COVER REVEAL: "My Epic Life"

Here it is! The cover of the third book in my Alexander series, about one boy's bumpy transition from kid to teenager.



I wanted to reveal the cover for "My Epic Life" side by side with my first two books - I LOVE how they tell Alexander's story. In "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain," Alexander was scared of the world around him. In "Own the Scrawny," he was searching for an identity. In "My Epic Life," our quirky hero discovers that his greatest strength is in being himself.

"My Epic Life" is the first story in the series told in Alexander's own words—because only he can tell this story. His entire world is shifting.  Suddenly, friendships old and new have become complicated, something very puzzling is going on in his relationship with Ellen, and he's forced to accept that his clothes aren't randomly shrinking—he's the one that's changing...

...and if you've read the first two books, you know one thing: Alexander doesn't deal well with change!

I'll be announcing the early 2016 release date soon. Like the first two books, it will be available in ebook and paperback - and later as an audiobook.

Special thanks to cover designer Steven Novak, photographer FUR and Alexander himself, Drew Dudetv .

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"I Got a Golden Sticker"

Having a digital image of an award is one thing, but getting non-digital proof is a whole different ball game.  It's also a nice, in-my-face motivation to finish the second book in the series!

If you're new here, please check out more about the book at http://richsamuelsauthor.com

Getting Real: My Protagonist Tweets!

One of the greatest challenges I have as an independent author is continuing to build word of mouth for my book.  For the first few months, the book is new and that, in itself, can be considered newsworthy.  As of this writing, it’s been nine months since the book first appeared in ebook form, and seven months since it was available in paperback. I’m currently writing a follow-up volume to “My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain,” but that won’t be ready for several months.

As we approach the end of the year, I’ll be initiating several new efforts to keep the book alive in the minds of readers - and, perhaps, reach new readers in the process.

The first step in that effort begins today, with the launch of a new Twitter account, @NoWedgiesForMe - tweeting in the voice of Alexander, the central character in the “Food Chain” books.  He’ll tweet about his day-to-day life, as many people do, but followers will also be able to follow an entirely new story as it unfolds day to day in “real time.” If followers choose, they can also interact with Alexander, and he’ll respond.  Alexander’s quirky personality and skewed observations of the world around him are a central highlight of the novel, and I believe he’s nicely suited for a life on Twitter. While related to the world portrayed in the novel, Alexander’s experiences on that platform will be original and independent of the original and upcoming novels.

I’m excited about experimenting with this new form of storytelling, and, like the entire process of writing and releasing a self-published book, I’ll be curious about how this approach might engage readers, and, perhaps, help build an audience.

I invite and hope for your involvement - follow Alexander @NoWedgiesForMe

The Adventure Begins: My Book in the Real World

With the arrival of a box of promo copies of my book, this long journey is about to reach a climactic moment - not THE climactic moment, but the end of one stage and the beginning of the most exciting stage in the life of "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain."  I'm busily sending out copies to all of those promised, after which we'll selectively begin offering copies for review.  

The ebook is in full release, and the paperback is about to become available across the Amazon universe (actually, once I approved the final proof a week ago, it immediately appeared on Amazon sites in the UK and Europe, but the Amazonian powers-that-be are taking their time to make it live across the pond).  The discussion groups seem to indicate the book will show up in four to six working days - so I'm expecting a surprise any day now...

Comments and reviews are beginning to appear, and I'm - dare I say it? - overjoyed at the response (and no, they're not all from family!).  It's a promising beginning, but now the greatest challenge awaits: helping it find an audience.

For an indie author like myself, word of mouth - grass-roots support - is going to be critical - and I'm hoping that readers will be inspired enough to help spread the word.  Reviews on Amazon and elsewhere are incredibly important to someone without a publishing conglomerate behind him.  As I hope for reviews to begin appearing (three five star reviews are on Amazon as of this writing), I realize that I rarely - if ever - leave reviews on Amazon myself.  I don't think most people do.  One thing is certain - I have a stronger appreciation of their worth!  Check out some quotes on my author side, http://richsamuelsauthor.com

I'm also hoping that readers witll use social media to promote the book - not only retweeting my book news and giveaways - but perhaps writing reviews or creating YouTube videos reviews (Zac Ward created this one for his "Keeper of the Mountain" YouTube channel).

Finally, while this book, it seems, is turning out to have cross-over appeal to adults as well, I'm hoping that kids and teens who like that book will share with their friends and through social media (and tell me about it). 

My friend Lynette Privatsky told me that I should think of the process of building an audience as a "slow burn," as I and my readers slowly spread awareness.  Whatever happens, the most exciting part of this adventure just may lie straight ahead!