LAUNCHING INTO SALES
This Bird Has Flown
It’s been about a month since I launched The Revived into the world, and it’s been exciting, nerve-wracking, surreal, and most of all, fulfilling. After working on something in virtual space and on computers for several years, it’s a real treat to see it as a physical thing (or even a virtual ebook) that I can hand or sell to people.
For my book launch, I booked the private event space at a local restaurant, a mid-19th century heritage building, The Albion (Hotel), Guelph, ON. I shared the event with local author Marian L. Thorpe who recently released a short story collection. Local musician, guitarist, and world music artist, Adrian Raso, and his band lit up the room for an hour, bringing the energy high enough to intimidate me with my simple reading from my novel. Fortunately, there were over 50 people in the space; enough for me to feel more love and support than I imagined. Marian and I did our readings to a warm reception, and then I sold and signed a few dozen books!
A few days later, I joined about 30 writers at a local book fair hosted by my writing community, Vocamus Writers Community. Once again, I was blown away by how many friends and fellow writers visited my table and some even bought books. It was also thrilling to meet readers who didn’t know me and wanted to know what my book was about. The thrills increased when a couple of them then bought the book! The local online newspaper even stopped by and took my photo, with my snazzy table runner (designed by Black Bike Media), advertising my novel in bold red and black. Overall, it was a lot of fun, and it felt great to connect with the readers that I had only imagined touching with my story.
And there it is. My book is live! I’ve given about 15 copies away to family and beta readers, and I’ve pleased to have sold about 60 copies. I’m like a parent launching a child to fly into adulthood on its own. Wherever my novel lands and however it is received by readers, it’s no longer my sole property; it’s a shared story for anyone to connect with and ignite their imaginations and emotions.
What’s next? I’m exploring the option of creating an audiobook version of The Revived. I don’t plan to record my own voice nor would I use A.I.; I’d rather pay a professional voice actor or even an amateur actor to ensure a quality result while supporting another artist in their craft. But I also need to learn more about the process of recording, uploading, and promoting an audiobook. Even if someone says, “it’s easy,” I’d rather put focus back on what I love to do, writing fiction. I’ve decided to rewrite my first completed novel, The Sleeping Beauty Curse, a prequel to The Revived. I’ve already dug deeper into the theme and characters and will then re-outline before revising most of the novel.
Next time, I’ll tell you more about how I chose to return to The Sleeping Beauty Curse and what progress I’ve made. In the meantime, The Revived is available for sale in eBook and paperback on Amazon, in eBook on Kobo, and in paperback for order in most bookstores around the world.
If you get a chance to read it, let me know what you think on Amazon or Goodreads.
As always, thanks 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.
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Congratulations on a busy and successful launch! I'm glad so many readers are interested in The Revived. I'm glad to hear you're revisiting The Sleeping Beauty Curse. I'm sure it will be just as exciting to read.
I am constantly in awe of your talents and the kind, giving human being you've become! So very proud of you!. Love always, Mom