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Friday, May 13, 2011

Fiction Friday: Time For Some Honesty


In a few weeks my second novel comes out. And I feel like I can be gut honest with all of you who have been sticking with me here at my blog over the years. The question hanging in the air is, will this novel be as successful as the first one? Or-- dare I say it??-- more successful?? Do I even dream that big?

I want this second novel to do well. I really, really do. My career's (still sounds so weird to say that for a stay at home mom) success hangs largely on whether I build on what I started with The Mailbox. Mailbox didn't blow the industry out of the water by any stretch, but it did well enough for a first time author. With this new novel comes truth time. Do I have the chops to sell well again?

And here's more truth: She Makes It Look Easy is an entirely different novel. It isn't a love story and it doesn't involve the beach. It's about women's relationships and the complications that can ensue when we're not honest with each other. It's about the fact that all is never as it seems, with any of us. I used much of what I have learned in women's ministry over the past 15 years. I had to dig deeper with this novel, stretch my writing muscles further (farther?) than I ever have. I wanted to quit many times on this one. I begged my husband to just let me give the advance back to my publisher and call it good. He said no, finish the work and then see if you still feel that way.

Obviously his little strategy worked and I persevered.

Which leads us to now... and you. What do you have to do with it? Here's the honesty part: everything. I need you to buy this book. I need you to pre-order it at Amazon. I need you to buy it the week it comes out. Or both. I need you to download it on your Kindle or Nook or iPad.

Don't read fiction? Try reading just this one story. Or buy the book for a friend who does read fiction. Even better, buy one for you and one for a friend! Challenge several friends to read it, then set a time and all of you meet over a potluck dessert night or something fun like that and discuss the book. There are discussion questions in the back for just such a purpose.

The week the book comes out I will be running a post about other things you can do but for now, I just wanted to plant this seed and take a moment for a shameless plug: If each of you bought this book it would be off to a great start. Do it because you like this blog. Do it because you want to support a stay at home mom whose kid is starting college in the fall. Do it because you know from reading my blog that I rarely push my products here so I must really need the support.

The first week the book launches, I will be talking about it a lot here. Bear with me. That's part of this industry-- shameless self-promotion, something I shy away from but must occasionally play along with if I am to get my book in front of buyers. And yes, I write for the sake of writing. But I won't be able to keep writing if the books don't sell.

All of this to say, please consider buying the book. You might just be glad you did.
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12 comments:

Unknown said...

I loved "The Mailbox", Mary Beth, so I am already planning on buying "She Makes It Look Easy"! Count me in! :)

Shelley said...

You can count me in too...love your blog and your honesty. The Mailbox was great, but your description for this new book actually sounds more like something I would want to read. Thanks for letting your readers know how we can help you continue.

Mary said...

This sounds like a good book, Maribeth. I tried to pre-order it for my Nook, but it says unavailable through Amazon and through Barnes.

Do you know if it will be available as an e-book after June 1st? Or is it not actually available in that format?

Thanks!

Kim said...

I "Won" the Mailbox thanks to your giveaway...I guess I can "purchase" your next one. LOL :)

Shelly said...

I apologize if you get 2 comments from me. I just got an error that the first one didn't make it.

Today, I started freaking out about my first published book (due to release next year).

I started fretting that no one would buy it. This fear seemed to come out of nowhere.

In a panic to find a word of inspiration, I hopped over to your blog.

Did I find "a Word"? No.
I found a girl with a similar story - a girl wondering who would buy her book.

I thought the lesson was that all writers struggle with similar issues. Then, I heard God: "Buy the book."

Marybeth, I have no doubt that God led me to your blog today (haven't been here in a while and haven't visited anyone's blog today).

I pre-ordered your book w/o even reading the jacket flap. Then, I found out it's about perfectionism! HA! I'm a recovering perfectionist!

Too funny!

I'm not a mom, but I know you wrote this with me in mind.

Anyway, my big takeaway today is:

Support Christian writers. It's something I believe Jesus would do.

I am pleased to support you!

p.s. I am still working on marrying my pics and words to become a better speaker! Thanks for your inspiration in our speaker eval. group at She Speaks last year. I hope to see you there again this year!

BethA said...

I do want to support you, as a woman and a sister in Christ. I will order your book for my Kindle! All the best!

Kim said...

Will definitely buy your book!

Marybeth Whalen said...

Thanks to all of you who have said that you will buy it. That was a very vulnerable post to write and I almost didn't run it. So thanks for receiving it the way it was written-- with all the angst and transparency I was trying to communicate.

As for the Kindle/Nook question, I checked with the publisher and it wil be available by June 1 when the book officially releases. Yay!

Zibilee said...

Marybeth,
As I have said before, this book release is the one I have been most waiting for since September. I just know it will do well, and I plan on featuring it, and maybe a giveaway on my blog to try to draw as much attention as I can to it. Don't worry yourself, I know it will sell like hotcakes!

Dawn said...

I pre-ordered it from Amazon!

Anonymous said...

Just ordered mine! Enjoyed first one, ready for second and hope you are working on third and fourth!

Susan Tomlinson

Marybeth Whalen said...

Anonymous, loved your response! I need a few thousand of you and I will be set! :) Yesterday I wrote the last words of the first draft of my third novel. Very excited about it-- it's a follow up (not a sequel!) to Mailbox. Set at Sunset Beach again, and a love story that involves another mysterious inanimate object that brings two people together... but will they stay together?? That is the question!