring aviator/authors. I thought I'd been censored by the mods but since everybody else is linking to their books I'll give it another go ...

My book comes out this Thursday in the UK. We vacillated between self publishing and going the harder route of trying to find a mainstream publisher. In the end we chose the latter and it was definitely worth it. The issue is the balance between how much you receive (I get under 1GBP per book on a 16.99 RRP ... my Oz laptop can't type pounds) versus the clout they put behind it. I'm a very small fish in a very big Bloomsbury pond and the particular arm I'm dealing with (nautical) publish more than 150 books a year. Never the less they have achieved three BBC national radio appearances for me this week plus reviews in Pilot Magazine and a launch event at the National Maritime Museum etc, all of which would have been very tough to achieve on my own.

Another route worth considering was followed by my favourite book of this year "The Martian" by Andy Weir. He self published online (most paper self-publisher routes seem to be scams) but just one chapter at a time. He built such a momentum that he was then picked up by a major publisher who paid a good sum for the rights, and Ridley Scott has just finished shooting the movie. I guess he can probably give up his day job now!

BTW - love to see any ppruners who can make it on Thursday to Greenwich Author Event at National Maritime Museum - Things to Do - visitlondon.com

Black Hawk Down
 

Well lads, since it seems to be 'Story Time' on PP ... and Jerry G has mentioned the subject of Bob Zee's missing tail rotor ... I thought I'd tell you the full story ....

In March/April 2002, together with Jerry Grayson and that super American film pilot, Bob Zee ... a couple of German pilots and yours truly, we found ourselves on a film shoot at Siddi Massou, just north of Morroco's Sale Airfield. Ridley Scott, (before he became Sir Ridley) ... was filming the epic "Black Hawk Down."

Sir Ridley, wanted a shot where I was tasked for an OGE hover in the copy 'Littlebird' ... MD's 500D 'Story Ship' ... positioned precisely 125 feet above Bob Zee's MD500 hovering at 50 feet AGL. Jerry would have been 'Camera Ship' hovering above. Looking down I spotted a gang of local kids chucking up stones at Bob's machine. I called out a warning over the R/T. Bob had seen the gathering too. Security Land Rovers promptly rounded up said kids and shoo'ed them away to their local village. We didn't get the shot Sir Ridley wanted, so were tasked back the following morning for a second go.

Once again, holding the OGE hover above Bob Zee's MD500, I could see the kids were back! This time they'd cut a man-sized catapault from a lorry inner tube and with two stakes firmly fixed to the ground, were firing melon- sized rocks more accurately. I called out to Bob, but too late as a well-directed missile struck Bob's tail rotor. Horrified, I watched from above as Bob's 500 slowly spun clockwise to the ground but, being made of sterner stuff, Bob judged the re-application of power perfectly for a soft non-damaging landing.

I landed alongside so the engineers could 'borrow' my T/R assembly to replace Bob's damaged item. He was able to fly off and with my T/R assembly returned later - I did a ditto back to base.

I'm told ... when interrogated later, none of the kids would own up to the prank, but at school the word was out ... the locals had actually brought a 'Black Hawk Down!'

And for Jerry, thanks for your fun words. Yes, please let me have a copy pic when convenient. I take it you have the 'ant racing' picture. Best wishes to all PPs. Dennis Kenyon.

Thanks for that story, Dennis. I watched Black Hawk Down again the other day, and saw your name in the credits.

JerryG - you are looking good in the biog of your book!
I was on 771 as a young hold over in 1979 ish before going SK. Spud Murphy and of course Keith were the others I remember..Didn't AF rear his ugly head at some stage (before or after his court marshal!).

Stay safe and good to hear you are still in the aviation world.:D

Too kind TC, isn't Photoshop a wondrous thing. However, it can't plaster over senility so PM me who AF is? ... and who YOU are!!? ... or at least some cryptic clues?

C;ues ....
 

Well I know the answer to that! Over to ?

As normal there is a fair bit of interest in anything that Dennis is up to and very rightly so.

For those that want to get a chance to talk to Dennis and fire some questions at him, he has kindly made the time to do that this Sun.

http://denniskenyonlive.com <-- if you want to jump on the live call leave your details here and I'll get the hosting platform all sorted out.

If folks like Jerry want to share a tall tale about Dennis then we can probably pass the mic over too.

It's online - all invited wherever you are, so please pass it around.

Dennis,
It would be great to get to read your upcoming novel. Not sure if we can get to pre-order it here in India in order to reach the 250 mark. I'm sure many of my fellow pilots here would be happy to get hold of a good helicopter book after a long time. :-)

Look forward to reading you book. Would you mind if I also passed it on to some of my fellow pilots not on PP?

Happy Landings

Dangerous Appointment
 

Hallo Polaris ... I'm punting my book on here (with the Mods kind permission) on the basis I get enough publicity and hopefully decent feedback to obtain proper publication. So a big YES ... please pass the typescript around to as many pilot and other mates as you feel happy with. A PM to me with an e-mail address will have the typescript e-mailed back the same day. That goes for all pp readers.

My yarn involves a helicopter pilot who get tricked into making a 1000 mile flight at night across the Great Lakes and down the Saint Lawrence river to a luxury yacht waiting in the Atlantic. When he discover the identity of his passenger, he set out to sabotage the ransom plan. The kidnap villains are our old friends, the IRA who team up with ISIS, so there's a heavy political element to the story.

I am still running a helicopter scholarship for youngsters, but have totally run out of the required financé. IF the book sold just 1500 copies, that would ensure the scholarship for 2015. It seems likely things will have to get put forward to 2016. I've got the offer of a hangar and will do the instructing myself. Just need enough for the helicopter, fuel and associated costs of course.

And yes ... Mick Cullen is running his 'Webinar' show this Sunday at 12.00 hrs UK London time. I'd love the chance to talk 'live' with any pps and/or professionals in the rotary industry. If interested ... check in with Mick Cullen. Mind, I do 'rabbit' on a bit! Regards to all. Dennis K.

Hi Jerry. What time is your event on, on Thursday? Not sure if I'm missing something but can't see a time on the link you posted.
Thanks.

It's at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich 1830 to 2030

Thanks Jerry, I only work up the road at Canary Wharf, so I may pop on down :-)

Just a bump that Dennis will be talking live in about 48hrs.

If you want to listen in and ask any questions of Dennis then just register via: http://denniskenyonlive.com