Alice knew, now I do too!

"I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole—and yet—and yet—it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life!" 

My original intent for Raymond's story was for it to be one and done; a literary "only child". Unfortunately, that dog don't hunt.

The further down the book marketing rabbit hole I've gone the more I realize how important is marketing. And near if not at the top of the book marketing list of things to do is this truism.

Write more books, you will sell more books. 

Book readers want to read a book that is part of a series rather than one, one and done. They do because (assuming they read and enjoy the first book) they want, and will pay to read more of the same.

I doubted this at first, or maybe I just didn't want it to be true. But after connecting with self-published authors, learning what they do, many with six, a few with seven figure incomes from selling their own books, it's definitely true.

It took me a little over a year to write Raymond's first draft. Another four plus years doing twenty plus wordsmithing rewrites before sending it off to an editor (who, having read it, couldn't believe I ever had a course in grammar.😐️)

As of today, February 21, I am a day or so away from completing the first draft of Shelly's Unlived Lives story, the sequel to Raymond's story. I began writing it January 2nd this year. It will be published on or about October 15 this year, no later.

I have the framework for the third and final in the Unlived Lives series. It will be published in the spring of 2026.

I've turned over a new writing "leaf".

I write more, more often. I will publish much sooner. I will market much more of what I write. 

Alice knew it; it is rather curious, you know, this sort of life!