The Last Chapter

Now I can "close the book" on the book writing experience, which has been far more fruitful than I ever imagined.  Last night I had my last Event, where I made a presentation and signed a lot of books which people had bought.   There was a great turnout for that event (of former parishioners), 95% of whom had read the book and were totally interested and engaged.

The results of publishing In Its Time have far exceeded my expectations.  In fact, I had no expectations at all, so to get invited to numerous events to talk about my experience was indeed a surprise, and I  might add, a delight.

I wanted readers.  That's all I wanted.  And I definitely have gotten that!  People keep asking me how many books I have sold, and because of the way the publisher's reporting system works, I honestly do not know. The first report came out just a few weeks after publishing, and at that time, absolutely no one knew the publication had happened.   Eventually, mention of it took place in a couple of church newsletters and on Facebook, etc.  The next report comes 60 days after the end of the year, so I will not know the actual number until well into next year.  But I already do know that self-published books (and mine has not been marketed at all) generally sell in the hundreds--a couple of hundred copies.

For me, the better question would be---how many readers have read my book?   It has been in demand in the local library, and I know other people have shared their copies with friends.  So for every copy sold, there have probably have been another five or so readers.   That is the more important result to me.

Since I have no more events on the books, and practically everyone who might be interested has already bought and/or read my book,  I am pretty sure that I can close this chapter of my life, and say that I am so glad that I did this!  I never expected to get to share my writing and publishing experience with so many people---both people I know, as well as those I do not know.

The thing is,  I have jokingly talked about doing a sequel, because quite honestly, the book does need a sequel.  The last chapter sort of leaves the reader hanging.   I have also said that I miss my characters, which is also true.  They have become quite real to me.

When I wrote In Its Time, I was still in my post-retirement productive mode. I needed to be doing something!

Will I ever actually write a sequel?  I don't know.  It takes so much time and commitment and hard hard work.

 And now I have mastered the art of leisure!