This is my August book update for Lessons from the Admiral, Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leader. And it comes with an ask.
I am now working on marketing, and I need your help.
After two years of work, one failed bankrupt publisher, another great new publisher, hundreds of hours of writing and hundreds of hours of editing, my book has gone to the press for final layout and printing.
If you are getting this post, it is likely because you are one of several hundreds of my friends, family members, and fans who have signed up for my book list. And I understand a glitch in my system resulted in most of you getting three "thank you" auto response emails when you initially signed up. Whoops. Sorry about that.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to my good high school friend and published author Kieran Wray for discreetly letting me know that was happening! I think that has been corrected by my tech team. (That would be yours truly).
First, the help needed.
I will release the book in January of 2025. And I have applied to present it in person at a Book Reader session at the national South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas in March. Doing so would be an ironic dream come true for me because Austin is where I started this journey with a writer's workshop two years ago with my first publisher who went bankrupt, and I lost all my investment. It would be full circle being on a national stage with a published book in Austin and a testament to having a plan, patience, and persistence that I often speak about.
I am asking you to vote for me at the SXSW website. It takes about a minute because you have to create an account with your email address. I know that is asking a lot, but you have already taken action by signing up for my book updates here, so I know you are willing to go the extra mile. And I am very appreciative of that! (If they start spamming you, you will be able unsubscribe.)
It's a two-step process:
Create an account or sign in if you already have one:
Sign up for an account by clicking here:
OR
Sign in to an existing account by clicking here.
2. Then vote for my Book Reader Panel by selecting the up arrow by clicking here:
Once you get to my page, you can read a description of my proposed presentation and watch my short video clip that includes a sneak peak of my book's cover at the very end of the one minute video clip.
Public voting in the SXSW PanelPicker process is extremely important and accounts for 1/3 of the ultimate selection criteria. So, I need your vote and that of your friends and family.
I have never been to SXSW, but thousands attend for a week-long conference of sharing knowledge and thoughts in Austin.
My initial run of books will be 2000 hard back books. Most nonfiction books sell only about 300 copies. I would like to sell more than that to share my message. If I speak at SXSW, I will be on a national stage, and the book will be available in their conference bookstore.
I will spend the next six months working on my marketing plan with my publisher. There's a lot of work ahead, but I am fired up and excited about this next phase.
A book launch date in 2025 allows time for the marketing plan to be executed, for me to record the audio book, gets us past the noise of the election cycle and jubilance of the holidays, and starts the New Year off with a bang.
It also allows time for the book to get in the Amazon sales distribution system and other retail markets.
Thank you for your help. I know some of you have already Up Voted me on the SXSW website and for you, and all who do so after reading this, I am forever grateful.
Voting ends on the 18th. It takes less than a minute. Please do so today!
Send me to SXSW2025.
Thanks again!
Comments