My New Novel

[danielh41]

I've been writing stories since I was a kid, and I've started I don't know how many novels. I've even finished a few, and I dabbled in submitting a couple of them to agents and publishers. But I would quickly get discourage and stop submitting. The stuff I wrote was usually in the suspense thriller genre.

In 2013, I decided to try to write a serious novel, one that tackled big issues like life and love and the loss of a spouse, etc. I pounded out over 60,000 words on it during NaNoWriMo 2013 and then didn't like where it was going. I've been sporadically revising it ever since, still never getting to an actual end.

Last year, during periods where I was stuck on that novel, I started writing something else just for fun and posting it one chapter at a time at a couple of sites devoted to that particular erotica sub-genre. It became fairly popular at those sites, and what became the final chapter of that novel actually won a year-end Readers Choice award for its category at Literotica.com. And I kind of liked how the whole thing came together, so much that I decided to polish it up and publish it.

I really didn't know how to query or pitch it, so even at the beginning, I thought about publishing it myself. I have a friend here in the area who got her first dystopian YA novel published by a small independent press. She had paid for a professional edit in order to get it accepted, and she still had to do her own marketing for the book. Her royalty from this small press was 37 cents per copy. That publisher went under, and she got the rights back and published the book on her own. She still had to do her own marketing, but her royalty per copy was ten times what it was from that small press. I figured the odds of getting my novel accepted by one of the big five publishing houses was almost nil (even if I did figure out how to pitch it), and after hearing about my friend's struggles, I ruled out submitting to independent presses. So, I went ahead and published it myself.

It has been out about six weeks, and sales have been OK (although when I give members of my writing group some of my sales numbers, some of the ones who have self-published tell me that it is selling VERY well). Not knowing how to categorize it, I listed it as erotica, although there's very little actual sex in it.

It's on Amazon in paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Volunteer-Novel- ... 1534635246 and on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Volunteer-D-Jona ... 01HAM329Q/

[Bob Juch]

It's now on my Kindle. I'll bump it up in the queue.

[danielh41]

It's now on my Kindle. I'll bump it up in the queue.

Thanks Bob!

I have a book signing scheduled for September 7th, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at The Last Word bookstore in Fort Worth, for anyone in the DFW area. The Last Word just opened in May and is on Jennings street in Fort Worth.

[jaybee]

Just added it to my Kindle too.

I have a friend who has 7 or 8 books out via small-time publishers. He has just recently joined up with a local authors group. Their focus is on marketing, not critiquing each others work. Too soon to tell if it will have an impact on his sales, but the idea of a local group pooling knowledge and contacts sounds good.

[jarnon]

Whoo-hoo D.H.! That's an imaginative premise. And you sure have the expertise to write about it.

I have a book signing scheduled for September 7th, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at The Last Word bookstore in Fort Worth.

Will you be signing au naturel?

[danielh41]

Just added it to my Kindle too.

I have a friend who has 7 or 8 books out via small-time publishers. He has just recently joined up with a local authors group. Their focus is on marketing, not critiquing each others work. Too soon to tell if it will have an impact on his sales, but the idea of a local group pooling knowledge and contacts sounds good.

Thanks jaybee. My writing group is actually a critique group, but we did have a presentation on marketing at our last meeting.

[danielh41]

Whoo-hoo D.H.! That's an imaginative premise. And you sure have the expertise to write about it.

I have a book signing scheduled for September 7th, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at The Last Word bookstore in Fort Worth.

Will you be signing au naturel?

Funny you should say that. There is an art school just a few blocks from that bookstore. I'm hoping to get a modeling gig for the afternoon figure drawing class there before the signing and that some of the students come over and buy a book.

[Vandal]

Congratulations on your publication.

Now that you're an author, welcome to crazy-town!

[jarnon]

I just finished this book on Kindle, and I enjoyed it a lot. You started with an imaginative premise and thoughtfully followed it through. I'd have thought the novel was the work of an experienced professional writer.

[Bob Juch]

I just finished this book on Kindle, and I enjoyed it a lot. You started with an imaginative premise and thoughtfully followed it through. I'd have thought the novel was the work of an experienced professional writer.

I haven't started yet. I have too much going on.

[Spock]

Adding it to my list.

[danielh41]

I just finished this book on Kindle, and I enjoyed it a lot. You started with an imaginative premise and thoughtfully followed it through. I'd have thought the novel was the work of an experienced professional writer.

Thanks jarnon! And thanks for the Amazon review too!

[danielh41]

After some long technical delays, we got the audiobook version of The "Volunteer" into production:

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Erotica-Sexu ... B0785NJCZN

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/The-Volunteer-A- ... 077YR8NSY/

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/t ... 1322630342

[Bob78164]

Finally got around to installing the Kindle app, and used the promotional coupon they gave me to buy your book. Looking forward to reading it. --Bob