I work part time in a B&N and I've been harassing customers to buy this amazing book. Genuinely excited for the sequel. One person bought it solely for the title of your third book when I told them.
Yes I agree w your take on publisher promo. What the publisher does matters, but it also feels like they will really pull back on a book if they feel like it's not connecting w other influential people / groups. It's so fascinating. It really is about everyone's perception about how everyone else is going to react to this book.
Which…basically, it means luck has to strike in your direction. The best strategy is to be ready to act if lightning strikes, but assume it won’t.
The number of times I’ve come close and had things like a bookstore roof collapse screw up what might have been a chance…oh, lemme tell you I’ve lost count of those might-have-been moments.
Thanks for sharing your realistic perspective from the writing trenches. If it were possible to manufacture buzz, we'd all be doing it, but it's not. Congratulations on your win, and I hope it snowballs into something even bigger with The Medusa Protocol.
It's more lacemaking than rolling out industrial fibers, that's for sure. I will not let you depress me, Rob! A neighbor walked up to me a few days ago and asked: your new book is available yet? Little things ... that make your day. I loved AA, looking forward to Medusa.
The mention of airport bookshop stores was a surprise to me. I just imagined myself randomly giving away a few books to folk about to go on holiday and sit by pool needing a good read
Great read and I think you nailed it when you refer to the saturated market. There’s just so many books, stories, and media options now that standing out and grabbing attention is hard to do.
In 2015, I gave a pitch to an agent at a writers conference that went well, so I looked at her client list, saw your name, and bought a copy of your first book New Yorked. That agent disappeared from the profession soon thereafter. I self published the book I pitched to her without ever submitting it anywhere else. Between units sold on Kindle and in paperback plus Kindle Unlimited page reads plus Audible sales, that book has had over 5000 paid readers. It still sells better than my three subsequent novels (one of which was a sequel to it). But you’ve remained on my radar since then, and I thank you for writing this piece. It’s like what William Goldman said about the movie industry, “Nobody knows anything.”
I work part time in a B&N and I've been harassing customers to buy this amazing book. Genuinely excited for the sequel. One person bought it solely for the title of your third book when I told them.
Congratulations and thanks for the continued truth-telling.
Yes I agree w your take on publisher promo. What the publisher does matters, but it also feels like they will really pull back on a book if they feel like it's not connecting w other influential people / groups. It's so fascinating. It really is about everyone's perception about how everyone else is going to react to this book.
Which…basically, it means luck has to strike in your direction. The best strategy is to be ready to act if lightning strikes, but assume it won’t.
The number of times I’ve come close and had things like a bookstore roof collapse screw up what might have been a chance…oh, lemme tell you I’ve lost count of those might-have-been moments.
But I still do my best to prepare for them.
Thanks for sharing your realistic perspective from the writing trenches. If it were possible to manufacture buzz, we'd all be doing it, but it's not. Congratulations on your win, and I hope it snowballs into something even bigger with The Medusa Protocol.
Luck is an unspoken ingredient for many bestselling books. Perseverance is the key for writers. Thanks for sharing!
It's more lacemaking than rolling out industrial fibers, that's for sure. I will not let you depress me, Rob! A neighbor walked up to me a few days ago and asked: your new book is available yet? Little things ... that make your day. I loved AA, looking forward to Medusa.
The mention of airport bookshop stores was a surprise to me. I just imagined myself randomly giving away a few books to folk about to go on holiday and sit by pool needing a good read
Great read and I think you nailed it when you refer to the saturated market. There’s just so many books, stories, and media options now that standing out and grabbing attention is hard to do.
But perseverance is key!
In 2015, I gave a pitch to an agent at a writers conference that went well, so I looked at her client list, saw your name, and bought a copy of your first book New Yorked. That agent disappeared from the profession soon thereafter. I self published the book I pitched to her without ever submitting it anywhere else. Between units sold on Kindle and in paperback plus Kindle Unlimited page reads plus Audible sales, that book has had over 5000 paid readers. It still sells better than my three subsequent novels (one of which was a sequel to it). But you’ve remained on my radar since then, and I thank you for writing this piece. It’s like what William Goldman said about the movie industry, “Nobody knows anything.”
Rob, I loved The Warehouse and that’s how I discovered you. Glad your luck and hard work hit.
What you said sounds like a version of @DanBlank “We don’t know what works, but doing stuff works.”
Thanks for a great story and the encouragement to keep writing and hustling.