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Settling in for the long haul

Launch day for Death of Secrets was super exciting. Placing the ads, watching sales start to come in, seeing engagements with the book on social media, and all kinds of other things.

Now, the week after, comes the long term outlook. I won’t say disappointment, because I expected this when I started and my expectations haven’t changed now. It’s just that, in all that excitement of launch day, it’s easy to get caught up.

I did not launch the book on Saturday and become the next Tom Clancy before the Superbowl was over.

The book did well on opening day, and sales are happening about on pace with my low-end estimates before this all started. Now it’s time to set my eyes back on the long-term plan. I opened up one new advertising vector on Monday. I have another one to try out probably next week. I have new ad styles to test out on Facebook and Twitter.

Build Death of Secrets for long term sales. Build an audience. Earn enough on this to launch the sequel in June with at least enough or more success. Keep building the audience. Third book in time for the Christmas season.

Lord, please help me to stick by what I said. I trust you with my book, and with my writing.

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Not bad for the first day

Death of Secrets cracked into the Amazon Kindle bestseller list for its category on Day One of the launch. Your author is happy about that. Actually, since this screenshot was taken, it’s gone as high as 55.Death of Secrets is on the Amazon Kindle bestseller list.

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Sequel? Prequel? Universe?

Sometimes, my inner geek comes out.

Death of Secrets launched, and already my mind turns to the next book. I know the beginning of the story — it’s one I’ve been working on for a long time. Some of the characters from Death of Secrets will be making another appearance.

But I’m not sure what to call it. I’m not sure that it properly fits the idea of a sequel or a prequel. And there’s the rub. If I say “takes place in the same universe as Death of Secrets,” I feel a bit nerdy, like an obsessive comics collector debating which version of the DC Comics universe was better.

That’s silly, of course. I’m an obsessive Star Wars collector, not an obsessive comics collector!

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Peter walking on water

The story of Jesus walking on water is pretty well known. I’ll quote it from Matthew 14 just in case:

And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,[d] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Everyone knows Jesus walked on water. The fact that Peter also walked on water is much less well known. Even less well known — as my pastor pointed out last Sunday — is that Peter walked on water twice.

He walked on water, he fell in, and then Jesus pulled him up and they walked on water together. At least, to me, “they got back in the boat” does not seem to indicate that Jesus threw Peter in the boat and got in after him. They climbed in together, and to do that they would have to be stable on the water.

When I feel like I’m sinking, when I let the storm around me scare me and I lose my footing, I try to remember that. If you let Jesus pull you up, the two of you will be able to walk on water together.

 

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In all things…

“In all things, God works for the good of those who love him,” reads the famous verse from Romans. I’m leaning on it heavily right now.

With less than a week to go until my novel is published, I obviously hope it’s wildly successful. Who wouldn’t? But even as I hope, I know there’s a chance it might not sell very well.

Whichever happens, I know that God will work it to my good. I trust him.

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Editing

Today is the first free day I’ve had to work on the book in some time. I’m polishing up the manuscript with some last minute edits from my awesome editors.

I don’t think I’m Earnest Hemingway, but I do like to think of myself as a workmanlike writer. I do the job. So it’s embarrassing how may little things my editors are catching for me as we make the last preparations for publication.

Writing “form” when I meant “from” is my single most common typo.

Death of Secrets underwent a major change between its first draft and now. It was revised to better reflect the person I am in 2014. And it’s shocking how many little traces of that change slipped through my attempts to make the change and clean it up. I’m glad all those got caught.

When this book finally sits on bookshelves — or, more accurately, sits on amazon.com — there will be a huge number of people who helped make that happen.

Publishing a book is a good way to help you remember Donne’s famous words. “No man is an island.”

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Sixteen hours to go!

In sixteen hours, the Kickstarter campaign for Death of Secrets will come to an end. I am already overwhelmed by the level of support shown by my friends. If you still want to back the book, go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1785187395/death-of-secrets. You can get a signed copy of the book as a reward, or more!

Once the novel goes to publication at the end of the month, I am prepared for anything. It could sell no more copies than the 40 people who are already backing it. In my dream world, it will sell millions of copies and I can become a professional novelist. More likely, of course, is somewhere in between. I trust God for the outcome. I know that He loves me, and that however many copies of the novel sell, he will use that for my good.

Whatever happens, I have already learned that I have Grade A friends who are willing to put their personal resources on the line to help me chase a dream. Thank you. Thank you all.

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Blown away

I’ve been simply blown away by the great friends I have. God works through people, and I am richly blessed.

The Kickstarter campaign to fund Death of Secrets has already exceeded its first goal before day one was even over.

Now is the time to pour on the gas! You can reserve a signed copy of the book — and help launch the novel with a full-scale marketing campaign — just by clicking here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1785187395/death-of-secrets

Thank you to everyone who’s helping. You’re truly humbling me, and making this adventure life-affirming.