Debate this like it’s a news story, why don’t you?

First topic message reminder :

So my daughter and I left Texas Saturday afternoon (4:39 pm local time), Ben drove us to the airport and we all stood there and broke our hearts. My daughter didn’t want to leave him and sobbed, asking him why he couldn’t just come with us, just as she’d cried the first time in England when he’d had to leave us. We explained that there was a rule that kept Ben from coming to the UK to live until we had enough money to show the people in charge.
She didn’t understand. Of course she didn’t.
She only knew that she’d watched her mother marry a man that made her so incredibly happy, and that she was calling this man her ‘second daddy’, because she’d fallen in love with him herself. She only knew that this man made her laugh, made her feel safe and was so very kind. to her and her mother. She only knew that she didn’t want to leave him behind and it was breaking her heart.
On the plane we were both still crying and she turned to me and said:

“Why are the people who make the rules so horrible? Me and you and my Texan dad aren’t happy when we are apart!”

I looked at her little freckled face streaked with tears and I had no answer to offer her. How do you explain to a very smart six year old that people aren’t allowed to come and live and work in your country without a big stash of money? How do you explain that it doesn’t matter that two people love each other and commit to each other...that it still isn’t enough to allow them to be together?

This is a fucked up situation. It makes us angry and frustrated and we keep trying to come up with new ways to make money but we shouldn’t have to. No one is trying to con the UK government out of benefits. No one is pretending to be in love, or have a sham marriage in order to get a visa.

I’m Ben’s wife and best friend and I have to sit and calm him down when he feels so fucking angry by these stupid wanky rules that he feels the need to smash shit up. I want to smash shit up!
Why should he have to feel like that? Why should we have to sit there and tell each other stupid jokes, regale each other with ludicrous facts and make up stories to amuse ourselves at airports so that we don’t feel so wretched when we have to part?
It actually kinda works to be fair as we are entirely curious people by nature....
But still.

I can’t rant anymore. I’m tired and done. I’m on the plane flying away from my husband to the country that keeps us apart.

Perhaps I won’t even post this up because who cares really except me and my Texan and my little girl who is cuddling one of the many gifts he bought her.

Hey Horatio, I’m less inclined to get angry at laws etc then Ben does, he’s a little more volcanic than me, but it is really frustrating when you know that you both want to and can, work. I do work but I’m on a low wage and only part time as I still have a little child.
Even if he came here for a six month visit in a six month visa, he wouldn’t be allowed to work or look for work.

The only real solution is to sell our book. We are tired of waiting so will self-publish. We’ve had some interest from agents so we know we have something worth selling, at least. We also have worked out, in fine detail, our next one (a very, very different book to the first).

Check out this site. If you type in Sponsor for visa, or Journalist the lists come up. You may be able to find out if a company would be prepared to sponsor you.

https://www.indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=%20journalist&l&vjk=e3f1060ae7024af8

eddie Reilly wrote:Hey Horatio, I’m less inclined to get angry at laws etc then Ben does, he’s a little more volcanic than me, but it is really frustrating when you know that you both want to and can, work. I do work but I’m on a low wage and only part time as I still have a little child.
Even if he came here for a six month visit in a six month visa, he wouldn’t be allowed to work or look for work.

The only real solution is to sell our book. We are tired of waiting so will self-publish. We’ve had some interest from agents so we know we have something worth selling, at least. We also have worked out, in fine detail, our next one (a very, very different book to the first).

You never know, you may do well with the book. But realistically, and sorry to be a party pooper, unless your book sells in the hundreds of thousands you won't make that much. Even if you got an advance from a publisher, that has to be paid back before you get a penny. I don't know what to suggest to be honest. Play the waiting game? Be super proactive in cold calling all companies with potential work for Ben about sponsorship?

I'd personally do the latter.

There are only certain occupations that will be considered for sponsoring.

Welders
Sonogram readers

And various other trades that take years to train for. The government knew what they were doing.

We only need to sell 16,000 copies at $5 each to make £44....May have to check that again though.

Interestingly, being a published author is on the list of job requirements.

eddie Reilly wrote:There are only certain occupations that will be considered for sponsoring.

Welders
Sonogram readers

And various other trades that take years to train for. The government knew what they were doing.

We only need to sell 16,000 copies at $5 each to make £44....May have to check that again though.

That's correct -- 16,000 and change, going through self-publication, would net us $3.50 per sale. If we could get 17,000 copies sold through self-publishing we'd be in a position to put all the proceeds into my savings account, which would have to be maintained for six months. Then I could apply for a spouse visa.

According to the Home Office Statistics, the top 4 industries in 2016 in order of the number of visas applied for are:

Information and Communication
Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities
Financial and Insurance Activities
Human Health and Social Work Activities
In total in 2016, over 18,000 Tier 2 General visas were granted. You can find all the breakdowns on the Home Office website.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-top-UK-companies-that-sponsor-employment-visas

eddie Reilly wrote:Interestingly, being a published author is on the list of job requirements.

That's published. Different from self published. When you self publish you don't have the back up you get from an agent and publishing house...who have the big marketing bucks behind them. All the work is down to you, and trust me, it's hard. Not only that but you have to run the gauntlet of bad reviews, even if your work is good. Digital publishing pays the most. You get peanuts for hard copies. It's all very well hoping to get 17K in sales. What you wish for and what you get are very different. I know I sound glass half empty but it's just being realistic. Get yourself a good website to promote the book, twitter, FB, blog etc. Work on it every day to increase your position on Google. Get as many verified reviews as you can. Do book signings. Do book markets. You'll have to promote it day in and day out. What about the cover? You got a good one?

The other thing about self publishing, I'm guessing you're going to go with KPD/Amazon/CreateSpace?    In July 2015, the company changed its Kindle Select payment structure to a per-page model. Every time an author's e-book is borrowed and pages are read, the author earns a share of a monthly fund. This is called Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP) Read: Number of pages read by Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners' Lending Library readers that qualify for a share of the KDP Select Global Fund.

If you go for the 70 percent royalties with KDP, you can only sell your book through them.  Otherwise you got to settle for 35%.

I think your book will appeal to a much wider audience than mine. It's modern and deals with a lot of emotion/relationships etc. I hope you put a saucy sex scene or two in there! Fifty Shades of Tex and Brit!

HoratioTarr wrote:I think your book will appeal to a much wider audience than mine.   It's modern and deals with a lot of emotion/relationships etc.   I hope you put a saucy sex scene or two in there!   Fifty Shades of Tex and Brit!

It wasn't saucy at all

It was desperate and manic

turned me on

HoratioTarr wrote:

eddie Reilly wrote:Interestingly, being a published author is on the list of job requirements.

That's published.   Different from self published.   When you self publish you don't have the back up you get from an agent and publishing house...who have the big marketing bucks behind them.   All the work is down to you, and trust me, it's hard.   Not only that but you have to run the gauntlet of bad reviews, even if your work is good.   Digital publishing pays the most.   You get peanuts for hard copies.    It's all very well hoping to get 17K in sales.   What you wish for and what you get are very different.  I know I sound glass half empty but it's just being realistic.   Get yourself a good website to promote the book, twitter, FB, blog etc.  Work on it every day to increase your position on Google.   Get as many verified reviews as  you can.  Do book signings.  Do book markets.  You'll have to promote it day in and day out.  What about the cover?   You got a good one?

We have been garnering a lot of interest and I’ll be out and about on the streets of London selling it.

We have a very unique story behind our book.

Believe me, I have the balls to sell it and I nearly always get what I want.

gelico wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:I think your book will appeal to a much wider audience than mine.   It's modern and deals with a lot of emotion/relationships etc.   I hope you put a saucy sex scene or two in there!   Fifty Shades of Tex and Brit!

It wasn't saucy at all

It was desperate and manic

turned me on

Hahahahahahahahaha yeah, we like desperate and manic.
In many ways, for many things.

eddie wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

That's published.   Different from self published.   When you self publish you don't have the back up you get from an agent and publishing house...who have the big marketing bucks behind them.   All the work is down to you, and trust me, it's hard.   Not only that but you have to run the gauntlet of bad reviews, even if your work is good.   Digital publishing pays the most.   You get peanuts for hard copies.    It's all very well hoping to get 17K in sales.   What you wish for and what you get are very different.  I know I sound glass half empty but it's just being realistic.   Get yourself a good website to promote the book, twitter, FB, blog etc.  Work on it every day to increase your position on Google.   Get as many verified reviews as  you can.  Do book signings.  Do book markets.  You'll have to promote it day in and day out.  What about the cover?   You got a good one?

We have been garnering a lot of interest and I’ll be out and about on the streets of London selling it.

We have a very unique story behind our book.

Believe me, I have the balls to sell it and I nearly always get what I want.

You go, Girl!