I recently had a book release that was my most successful yet. I had over one hundred people jam pack into a little museum auditorium and sold over 120 copies of my book for the release day event. At 7 months pregnant, I don’t think I was fully prepared for the amount of work I ended up putting in to pull off the Fremonsters release.
And believe me, It took a lot of work!
But it also took a lot of help. There were so many people that took the extra step or went the extra mile to help me. From podcasters, to local newspapers correspondents, to facebook news page reporters, I had a ton of unexpected (and much appreciated) support! I feel like I’ve said thank you so many times it’s lost its value, but I will keep saying it until I’m blue in the face because I’ve never felt more grateful for the support.
When I began this project, I sat with my copy of RL Stine’s It came from Ohio biography for inspiration on how to write a an homage of a children’s book for my hometown of Fremont, Ohio. With my trivia team name as a title, and a basic outline of a story based around my childhood friends and ghost hunting stories, I was ready to get to work, hoping to be done by Halloween 2020.
Then covid hit, and motivation was lost.
I switched gears and worked on a Brutus book that concentrated on masks and easing the stress for kids in response to the pandemic to try to get back in the swing of things. That helped me pick up where I left off back into my horror story. By that time, I had developed a decent plot line around my hometown’s school reconstruction and my childhood friend’s monster exhibit at the local museum. Like every other story I’ve written (luckily), the circumstances that led me to develop the final story fell into place like they were meant to be.
As I sit back and weigh what I invested in this book versus the amount of money I made, I can honestly tell you: I can’t quite quit my day job to become a writer. But when my friends and community send me photos of thier kids eagerly eating up my book just hours or days after its release, I can tell you THAT is what makes it all worth the effort.
So when I think back over the last fews years… I’ve found what drives me. Not money, not success, not sales or being a bestseller (though that would be nice 🤩) But the satisfaction of knowing that I told a good story that will make a child’s day. I guess that means this is my jam… I’m officially a children’s author. And I love it ❤
Amy Marie
Amy Marie 