Sep 30, 2015

So. Here we are. The last day of the Inkshares/Nerdist contest. Wow.

Congratulations to the winners. I hope winning the contest is everything you hoped it would be, and you are able to use this wonderful opportunity to its fullest extent.

Congratulations to everybody who has finished writing a novel. Short stories are sprints, novels are effing ironman marathons. Just being able to complete a major work of art such as a novel is a minor miracle, and you should be very proud you have done it.

Finally, congratulations to everybody who is working on their first novel. Being an artist is a lonely, frustrating, highly misunderstood life – and we wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world!

So, that’s me. I know I still have 45 days to get my book published here, but honestly: if I couldn’t get 40 preorders in 45 days, how likely is it that I’ll be able to get 960 preorders in the next 45 days? Besides, I have a novel to finish writing by the end of the year, and November and December are likely to be filled with my data entry day job, so the next month is the only realistic time I will have to finish it.

Thanks to everybody who has supported Both Sides. NOW! That has meant a lot to me. And, fear not for Both Sides. NOW! It’s a very good novel, and they always find a home somewhere sooner or later.

CONCLUSION

I say this at the end of all of my readings and interviews, so I thought I should probably end with it here. If you read a book by a small press or self-published author that you really enjoy let the world know! Blog about it. Post reviews to Amazon, Goodreads or the like. Mention it to your social networks. Small press and self-published authors live and die by word of mouth, and your friends would probably be grateful to find a good book by a new writer. Everybody wins!

PS

If you’re interested in keeping up with me beyond the Inkshares/Nerdist contest, I’m all over the place.

MY WEB SITE: Les Pages aux Folles (http://www.lespagesauxfolles.ca)

ON TWITTER at https://twitter.com/#!/ARNSProprietor (I follow back any HUMAN who is NOT TRYING TO SELL ME SOMETHING, whether it be a product or a religion)

ON FACEBOOK at http://www.facebook.com/ira.nayman (personal page)

ON FACEBOOK AGAIN at http://www.facebook.com/ThrishtyFriednishes (author’s page – Shtay thrishty my friednishes!)

ON AMAZON.COM: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AIra%20Nayman (in case you’re curious about my available writing)