His house overlooks Armley Moor and is surprisingly tranquil for its inner city location.

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On the table, amid a pile of clutter which includes a Best of George Michael CD and two more compilations by ELO and Joy Division, are copies of his two books, Coming Out As A David Bowie Fan in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, published in 2007, and his latest Nailed, a semi-autobiographical crime novel set in Leeds.

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Mick, 44, has self published both his books – and a third for a friend –and says he is happy with the results. In fact, he thinks his particular brand of self-publishing, which he calls 'punk publishing', could be the future of an industry he says is entrenched and obsessed with celebrity and already-established authors.

He said: "I don't think publishers will publish now unless you are in the media spotlight. It's quite sad. This was made clear to me when my friend was taking his book Hot Knife to publishers in London. It was a good book and it clearly had potential but he was coming up against brick walls.

"I think publishers are more interested in Jordan's latest exercise regime, Jamie Oliver or C-list autobiographies than new talent.
"It's almost impossible for new authors to get their foot in the door these days, even if you have an agent.

"Punk publishing is independent. It's DIY, it's alternative and we're producing gritty, real-world stuff."

Mick has always been a rebel. His first book deals with his youth and what it was like to be part of a trend which became known as the New Romantics, whilst living in a typically Northern city like Leeds.
His second book came about after he and his wife were arrested as part of a police investigation which centred on a mobile phone SIM card he had stolen from him several years ago. It deals with the subject of identity theft.

Mick's books are available through online stores like Amazon, however, they are printed on demand, which means he is not committed to paying for a thousand books and then worrying he won't sell them all.

"Basically, you write the book, format it, get a cover design and upload it to a website, then they send you a proof. I could order one or a thousand tomorrow. The only other thing you have to buy is an ISBN
(International Standard Book Number – a unique reference number for books] and that costs about £105 for 10, so that will last me 10 books.

"At the moment, I'm not in a position to be publishing other people's work, although I do get sent stuff to look at. If people are interested in going down this route, then I'd advise them to do their research.

"The upside is that, with print on demand, it's going to be in print forever. Plus I can't lose money on it. All you can lose is your own time.

"I never even considered going to a publishing house. I just decided it was pointless to do that."

He adds: "I know I've sold at least three times as many books as some of the people who were on the Mann Booker Prize shortlist."

* Mick McCann runs Armley Press, email: armleypress@ hotmail.co.uk
His books are also available from Waterstones.