Author Topic: I published my first novel!  (Read 7203 times)

Manguy888

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I published my first novel!
« on: November 18, 2016, 08:03:21 AM »
I’ve written as a hobby all my life, but I finally got serious in 2010 and started dedicating regular blocks of time to writing as a craft. After 5 years of work, a marriage and two kids, and lots of starts and stops, I finally finished and published my first novel, One American Robin, last month!

I mention this on the forums for two reasons. First, I discovered MMM during a dip in my writing, when I was stressing about having kids and all the time (and money) I was losing. The can-do spirit of this community really kept me afloat and motivated me – it’s a breath of fresh air compared to 90% of the internet. Some mustachian characteristics even made their way into the book: about the value of working with your hands and of lifelong learning.

I made my book free for the weekend and I’d be honored if some MMM forum posters, some of the smartest people I’ve been in contact with, go read it. All I ask is that if you download and read it and have an opinion, good or bad, you post a review on Amazon. Be honest.

https://www.amazon.com/One-American-Robin-E-Mann/dp/0997681802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479481276&sr=8-1&keywords=one+american+robin

Thanks - EA

MandalayVA

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2016, 08:38:35 AM »
Congrats, fellow 2016 debut novelist!  I'm in KU so I'll definitely check it out!

Manguy888

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2016, 08:49:15 AM »
Thanks ManalayVA! I had a note to check out your book from when we talked on a previous thread. I'll put it on the top of my list.

HAPPYINAZ

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2016, 09:48:19 AM »
Congratulations!

MVal

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2016, 10:43:37 AM »
I would love to read your novel. Thanks for the free MMM preview!

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2016, 01:10:05 PM »
Downloaded. Will add review when I read.

Congratulations on your first book. May this be the first of many.....

EEBookDesign

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2016, 05:42:02 AM »
Congrats!!!

I've downloaded and will start reading it shortly, cant wait! Will of course post a good review if I like it.


Metric Mouse

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2016, 06:21:33 AM »
Congrats! Getting published is a huge step forward for a writer. I can only imagine how excited you must be.

Smokystache

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2016, 06:00:18 PM »
Huge congrats.

Lots of people say, "Yeah, I could write a book." Oh really? why haven't you then? It's waaaay harder than it looks. Congrats on carrying through to the end!!!

lizzzi

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2016, 06:44:10 PM »
I downloaded it. Thank you very much for allowing us to read it for free. I will post a review on 'Zon for you after I read it. Warning: It will be fair but honest. I don't do puff pieces.  : D

arebelspy

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2016, 01:46:42 AM »
Congrats!  Writing a book is a big accomplishment. :D

Downloaded to help boost your download stats during the free promotion so hopefully it rises up the charts.  Will leave a review after I read it.  :)

EDIT: Right now it's:
#18 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction > Women's Fiction
and
#23 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > Literary

That's pretty awesome!

You doing any marketing push or paid advertising?
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Metric Mouse

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #11 on: November 20, 2016, 03:43:46 AM »
Huge congrats.

Lots of people say, "Yeah, I could write a book." Oh really? why haven't you then? It's waaaay harder than it looks. Congrats on carrying through to the end!!!

Oh my goodness - I can't imagine the amount of work that would go into getting a book written, and then published. So much more difficult than what I plan on doing today. I'm (personally) so very glad so many talented people take the time and put in the effort to accomplish this, though!

NewbieFrugalUK

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2016, 07:51:57 AM »
Downloaded and will review (if I like it!) :)

Manguy888

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2016, 12:24:00 PM »
Thanks for the kind words and the downloads everyone. As we all know, time is more finite than money, so any time you spend reading my book is very valuable to me.

ARS: Thanks for the detailed response - I know your wife is a writer and was sort of crossing my fingers that you'd reply on here.

I didn't know about those ranking numbers, because I don't know anything. Seriously, I'm lost with this stuff. I spent 5 years in a coffee shop writing - the process was so hard and long that I figured the world would just be begging to buy my book for any price and I'd be offered at least the Man Booker prize (no word yet on that)

 I have a contest going on at Litsy (like instagram for books) where if people download it and post about my book they get entered to win some prizes. I have a fair # of followers on there (eamann), so any ranking I have is likely from that. If your wife isn't on there, I'd highly recommend it. It's like if people on twitter were friendly.

If you have any advice or experience on paid advertising, or any part of this self-publishing process, I'm all ears!

arebelspy

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #14 on: November 20, 2016, 03:42:35 PM »
I have a contest going on at Litsy (like instagram for books) where if people download it and post about my book they get entered to win some prizes. I have a fair # of followers on there (eamann), so any ranking I have is likely from that. If your wife isn't on there, I'd highly recommend it. It's like if people on twitter were friendly.

Awesome, thanks for the tip!  We're mostly using traditional publishers now, but if we go back to self-publishing, I'll definitely work on building that up.  :)

Quote
If you have any advice or experience on paid advertising, or any part of this self-publishing process, I'm all ears!

Not a TON that can be done now, really, since most need to be scheduled at least a few days (some a few weeks, or even months, if they're popular) in advance, but if it's running for another few days, a quick thing you can do is check out fiverr--there's several sellers on there that have huge followings on twitter, FB, etc., and you can get them to post it for $5-15 and see a lot of downloads, to help move it up the charts, getting more downloads (virtuous circle style).

Do you have a website with landing page/mailing list?

Are you planning on writing more after this?
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Manguy888

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #15 on: November 20, 2016, 06:06:22 PM »
I'm definitely going to write a second book, don't think I could stop if I wanted to. I still have a job so the pages come slow; definitely can't crank out a series or anything like that.

I think my end goal is to get to a traditional publisher if I can. Contemporary fiction without a strong genre tilt, which is what I write, doesn't do well self published, people in that world still want to trust the gate keepers. Yes to website and mailing list, but I'm finding that being my own marketer is taking way too much of my time. That fiverr tip is a good one, I'll definitely use it next time.

Thanks -

Warlord1986

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #16 on: November 22, 2016, 09:46:00 AM »
Congratulations! Kudos to you for sticking with it. I write too, and keeping a steady schedule is the hardest part. I'll downloaded your book later today. :)

Metric Mouse

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #17 on: November 23, 2016, 04:13:02 AM »
I'm definitely going to write a second book, don't think I could stop if I wanted to.

Awesome! That's passion, right there.

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #18 on: November 25, 2016, 07:59:24 AM »
Read the book over on thanksgiving morning. Loved it. You definitely have some skills.

Also put in a review, may take a day or so to show up....

Manguy888

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #19 on: November 27, 2016, 08:40:37 AM »
Read the book over on thanksgiving morning. Loved it. You definitely have some skills.

Also put in a review, may take a day or so to show up....

Thanks so much for telling me that - it means a lot!

DrMoneyTails

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #20 on: November 29, 2016, 12:02:22 PM »
Congratulations!!! That must have felt wonderful!!

My wife loves to write and she has two or three "books" on her laptop that she keeps editing. I have encouraged her to try to publish it, but I think she doesn't feel quite ready yet. Plus I feel like she got advice from people who really just want her money ("here, give me 5K bucks and I'll make your book a best seller).
Any specific place you went to learn about how to even begin the process of getting published?

arebelspy

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #21 on: November 29, 2016, 04:17:33 PM »
Plus I feel like she got advice from people who really just want her money ("here, give me 5K bucks and I'll make your book a best seller).

Publishers should pay you, not the other way around.  ;)

Start sending off her manuscripts to publishers/agents/etc.. everyone you can.  Read up on stories like the Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Harry Potter, and read how many times they were rejected, and don't let a "no" deter you.  :)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

greenbull

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #22 on: November 30, 2016, 08:18:39 PM »
Wow congrats, you are now my inspiration/motivation for the day!

Manguy888

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #23 on: December 01, 2016, 05:37:11 AM »
Plus I feel like she got advice from people who really just want her money ("here, give me 5K bucks and I'll make your book a best seller).

Publishers should pay you, not the other way around.  ;)

Start sending off her manuscripts to publishers/agents/etc.. everyone you can.  Read up on stories like the Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Harry Potter, and read how many times they were rejected, and don't let a "no" deter you.  :)

What I found in my limited research is that if you write something like mystery or sci-fi or romance, there's a real avenue for self publishers to make good money if you're willing to put in the work. For contemporary (or literary) fiction, which is what I write, readers tend not to trust the self-published. For now they still want the gatekeepers to tell them what's good. So in that case I'd agree with ARS, start sending stuff and don't stop.

I missed the date...but this looks up my alley. And litsy looks interesting too.

Litsy is the best! Like MMM, it's a really friendly community of like-minded people. People on there were really excited to read my book and be supportive. I sent out something similar on twitter and...crickets.

Wow congrats, you are now my inspiration/motivation for the day!
That's really nice, thanks for telling me that!

KCalla

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #24 on: December 01, 2016, 08:38:11 PM »
Thank you for the opportunity to read your novel.  I don't want to repeat my reviews (Amazon and Goodreads), but I do hope that you find a wide audience because you not only have a great voice, you also have a very readable writing style (which I know is very hard to achieve). 
I'm still thinking about your story and characters, even though it has been more than a week since I finished reading your book.  Thank you.  Reading it was very enjoyable. 
Here is my review from a Mustachian point of view:
Time is my most precious asset.  I received excellent return on the investment of time that I made reading your novel.  It was a pleasure to read for the story, the characters and for the way you crafted it.  My investment of time is paying dividends because I have, since finishing the book, mentally returned to the story and characters to think more about them.

Again, thanks!  Please write more.
KC

Manguy888

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #25 on: December 03, 2016, 05:06:14 AM »
Thank you for the opportunity to read your novel.  I don't want to repeat my reviews (Amazon and Goodreads), but I do hope that you find a wide audience because you not only have a great voice, you also have a very readable writing style (which I know is very hard to achieve). 
I'm still thinking about your story and characters, even though it has been more than a week since I finished reading your book.  Thank you. 

It's so gratifying to hear that - thanks you so much for sharing! I hope it finds a wide audience too, and I'm finding that I probably need to find an agent and go through all the usual channels. I don't see a way to do it through self publishing. Thanks again.

CheapskateWife

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #26 on: December 07, 2016, 12:52:27 PM »
I missed your initial post, but followed ARS down the rabbit hole and found your book on Amazon yesterday.  Started reading it last night and find myself consumed.

I'm older than Robin, and am not dealing with dementia; but I am caring for my elderly MIL who is currently in a Nursing home doing rehab after surgery.  The scenes where the protagonist describes her visits with dad...I know that place inside and out, because I'm there twice a day.  Is this something that you lived too?

ariapluscat

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #27 on: December 08, 2016, 01:18:39 PM »
Congrats on your success! i hope you keep writing and building on it, esp since so many here seem to enjoy your writing :)

Manguy888

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #28 on: December 08, 2016, 03:49:16 PM »
I missed your initial post, but followed ARS down the rabbit hole and found your book on Amazon yesterday.  Started reading it last night and find myself consumed.

I'm older than Robin, and am not dealing with dementia; but I am caring for my elderly MIL who is currently in a Nursing home doing rehab after surgery.  The scenes where the protagonist describes her visits with dad...I know that place inside and out, because I'm there twice a day.  Is this something that you lived too?

Thank you so much for reading! My grandmother, who died in 2011, had dementia for many years and spent her last year in a nursing home similar (though a bit worse) than the one described in the book. Most of my descriptions came from that. I didn't have to give the level of care that Robin describes, but I watched my Mom do that and I am awed by how much work it is. Good luck with your MIL, even for minor issues spending time in those places can be difficult

Congrats on your success! i hope you keep writing and building on it, esp since so many here seem to enjoy your writing :)

arialpluscat - thanks for your nice note - I hope you'll read. I've already started a second book. Even if it doesn't make me rich, it's a fulfilling hobby and pretty damn mustachian - all you need is a laptop, a chair and a cup of coffee :)

arebelspy

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #29 on: January 07, 2019, 12:59:05 PM »
When do we get to preview book number two, Mr. Mann?  :)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Manguy888

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #30 on: January 16, 2019, 12:20:33 PM »
When do we get to preview book number two, Mr. Mann?  :)

Thanks or asking Joe. Writing is going well but very....slowly...

I'm trying to focus on short stories right now with the hopes to get some into literary journals, which can be a way to attract an agent.

Just curious, did you read my book?

arebelspy

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Re: I published my first novel!
« Reply #31 on: January 16, 2019, 10:58:04 PM »
When do we get to preview book number two, Mr. Mann?  :)

Thanks or asking Joe. Writing is going well but very....slowly...

I'm trying to focus on short stories right now with the hopes to get some into literary journals, which can be a way to attract an agent.

Just curious, did you read my book?
I did!

I'd be interested in reading any short stories you write.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.