The Book ‘Normal For Glastonbury: Life in England’s Most Magical Town’
New edition with illustrations by Debbie De Mornay Penny
By Vicki Steward, the Normal For Glastonbury blogger. Available in Paperback by mail order (you can even have it gift-wrapped) or as an eBook
Already know you want the book? Click the button below to buy!
Or see the international orders options further down the page.
Ever wanted to know what it’s really like to live in Glastonbury? ‘Normal For Glastonbury: Life in England’s Most Magical Town’ is a book full of insightful, affectionate and often humorous observations and anecdotes from over 30 years of life in England’s most magical (and oddest) town. This new edition features twenty-two delightful and amusing ink pen drawings by Glastonbury artist Debbie De Mornay Penny who was inspired by the stories in the book.
The book paints a vivid picture of the joys and frustrations of living in a place that has attracted pilgrims, free-thinkers and mystics for millennia. Features a colourful cast of witches, hippies, alpacas, vegans and largely tolerant Somerset locals. Besides Debbie’s illustrations, there are some not terribly helpful, but funny, maps. I’ve updated the ever-popular ‘Glastonbury Visitor’s Map’ and you’ll find a full-colour version on the back cover. There’s also an illustrated ABC of Glastonbury, a timeline of significant events in Glastonbury’s history, essays covering social issues and pieces on Glastonbury Festival and its relationship to the Town. Published during the coronavirus pandemic the book also touches on life in Glastonbury in lockdown. Foreword by Glastonbury-based author and educator William Bloom.
I sign each copy ‘Best wishes, Vicki’ on the title page, if you would like me to add a name or particular message please let me know in the notes field when you order.
Please note the text of the book is unchanged from the original, unillustrated edition.
Click on this link if you are looking for
‘Crap Views of Glastonbury Tor – The Postcard Book‘ instead
Buy the Paperback
The paperback is in A5 format, 146 pages. Font is 12 point Vollkorn, which makes it easy to read even for those of us that are a little long sighted….
Eco Friendly!
Printed by St Andrews Press in Wells on paper from sustainable forests).
Retail Price for the paperback is £11.99
Mail order: Postage and packing to addresses in the UK is £3, whether you are buying one copy or five. Your book will be mailed in an eco-friendly, recyclable, cardboard book wrap. (Flat rate P&P is £4 if you are buying a mug)
International Orders
American and Canadian readers can now order my Normal For Glastonbury Book in Paperback from Amazon.com. As the book is printed on demand by Amazon you will just pay normal postage charges, rather than the ridiculous amount that I would have to charge to post the book from the UK. The book is $13.99 US Dollars or $17.99 Canadian dollars. It’s a slightly different format to my printing and is the original edition without illustrations, but the text content is identical. Click here to find out more and order.
Europe and other destinations – simply search ‘Normal For Glastonbury’ on your country’s Amazon site and you should be able to order the paperback print on demand. Please note this is the original edition without illustrations.
Normal For Glastonbury the Paperback
Gift Wrapped Option
The paperback makes an idea gift! I’ll gift wrap it in recycled Kraft paper with a stylish blue wave design, add a hand-written personalized label (with a cute little heart) and post it direct to the recipient.
Posted direct to the recipient. Please write the message you want me to put on the gift tag in the order notes field at the checkout.
Make sure you use the recipient’s name and address in the delivery field.
This service costs an additional £3, making the final total £17.99 including postage and packing.
Select ‘gift-wrap’ at the checkout to purchase this option.
Book Shops in Glastonbury
There are now copies of the book in local shops: The Glastonbury Information Centre, Goddess and the Green Man, Labyrinth and Speaking Tree. I would love to sell as many books as I can direct to my readers though, so if you’d like a signed copy please contact me.
Buy in person from me in Glastonbury Town
Do you live in Glastonbury? I can deliver to you, just order the book (if you want it signed please say so in the notes field), but instead of mailing it I’ll drop it round on my electric bicycle. Or, if you’d rather pay in person, send me an email telling me how many copies you want, whether you’d like the book dedicated to you and signed and where you are and I will be in touch.
The eBook
The eBook is available as a digital download on Amazon Kindle for £3.99 / $4.49 / €4.49. It is a far cheaper option than the paperback for readers outside the UK as postage is expensive!
Same content as the paperback ( except the chapters are in a slightly different order) and can be read on your Kindle or any device on which you can download the free Kindle app.
You can read the ebook for FREE with a free trial of Kindle Unlimited!
If you are a subscriber to Kindle Unlimited you can read Normal For Glastonbury the eBook for free. If you aren’t yet a member of Kindle Unlimited you can sign up for a free 30 day trial by Clicking Here or on the ‘Read for £0.00’ option on the book’s listing on Amazon. You can then cancel at any time. Kindle Unlimited membership gives you a wide range of titles to read absolutely free, some even come with free narration so you can listen to them for free too! (My book does not currently come with narration).
At the end of the 30-day Kindle Unlimited trial period, membership will automatically be renewed in a paid subscription for £7.99 per month. Customers can cancel their subscription at any time from their Amazon Account by adjusting the membership settings.
Reviews
What do readers have to say? The ebook has (to date) received over 60 reviews on Amazon, with headlines including
“Great read. Amusing, uplifting and heartwarming”, “Snortingly laugh-out-loud!”, “A true reflection of the real Glastonbury”, “Fun, quirky”, “Excellent!”, “Loved the insight to living in Glastonbury”, “Cool”, “Perfect for visiting from your armchair” and “Fabulous!”
You can also review my books on Woo Commerce if buying direct from me, here are my reviews so far:
Why am I telling you how to read my book for free?
1. Each page you read of my book on Kindle Unlimited earns me a tiny amount of royalties.
2. If you go to my book’s listing and sign up to Kindle Unlimited by selecting ‘Read for £0.00’ (or using this link) I earn a £3 bounty! That’s actually more than I make from selling a copy of the ebook, plus you get to read and listen to lots of other books.
3. I’m hoping that you’ll like the book, give it a good review, recommend it to your friends, even gift a copy or buy the paperback version.
3. I actually think Kindle Unlimited is pretty good. It’s not only fiction, Kindle Unlimited titles cover all different genres – you can read travel, cookbooks, self help books, even popular magazines like ‘Spirit and Destiny’ and ‘National Geographic’ . Yes, I know it’s Amazon, but I signed up out of curiosity at Christmas, planning to cancel within the month. However, I’ve actually discovered quite a few new authors and read more books than I have done in ages so I’ve kept my membership going.
4. Amazon is giving me a much bigger reach to tell people about Normal For Glastonbury and life in Glastonbury Town. The sales of the book will help me carry on promoting the Town and it’s wonderful creative community, much of which I do for free!
