Everything to Nothing

Well here I sit in work, bored out of my mind, so I decided to spend some time researching how to market my book. Apparently a good way to market my book is to start a blog but I’m sceptical. How a blog is going to enhance my book’s appeal I’m not so sure about right now, but I suppose giving it a try won’t do any harm. 

So I suppose the first question I should answer is why I wrote the book. I started to write it in 2003 when I was living in Seoul, South Korea. And why I say write it I do mean write it. Somewhere in my apartment I’ve still got the notebooks which contain the original chapters.

Ever since I’ve worked on it on and off and I of course tried the traditional route of getting it published via an agent but, as I am sure many other wannabe authors have experienced, the rejection letters came thick and fast.

It was only a conversation in passing with an acquaintance who briefly entered my life that led me to self-publishing. He introduced me to Lulu which led me to CreateSpace which led me to Kindle.

The first batch I ordered from CreateSpace and Lulu were an unmitigated disaster. Before I started I had no idea about gutters, trim size and bleed, but I persevered and thanks to some very helpful folks on the forums I managed to produce my first book. Thankfully the Kindle process is very straightforward.

The sense of satisfaction when I had the completed paperback in my hand and the eBook on my Kindle was indescribable. After these successes I set-up a Twitter account and Facebook page, sat back and waited for the books to start flying off the virtual shelves.

Of course I’d read internet articles such as: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-18438_7-10119891-82/self-publishing-a-book-25-things-you-need-to-know/ and point 6:

The average print self-published book sells about 100-150 copies -- or two-thirds to three-quarters of your friends and family combined (and don't count on all your Facebook acquaintances buying).

And point 19:-

The biggest mistake people make when it comes to self-publishing is that they expect to just put out a book and have it magically sell.

But of course, in my naivety, I thought that I’d be different. The book would sell, sell, sell and it wouldn’t be too long before James Cameron or Speilberg came knocking offering a ridiculous sum of money for the movie rights which would allow me to retire and become a full-time writer.

How wrong can a man be….?

But in truth it’s not even about the money. I have a good job in London as does my wife.

And it’s not even about the fame.

I want my book to be popular simply because it’s a good read and I want people to enjoy it. Also, I am a person who is driven by success. I wake up in the morning and the first thing that pops into my mind is ‘How can I make my life better today?’ or ‘How can I enhance my legacy today?’

I suppose that is what it comes down to and why I want my book to be popular:

Legacy.

My next blog, probably completed 2^nd or 3^rd of February as I really should do some work now, will focus on the characters and how they came to be.

Take care,

Mark