From: nicky.matthews@btinternet.com   
      
   On Wednesday, August 20, 2014 10:14:51 AM UTC+1, Chris Dolley wrote:   
   >   
   >    
   > > Sadly, self-publishing isn't an option for me. Because of my disability, I    
   >    
   > > can't use a telephone. Amazon (and a lot of other sites) won't let you    
   >    
   > > have an account if you don't have a phone number.   
   >    
   > >   
   >    
   > > It's really a Catch-22 -- I can't self-publish because I don't have an    
   >    
   > > agent who could field phone calls for me, but if I had an agent, I   
   >    
   > >   
   >    
   > > wouldn't need to self-publish.   
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   >    
   >    
   > >That's irritating. I was looking at Smashwords - didn't notice that a    
   >    
   > >telephone number was required but then I have one. Can't you use the number    
   >    
   > >of a friend or have a >disposable mobile number ? ( here that would cost    
   >    
   > >very little) I doubt anyone actually rings it - it's more for verification.   
   >    
   > >I've decided that novels are doing me little good knocking round my hard    
   >    
   > >drive and as long as they don't damage my rep by being a bit rubbish they    
   >    
   > >might as well be out there >somehow. However self publishing is quite a lot    
   >    
   > >of work and it's the kind of work I am very bad at...   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > I think you can set up a free Google phone account and use that as an    
   >    
   > unmonitored phone. I've been registered with Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords etc    
   >    
   > for years and they NEVER phone. Amazon always contact me via email.   
   >    
    I know pretty well everything in the US seems to be different, but a handset   
   and a pay as you go sim card cost very little and might get round the problem   
   if it is only for verification. My family have a terrible record with phones,   
   flushing them down    
   loos, dropping them in rivers, washing them in aggressively hot washing   
   cycles, cycling over them, abandoning them on buses, trains, back seats of   
   cars etc etc so I have experience of this. It helps that I live within walking   
   distance of about six phone    
   shops ( bizarre but true) but it might still be possible where you live? It   
   seems a relatively small thing to prevent you self publishing?   
   N   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)