Hello,
Blimey! This is how I feel about November. Actually, it's probably more like double blimey!!
At the beginning of this month I was just another struggling author trying to get noticed. Admittedly, I'd had some success with my free promotion and sales of This Thirtysomething Life were going well. However, I could never have imagined what November would bring.
I signed a two book deal with a major UK Publisher. This has been my dream for simply, and in the words of a much younger version of myself, yonks. I could be a total failure from now on. Both books could be utter and miserable failures and I could be ushered away from mainstream publishing with a slight grimace and a, 'Oh well, at least you gave it a shot, now bugger off,' and I'd still have that. Two books published. It's what millions of people are trying to achieve and I'm in the lucky few that get to make that dream a reality. I also get to work with Hodder and my lovely editor.
Today is November 30th and counting today's sales, I have sold almost 14,000 books in November alone. That is incredible. 14,000 people I don't know decided to buy my book and read it. When I put the book online, I thought I'd be happy, deliriously happy actually, if 100 people bought it. I'm currently at number 11 in the overall paid Kindle charts, when two months ago I was somewhere like 12,011. It's been an incredible few months.
I quit my job. I hated my job. It was only 20 hours a week, but it was awful. Customer support for an online driving school. It was literally soul destroying, but I quit. I didn't even give notice. I just said, 'I'm done, thank you, goodbye.' Brilliant!
I did two author interviews which was really fun.
Probably the best thing about all of this (except the book deal, of course because that has changed my life), is the amount of lovely people who have contacted me on Facebook, Twitter and via email just to say how much they loved the book. I think sometimes we get a bit bleak about things and people, but I can tell you that total strangers have done and said such lovely things to me for no other reason except that they wanted to. It really is quite humbling.
So that's my November. It's been a mind-blowing month. December is shaping up quite nicely too. I'm working with Hodder on editing my new novel Happy Endings, which I'm very excited about. We're also working on the new cover for This Thirtysomething Life and getting that ready for publication. I'm also starting work on my third novel which is going to be a follow-up to This Thirtysomething Life - which I am also bloody excited about. I'm excited to take Harry on another adventure!
That's it for now. I hope you're all well. I'll write again soon and so until then...
Hugs,
Jon X
ps: I'm listening to James at the moment and I just wanted to say what a great song 'Laid' is. I love James, great band.
