Meeting My Readers

The journey of an author begins after the book is published!
(The Happy Quitter)

Stepping away from the blogging world, pitching my book to strangers, who, let’s face it, might not be as kind as fellow blogger friends are, is scary.

But of course, I had to try. Training wheels off.

Recently, I got my first 2-star rating, which now stands out like a sore thumb among all the 4- and 5-star ratings on Goodreads. How did it make me feel? Honestly, I looked at it, swallowed my pride, smiled, and thought to myself: Shit just got real.

Interestingly enough, from that moment on, it all changed a bit. I got more downloads, and I didn’t know why. Bookstores here in Columbus and in Ohio showed interest. Again, I wondered why.

According to one owner of a bookstore, it’s because even the highest-rated bestsellers have some 1 and 2-star ratings—mostly left without any further explanations. That’s reality.

(Yeah! Mission accomplished!)

Another store owner said, “I can tell, you got real reviews from real people, many from non-writers.” He explained it’s the language in which my reviews are written. Some are very specific and very well written. Others are short, and yes, perhaps grammatically not perfect, some typos even. Perfectly imperfect as my book.

Isn’t it interesting what some bookstores look for? Goodness, are they in the end like me? (As my readers know, I don’t trust anything with only 5-star ratings either, which I explain/confess in my book.) We can’t all love or like the same thing equally. That’s at least my logic.

Readers! What an interesting, unpredictable species they are.

I am not even trying to sell my book anymore. I am trying to have it read. It’s not about the money (let Amazon get rich) but about my (our) journey.

It’s about our love for each other and our dogs!

“Do you want to hold a book reading event?” I laughed nervously. (Heck, no. Can’t you hear my accent?)

And then it happened. I said, “Yes.” (Curiosity will one day kill this cat.)

I read parts of my book “Losing it All” for a small crowd of ten people in a very tiny, intimate bookstore. I answered questions from strangers. With every question, I got more comfortable. At the end, I was me again. By then, the crowd had widened to about twenty to thirty people.

A small group of people was interested in meeting me and hearing about my book. It floored me!

I almost forgot my pen name. “Alexandra!” they called me, and I didn’t react at first.

All of it left me deeply humbled.

This is priceless.

How many books did I sell, if any? I don’t know because I didn’t pay attention.

I know I still have growth left in me. There needs to be some attitude adjustments. I could be kinder. I could be gentler. I could write better. Expect less! Give more!

You know what, writing and publishing a book has helped me to see a lot clearer. I am just another snowflake among all the other special snowflakes. Getting the word out. Goodness, it’s hard work. Getting honest reviews that’s even harder. Turns out you can’t make readers write a review. Karma is biting me in the buttocks. I don’t leave too many reviews on products or books. (Which I need to change.)

Publishing a book has shown me a side of reading that I never thought of. A behind-the-scenes look. The brutality of the business. The excitement of dreaming big. The heartbreak of fearing I might be just another book flop.

The hard work that editors and publishing companies put in, the money they spent on advertising and design, until we, the gentle and brutal readers, see a book popping up on our radar, should not be underestimated. Doing it alone, with the help of KDP, is almost nuts. (I like to be nuts now and then, so it suits me just fine.)

The above picture shows two of my readers.

Isn’t that something?

Isn’t that the greatest, most humbling feeling in the world? They are holding my baby.