Discovering THE REVIVED

My story now belongs to others

I ended last month’s newsletter intending to write about why I returned to The Sleeping Beauty Curse for my next writing project, but I’m going to postpone that article. It’s been two months since launching my debut novel, THE REVIVED, and I’ve sold about 75 copies. People are sending me photos of their smiling faces while holding the book, and at least two people took the book on vacation to read on the beach. For this newsletter, I’d like to celebrate briefly my story’s passage into the world.

THE REVIVED on the beach in Punta Cana

I’m reading Strangers to Superfans: A Marketing Guide to the Reader Journey by David Gaughran. He explains the five states in The Reader Journey—Discovery, Visibility, Consideration, Purchase, and Advocacy. In some magical way, I’ve managed to escort a few readers through all five states into advocating for my book with reviews on Amazon. If you’re an author, you know that it’s difficult to make readers Discover your book, then keep it Visible long enough for them to even Consider it, and before they put money down to Purchase it.

My goal as a storyteller has always been to spin a satisfying tale that is absorbed by story-readers. And that’s it. Make the story, send it into the world, and watch it land in people’s hands. But after I offer that book for purchase, there are so many obstacles and friction points in what Gaughran calls “the escalating challenge of conversion” before readers are motivated to buy it, read it, and then write a review.

So, it’s very gratifying to hear readers tell me they enjoyed the book and found it thrilling, fast-paced, engaging, and even shocking. I love reading how others summarize the story and describe the characters and themes. Readers are ingesting a story I wrote into their minds and hearts and then summarizing it and highlighting the parts that connect strongest for them.

One reviewer wrote, “Hutch, the quintessential spoiled rich kid, is an interesting and refreshing choice of protagonist. The clues that propel Hutch on his adventure are delivered by characters who are as diverse as they are unique. Hints of global conspiracy abound, and the fact that Hutch at times can’t tell if the people he meets are trying to help him or hinder him adds tension and drama to the story.”

And another wrote, “The entire story plays like a movie in your head with equal parts of human connection, globe-trotting suspense, and courage. This is an uplifting story about choices, actions, and consequences.”

Like I wrote last month, THE REVIVED is no longer my sole property; it’s a shared story for anyone to connect with, and I’m humbled and excited to hear of my story’s evolution within people’s imaginations. I’ve accomplished my goal of getting my story, THE REVIVED, into people hands. My next goals are to continue to support this novel to reach more readers, and to write and publish the next novel.

I would love to share THE REVIVED with you and anyone you know who might be interested.

You can buy it in eBook or paperback here

If you read it, join the collective storytelling guild and let everyone know what you thought of it on Amazon or Goodreads.

Next time, I promise to explain how for my next project I chose to revise The Sleeping Beauty Curse, the prequel to The Revived, and where I’m at in my process.

Thanks again for reading and keep your creative thrills alive in mind, heart, and action. If you’re intrigued by any of my ideas, I’d love to interact with you. Please ask me questions or give me feedback on what you’d like to know about me, my process, and my novels.

You can also follow my social media accounts for quick updates and creative commentary:

• https://www.instagram.com/peterszabowrites/

• https://www.tiktok.com/@peterszabowrites