Brett’s War Journal #2

At All Costs Kindle Edition Pre-Order is Live

I’m feeling a little like a big shot right now. Pre-order for At All Costs Kindle Edition is live on Amazon, though I’d prefer to do the same with the physical editions, too. Unfortunately, despite my guerilla campaign garnering a lot of interest, not a single pre-order has been sold yet. However, there’s a silver lining here. Almost everyone I’ve spoken to would prefer a physical copy, so hope is not yet lost.

The Book is Ready and Launch Day is Set, What Now?

Getting the book written, revised, and edited all to my liking was a three-year process. Of course, it wasn’t one project for three years, but I was writing this book when my son was still in the womb and finished draft one by the time he was crawling. The final draft is my fifth run through the story, so I’m feeling a little exhausted. Nonetheless, the job isn’t done until February 1st.

While I take a short break from writing, I’m going through the frustrating process of making sure my cover art looks right when printed. I’ve been lucky so far with the Lulu physical editions and Amazon paperback looking amazing. Amazon hardcover came out horrendous for some reason. I spent a full two hours trying to fix the problem and hopefully I’ll get my review copy today and not have to waste another ten dollars on a copy I’ll be giving away to a beta reader.

While I wait for the Amazon hardcover proof copy to show up, I’m getting some stuff done in my personal life while juggling family life and my day job. With Christmas on the horizon, life is going to get tough for the next six weeks, so not much on the writing front I’m afraid. In the meantime, I’m going through At All Costs and cataloging every little detail necessary to keep continuity intact for the sequel. I’m also listening to a lot of audiobooks – Lost World by Michael Crichton gets my recommendation.

Where Can You Buy At All Costs?

Amazon.com in hardcover, paperback, and kindle are set in stone. I am also going through Lulu Publishing to allow for eBooks in the pdf format since kindle is proprietary. I was planning to release hardcover and paperback with them too, but their print costs are insane. No one is going to pay $30 for a paperback. Regardless, I’ll be going forward with Lulu on all fronts merely with the hope that a library or two will pick up the copy. Also, my fingers are crossed that Lulu will live up to its promise and get the eBook to online retailers like Walmart, Target, Barnes and Noble, etc., as well as libraries. In the meantime, I’ll be looking into Barnes and Noble’s distribution program and IngramSpark for those physical copies. Hopefully those platforms can match Amazon’s price. Launch is February 1st, 2025 for all platforms.

Book Tour!

At the moment, I’m putting together a list of arts and crafts festivals and events to set up a booth this summer. I was planning on Polish Fest, but that’s way out of my price range. I’d have to sell a great many books to justify the cost of being a vendor. Smaller events around Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Racine are the way to go for now, but I have an ace up my sleeve. I’m fortunate enough to have a place in Waupaca County where I can not only escape the city, but also extend my marketing reach. With any luck, I’ll be able to make some appearances in Appleton, Green Bay, Oshkosh, and Fond Du Lac, and enjoy the North Woods afterwards.