Some More Perspective

Well, this is proving to be quite the adventure. I am learning a lot about myself and about other people. I have been receiving feedback about the book, all of which I appreciate. All will be of use as I move forward on other projects in the future. I would be pushing the novel harder save that I am also going through my courses to learn to be a hypnotherapist. The initial courses will be done in early May. After that I will take a couple months to really concentrate on marketing the novel, at which point I will sign up for the course of study to become a clinical hypnotherapist. Right now I feel like I am juggling.

I am pleased with how things are going. I am looking forward to the first reviews. The first online retailer to be taking advance orders is Barnes and Noble. I know Amazon will be carrying it as well. I'm a first time author so I know it will take time. This book is my stepping stone, how I am starting on this career path. I am still amazed by some of this, other parts I had an idea of but this is all so very different than what I have done.

Now, back to the ever present task of marketing. Comparatively speaking, writing and dealings with editors and such is easier.

Update and Commentary

Sales of the book are off to a solid start. What really got them going was when the hardcovers showed up about a month earlier than my publisher had promised them. Some people have gone to the Tate Publishing website and ordered the e-book. To all who have purchased, my thanks. I still have plenty of copies on hand for those who are interested in obtaining an autographed copy. General release date is June 5, 2012, at which point all the major Internet retailers will have it. Those copies, however, will not be autographed, and the hardcovers are a special press only available directly from me. So keep that in mind.

Recently I have experienced an uptick in junk e-mail. I expected this, but so far one was completely comical. It claimed to be from a woman in Uganda who wrote to 'Dear Writer' seeking contributions so she could pay an alleged 30,000 pound tuition for a Masters in Writing degree. She hoped I could see my way to contribute 'just' 3% of that, or 900 pounds. Well, sorry, but that isn't happening. I'm a writer, not a sucker. Besides, I don't have that kind of spare change burning a hole in my pocket. I blacklisted that person and I expect to have to do it some more. Sadly, I expected this, but I have to have a public e-mail so people can reach me.

Yes, marketing the book is a lot of work and will remain so. However, it does have its rewards. Even when you have to put up with the bots....

How to Order the Book from Me!

As stated a few days ago, the book will be in general release on June 5th. As I also revealed, I have copies available to order direct from me and I will autograph them if desired. Some may not want my scrawly signature on it, fine by me. I am not putting pricing information directly on Facebook because I am not sure if that would violate their rules and turn the page into an ad, or possibly run afoul of some other weird quirk of the trades. However, I see no impediment to mentioning such information here.

So, for those interested: I am selling copies of the trade paperback for US$20 postpaid to addresses in the US and Canada. Additional copies to the same address are US$15 provided they are ordered at the same time. So, if you order one copy and then decide you would like another one 3 weeks later, it will cost US$20. I will autograph them anyway you would like.

For those of you outside the US and Canada it will be a bit more because of the higher postage costs and customs and whatnot. Write to me and we will come to an arrangement.

Anyway, you can send me an e-mail at: ronaldctobin@hotmail.com if you want to pay via Paypal.
Or, for deliveries to the US and Canada, you can send a check to: Ronald Tobin, PO Box 39590, Phoenix, AZ 85069-9590.

Thank you all kindly...

Official Release Date is June 5, 2012

The official release date of my novel has been set by the publisher. It will be June 5, 2012. Before then I will be working on developing my niche market. I will have an order of the books coming by late April. Hardcover copies will only be available directly from me. Also, any copy I sell will be autographed.

For anyone who wants to order a copy now and not go through me directly, here is the link:
http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781618627049 

So now comes the fun part, namely marketing. On that score I have much to learn. However, I'm a quick study.

Release Date

I have been informed that the official release date will be around June 15th. However, I will be able to order books and have them on hand by late April so I can do some niche marketing and promotion. Even better, I will be able to have hardcovers made that will only be available via yours truly. The books that will be sold on Amazon and in stores will strictly be trade paperback. This is certainly not a bad thing. A lot of marketing, especially for a first time author, falls to my efforts. Tate will be of great assistance, especially since they will produce and pay for 15 second television ads for the book. So, there's a lot of work ahead. The book exists now and that is what really matters.

Final Approval Submitted

Yesterday I signed off on the Final Approval on the proof for my book. So now it is on its way to marketing who will advise me of the release date. Said official release date will be three months after printing starts. I am told, and understand, that this is industry normal to get all the store channels set up and get everything squared with the online retailers. However, shortly I will be able to order books for myself and use them to promote it, as well as give some out to a couple good friends who I believe have earned one. Most of them I intend to use to send to some fellow writers and some agents in the hopes of getting some useful reviews and set the stage for the sale of the second book.

While this is certainly an exciting time and an important milestone, I had some issues to deal with as regards what I presently do for a living. I stared at the elephant and I blinked. I have been way too negative in other areas of my life and, really, I know better. You get out of life what you put into it, and I had been sowing some poison in mine. I've put my head back on straight and know the path that I will take. Much will change in my world in the months ahead and they will all be for the better.

At any rate, once I do know what the release date will be, I will share it here and on the Facebook page for the novel.

Proofreading of Final Layout Completed

Tonight I finished the proofreading of the final layout for my book. I found very few errors, and most of them were rather superficial. My book, if it is nothing else, will be very much grammatically correct and free of the jolts that I have seen in some books. I will be sending this PDF file back to them on Friday after I do a final check on the text. The physical proof has not yet arrived in the mail. The gentleman handling the layout work told me that some authors do better finding typos and such in the printed text and then making the change on the PDF. I'm sure for many that is very true. For me, since I published a newsletter for many years, and composed on the computer, I don't need the physical proof first. I only suggested a couple of cosmetic changes that they may decline and if they do that's OK. The others were typos, one was a missing word, so those I am sure they will take care of.

This weekend I will be concentrating on some course work for the hypnotherapy class I am taking. I have also been fleshing out the scenes for my third book. Overall I am pleased.