Little Big Brother is available at Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN.
Little Big Brother is available at Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN. If you live in the area, stop by a grab a copy. If you’re like me, it won’t be the only book you leave with. Hell, I bought a book of poetry when I was supposed to be dropping my own book off to be shelved.
I want to recap my self-publishing journey. Where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going.
May 15, 2019 was a crazy day. After dealing with a self-publishing nightmare that delayed my novel being published, I got word that it was live on Amazon about 45 minutes before I had to leave for work.
I had to shower, text friends & family who’d been asking me about the book and try to send out social media updates and a blog post. I rushed and got it all done in time for work, but I felt behind all day. I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I was home that night. That was the end (at least to this point) of my self-publishing journey.
What I want to do now is recap where I’ve been throughout this process, from the beginning. Not only for you, but for myself. To take the time and really think about where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going.
As for where I am now, I read Little Big Brother and think it could have been written better. But after sending it to the editor, then going through it once more, I was finished with it. And it was done with me. A lot of writers recommend taking time off from a manuscript after each round of edits, just to clear your mind so you can come back with fresh eyes. Writing a book, creating something from scratch, I could still be making changes to LBB if I allowed myself. I could tweak it to death. But at that point, it was as good as it was going to get.
Part 2 of my self-publishing journey will be posted Wednesday.
Thank God, the wait is over. My debut novel is live!
2 blog posts in one day!
Must be a special occasion. Sure is. My debut novel, Little Big Brother, is finally available in paperback. 2 days late, but who’s counting. Certainly not me. I lost the ability to do anything else other than obsess over when this would get sorted out. Thank God that’s over.
If you like to read, check it out and let me know what you think.
This is what I feared. Something going wrong at the last minute. My debut novel was scheduled for release today, but that is in jeopardy.
This is what I feared. Something going wrong at the last minute. My debut novel was scheduled for release today, but that is in jeopardy. I received this email from Amazon last night:
But I ordered my proof months ago and it’s perfect. As a self-published author, Amazon doesn’t give the option to list print books for pre-order, which would have helped me avoid this problem. Little Big Brother has been advertised for May 13 from the beginning, and one thing I struggled with was when to actually click publish on Amazon. It can take up to 2 days for a book to be made available after clicking publish. Click too early and it’s released before the advertised date, meaning it’s not synced with your promotion and could cost you sales and rankings depending on how early. Click too late and it’s not available when you said it would be.
I’ve contacted Amazon and received this response:
At least the Kindle version is available.
Little Big Brother will be released May 13.
Charlie is like most high school freshmen: prone to embarrassing moments and little experience with the opposite sex (okay, none). Thank God his older brother can guide him through it all. Well, sometimes. The dead can’t visit on a whim.
DeAndre’s visits are the only things keeping Charlie afloat as he navigates his teenage years. But this blessing is also a curse, straining Charlie’s friendships and threatening to derail his wishful romance with Samantha. Before Charlie can move on he needs to know if he’s really communicating with his dead brother or if it’s all in his mind as his mother and therapists believe. The clock is ticking. DeAndre tells him he won’t be around forever and the grief is tearing at the seams of Charlie’s relationships.
An encounter between DeAndre and Samantha may provide the answer, and how Charlie deals with it will be the difference between keeping those he loves and losing them forever.
Arsenio Franklin 