So I wrote a book, but it doesn't have any pictures :(

hulklogan
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hulklogan Marevas

hulklogan

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So I wrote a book!

Those in the ‘Best book I’ve read in the past 30 days’ thread have probably already read my obnoxious post about the book that I just recently released, but I thought I would share my experience with my fellow BOTL—maybe someone on here has published already and wants to chime in or maybe one of you want to do the same one day. Or maybe it’s a cathartic experience, I don’t know. Sharing is caring, as they say. Anyway, I wrote this as a kind of ‘Q & A’, mostly to break it up so that it doesn’t come across as one giant douchy soliloquy.

What’s your book about?

First of all, the book is called ‘Skin’ and I classify it as a Horror/Thriller novel with a tendency toward the former. However, I don’t think it fits in the traditional horror genre; it’s really story about a family struggling to deal with their issues with a little bit of supernatural thrown into the mix. As a brief synopsis: a family (3 brothers) head to their recently widowed mother’s house for the winter holiday. Blah, blah, blah a storm rolls in and the power cuts out, and eventually they find themselves near freezing. Along the way, something in the blizzard calls to them, drawing them out into the cold.

What was your inspiration?

Well, I have three brothers and we were at my parent’s house one Christmas… and a blizzard touched down… and the power went out… hmmm. A branch, heavy with snow, fell from a tree like a spear, which surprised me: I didn’t think that a tree branch would fall like that. Anyways, it went right through the porch (part of which is still lodged there today) and I thought, “What if the branch hit something in the ground, something that has been buried there for centuries?” And thus ‘Skin’ was born.

How long did it take to write?

The whole process—writing, editing, beta reading, designing cover, etc—took me 18 months. The reason it took so long? I just didn’t have that much time to write; I work full time and I have two young daughters. So where did I find the time? I wrote ‘Skin’ entirely on my blackberry on the bus/subway to and from work.

Why independent publishing?

I’m an impatient man; after finishing the book I couldn’t imagine waiting for responses from agents… and then publishers. I also love the idea of doing it my way—why do the big five publishers get to be the gatekeepers? Why not let the public decide? What tipped the scales was that publishing on Amazon (via CreateSpace for paperback and Kindle Direct Publishing for e-book) is dead easy. Really. It’s laughably easy.

What was the hardest part about writing the book?

Two answers: 1) staying motivated, and 2) marketing.

1) Although it took me 18 months to complete the book, it wasn’t an everyday thing. Sometimes I just got bored or tired and took a break—listened to music on the bus instead. The thing is, there was no one telling me to hurry or even encouraging me to finish. In fact, the opposite was often true; there were those that were telling me to give it a rest, take breaks, do other things (all during the editing process), etc. I think Hemmingway said, “Write when you’re drunk, edit when you’re sober.” Well, since I couldn’t get drunk on my way to work and write on my blackberry, I often had some scotch while editing. Yeeeeah, this probably didn’t help.

2) Yeah I know, ‘marketing’ is not ‘writing’ the book, but it is a critical part of the process. Someone more experienced than I coined the term ‘author-preneur’ and, although it carries a pretentious air that I don’t particularly care for, it seems pretty accurate. I wrote the book. Great. Now what? There are about 1.5 gajillion books available on Amazon and other platforms. How the F#$k does mine get noticed? How do I make it discoverable? How does mine float to the top of the slush pile? These are things that I am trying (a perpetual endeavour) to figure out. Marketing, branding, pricing, etc, are all part of the ‘entrepreneur’ aspect to writing and selling books. This **** is hard.

Well if you managed to make it this far through my post, good on ya. I guess that means you were interested. If you are really interested, and want to help out a fellow BOTL, you can check the book out here: http://amzn.to/1Eo2PwG. If you read the book (err… if you read AND like the book), please leave a review (part of the whole blegh marketing).

If you have any questions, ask away.

Now I’m off to suck on a Lusitania and drink a fifth of Ardbeg… and edit my next book.

Cheers,

Pat

  • Like 4
earthson Campanas

earthson

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Nice job! I'm working on a screenplay, but have 2 other books (which might become one) and a travelogue written. Once the career and family calm down (yeah right!) I'll have to turn to marketing the damned things. Congrats!

Dimmers Campanas

Dimmers

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Well done Pat, great achievement

El Presidente Pelo De Oro

El Presidente

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Great stuff Pat spotlight.gif

I love people who "do" things. Inspirational.

let me run a little competition tomorrow for 10 copies of your book. I will pay for them...you autograph them. The winners will only have to commit to reading it and posting an amazon review. ok.gif

  • Like 4
hulklogan Marevas

hulklogan

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Great stuff Pat spotlight.gif

I love people who "do" things. Inspirational.

let me run a little competition tomorrow for 10 copies of your book. I will pay for them...you autograph them. The winners will only have to commit to reading it and posting an amazon review. ok.gif

Can't thank you enough.

FOH kicks ass. Maybe I'll ship a little something along with the book to the winners!

Thanks Rob!

hulklogan Marevas

hulklogan

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Nice job! I'm working on a screenplay, but have 2 other books (which might become one) and a travelogue written. Once the career and family calm down (yeah right!) I'll have to turn to marketing the damned things. Congrats!

There are some great podcasts out there that I have found to be very helpful on the marketing side... Rocking Self Publishing and Self Publishing Podcast come to mind.

One of the hardest parts for me was actually committing to putting it out there...

joeboxer Perlas

joeboxer

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That is an inspirational accomplishment! I will definitely check it out after I have finished my current line-up. I admire your motivation and commitment!

Rye Prominentes

Rye

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Pat, if it comes out on paper, let me know! I am a bit ol fashioned and I don't hit links or read much online

hulklogan Marevas

hulklogan

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Pat, if it comes out on paper, let me know! I am a bit ol fashioned and I don't hit links or read much online

I love my kindle, but I also love the feel of a new book in my hands. It is also available in paperback, but you're gonna have to grab it off Amazon: http://amzn.to/1UGn2Hq.

(or PM me and I'll ship you a copy)

  • Like 1
Colt45 Prominentes

Colt45

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What a great undertaking clap.gif

No doubt book publishing, like music publishing, has changed dramatically.

( another fan of real books here - just went to the library today )

leftimatic Campanas

leftimatic

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Good for you Pat! I think I will pick one up.

Is it okay if my wife does the review? I can't seem to sit through a novel anymore and suspense/ thriller books are her gig anyhow. I am a how to woodworker motor manual history science type guy.

hulklogan Marevas

hulklogan

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Good for you Pat! I think I will pick one up.

Is it okay if my wife does the review? I can't seem to sit through a novel anymore and suspense/ thriller books are her gig anyhow. I am a how to woodworker motor manual history science type guy.

No problem!

I don't think there is a "how to woodworker motor manual history science" genre on Amazon... yet. I've got the science down, just need to practice my whittling then I might have something for you.

hulklogan Marevas

hulklogan

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Amazon.ca temporarily out of stock. Any idea when they will have more Patrick?

Amazon.ca is temperamental, not sure if/when they will get more.

Amazon.com is fully stocked, as its print on demand... but if you are still having problems, PM me and I'll get a copy to you.

Cheers.

jdo2110 Marevas

jdo2110

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Just seeing this thread, and I love it. I have always wanted to write a novel, and to see a brother following through is indeed inspiring.

I'll go to Amazon now and pick it up. I will also make sure to review it. I wish you all the best!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
hulklogan Marevas

hulklogan

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Just seeing this thread, and I love it. I have always wanted to write a novel, and to see a brother following through is indeed inspiring.

I'll go to Amazon now and pick it up. I will also make sure to review it. I wish you all the best!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the support!

Hope you enjoy it.

Cheers,

Pat

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