BigWalker

Is this one the ultimate? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXvf2Ka9hQI

The question is how to get a book published on Kindle. There is a very easy way to do that and more. I have just published my book on Kindle (both Amazon.co.uk and .com), Apple iBooks, Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble Nook. It would take some technical knowledge, not just of computers but of layout, to do that successfully, particularly if you want to cover all these major suppliers of e-books. But there is an easy way, which I took. There is a company called CD Baby, which claim to be the biggest supplier of CDs in the world. They have set up another company called Book Baby. So you prepare your manuscript - following all the advice about getting it proof-read, et cetera - then you whizz the words off to Book Baby, along with a mere $99 dollars. It will cost a little more if you want them to design a cover for you, and $19 if you want an ISBN number. Then your book is prepared by them and published with those four major e-book sellers. All this takes a couple of weeks, although Sony lags behind by a further couple of weeks. Photos cost extra, but I have put my illustrations in a Picasa online album, with the URL in the book. CD Baby send all the royalties they receive from Amazon, et cetera, to you, without any deductions by them. In my case the royalties are going direct to Pancreatic Cancer UK. This is where you find Book Baby: http://www.bookbaby.com/ And this is where you can find my book, if you want to see an example of the results. Of course I hope you will buy a copy as well: http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com/2011/07/its-here-vics-big-walk-book.html

I saw several houses of this shape as I walked last year from the Pyrenees to the Pennines. Some much bigger than these. And there is a whole estate of them in Hokitika, New Zealand, built in the 50s, when they were set to be all the rage. -- Get the book of my epic walk, relive the adventure with me, and help defeat pancreatic cancer as you read. Details here: http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com/2011/07/its-here-vics-big-walk-book.html

What about a Big Walk Challenge? I walked from Puivert to Blackpool in 70 days. Many people, all over the world, were interested and followed my blog. How many of those people would be interested in following the same route themselves? In competition with others, to see how long it would take them. More details in my blog: http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com

Sorry, only just seen those replies. I did sell it back to the dealer and I know that gives me a worse price than selling it privately, but having more than once sold a car privately, and that was in England, without the language difficulties (especially on the telephone), it was a nightmare. And yes, of course, selling it quickly after buying it new means that it loses a lot. Subsequent sellers will lose a lot less.

I am now working on the book of the walk. That should keep me quiet for some time.  :D  :D My natural inclination is that, if I find a publisher, I should make all the profits over to Pancreatic Cancer Research. But we have lost 11,000 Euros on the campervan we bought solely for the purpose of backup vehicle for the walk. I am now thinking of splitting any income from the book 50/50 with Pancreatic Cancer Research, in the hope of recovering the lost money. What would you do? -------------------------------------------------- Vic's Big Walk - The Movie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXEsgaK8EL0 -- My blog: - http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com Donate to Pancreatic Cancer UK: - http://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney/

The Big Walk is now over. A great success. 70 days walking. Arrived bang on time - 1100 hrs on my 70th birthday. Fund-raising for Pancreatic Cancer UK now at almost 110% - but more is needed for this vital cause, Anybody interested in seeing the BBC coverage of the finish in Blackpool will find it at this YouTube link: Vic's Big Walk - The Movie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXEsgaK8EL0 -- My blog: - http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com Donate to Pancreatic Cancer UK: - http://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney/

If you can tell me how to contact you, it would be nice to say hello.

Pachapapa I apologise for not getting back to you sooner, after you left the information about the bridge for me. Unfortunately, the Complete France forums don't seem to have a facility for letting you know when somebody replies to a posting - or if they do I haven't figured it out. The bridge is indeed the one I was talking about, and the information you kindly supplied means that I can walk across the bridge and cut out a big loop in the GR. As I am on a very tight schedule of walking 2,000 kms in 70 days, safe shortcuts help a lot. The walk starts Saturday and there is a lot of frantic activity going on here, as well as visitations from journalists, photographers, et cetera Thanks again for your help. Vic

Five days to go. The Big Walk starts at 0800 on Saturday and finishes 2,000 kms and 70 days later in Blackpool. We have the vehicle, now decorated overall by Columbia specially for the trip. I have put pictures of it on my blog today. It is magnificent. I am fit and uninjured and hope to stay that way. After the first day's walk to Mirepoix, it will be a voyage of discovery. Except for two days at Brantome, every overnight stop in France, and many of those in England, will be somewhere we have never been before. Full details of the route were placed on my blog a couple of days ago. The publicity has really stepped up. Journalists and photographers ringing for appointments. And most gratifying of all, donations to Pancreatic Cancer via my blog or JustGiiving page have really picked up pace. _________________ Big Walker's Blog: http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com

Pachapapa For some reason I did not get a message saying there was a reply to my post about the bridge. So I have only just seen it. Your answer is most helpful. However, having spent weeks poring over numerous maps, which we have today packed away in the support vehicle because departure is imminent, I can not remember whether the bridge you mention is the one I was asking about. I will check tomorrow. If it is the same bridge, it sounds as if I would have no trouble walking over it and in fact my wife could probably drive the support vehicle - a motor caravan - across there as well. Thanks again for your help.

I have seen the exchange in the forum about whether or not the tax forms are available yet. I see Norman fill his in online. As you know, there is not much time between receiving the forms and having to get them back. Normally that isn't a problem for me but this year I set out on May 15th for my 70 day walk to the North of England on behalf of Pancreatic Cancer UK So I need to complete the forms on line. I have had a look at the forms which are available (etrangeres) and am quite happy to do it that way but it is not clear to me, when you have completed the form, how you then transmit it to the authorities. Can anybody enlighten me, please. Also, do you know whether the ISF forms can be completed online. They will more than likely arrive after I have gone. Thanks for your help. My blog: http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com

Is the bridge over the Loire (D952A)at La Maumeniere pedestrian, i..e. does it have a pavement or is it safe to walk across? Near Saumur? I have asked this question under the regional forum as well. I will be walking through the area in June as I try to walk from the Pyrenees to Blackpool in 70 days, mainly via the Grandes Randonnees. If this bridge is suitable for pedestrians I can cut out a big loop of the GR36 and save a lot of time. Thanks for your help. _________________ Big Walker's Blog: http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com

I will be walking through the area in June (see my post under Other Topics-"70 year old grandfather walking from the Pyrenees to the Pennines"). I am trying to walk from the Pyrenees to Blackpool in 70 days, mainly via the Grandes Randonnees. If this bridge is suitable for pedestrians I can cut out a big loop of the GR36 and save a lot of time. Thanks for your help. _________________ Big Walker's Blog: http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com

We have returned to France after a couple of months training in the Southern Hemisphere. In fact we normally go to New Zealand for 3 months each winter (and, having come back at the end of March, I remember why!) but this time we came back earlier to collect the battlebus we ordered last October. This will be our home for the 70 days of Vic's Big Walk For Pancreatic Cancer UK, plus a bit of visiting in UK and the return journey. We were assured it would arrive at the dealer in Pamiers in February so we came back to collect it at the end of March, so we would have 6 weeks to test it, find out the snags, get them fixed, have it painted with the VBW grand design, before getting under way. We went along to Pamiers last week to collect it. Sorry "production difficulties" mean it will not be here until the end of April, if we are lucky. So now we have forked out extra €1000s for a different model, made in Germany unlike Italy (where almost all the others are made) and which we are assured will be here next week. 39 days to go until the start! Blog: http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.com Donations to Pancreatic Cancer UK: http://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney