26 Comments
Apr 2, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

Thanks for sharing this insight, Brian. Aside from the valuable knowledge for others contemplating writing and publishing (🙋‍♀️), you’ve hit on a key factor that I think we need to consider more purposefully: to create community, not a social media presence.

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Apr 2, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

Brian, thank you for the transparency regarding your book, book sales, etc. It’s such a great behind-the-scenes look at the process and demands of self-publishing, too. But most importantly, congratulations on all your successes! I’m pumped for you! You’ll have to let us know how the author fair goes when it rolls around.

What’s one thing a student said that stuck with you? I think it’s so cool you were able to read and discuss your book with middle schoolers!

Take care, and best wishes with the roll out of your novel. I’m excited to hear about your journey!

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Apr 2, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

Really interesting post Brian, and thanks for your continuing transparency about your publishing efforts and success. A buddy of mine who has sole 3000 copies of a book on Amazon (your mode) tells me that after a slow few opening months, sales really picked up. I hope we’ll hear the same from you. As for the office ... oh boy, what a can of worms.

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Apr 2, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

As someone who was not only able to WFH right at the height of the pandemic, it still BOGGLES my mind that here I am in 2023 where I transitioned internally in the company from the West to the East coast and it was all done with the understanding that WFH would be permanent. In my case it initially was a no-brainer. The company I work for is housed in several "upper floors" in the WTC building #3? I honestly don't know which building it is because I moved to the West coast before THAT transition came. Anywho, I'm sure they weighed the cost (which was cheap at the time of purchase since, as you can imagine, NO ONE wanted to move to what is still considered "a gravesite") of keeping 20+ floors for all of us vs letting maybe half of them go when the lease was up. Why YES I'll take that raise. Thanks!

All this to say, they have begun a soft launch of opening up the offices. However, they aren't "yet" making it a requirement. The department I work for understands that my commute (if I knew how to drive, which I don't) would be 3.5hrs by car and 5+hrs by bus. So yeah, I won't ever be coming into the office. But no one in my dept has to! It's a "hush-hush" if it's ever discovered by other more stringent depts that we just don't have to cause we work best in a quiet environment and not in a communal space. I could go on an on. But I feel your pain and shudder to think what will happen when we move (which we are looking to do within the year) to a location that will be a 30-45min train commute for me into Manhattan! I'm thinking I won't tell anyone and hope they don't notice when I update my address? lol

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Apr 2, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

Thanks Brian. I agree with you about social media. But, I do still have my Linkedin and Twitter from the days I was in consulting. I think I got a few sales because I kept the people I know in the loop as I wrote my book. I published scenes on Substack and keep my Linkedin and Twitter people in the loop but that was only because of my professional career.

Now that I am basically retired, I am focusing completely on Substack for my writing. No social media or submitting to journals. I love the interaction and support I am getting here on substack.

My book sales are similar to yours, I have no desire to get rich as an author.

Good luck with your book!

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Apr 2, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

That’s a really cool insight, thanks for sharing. I like this idea of ‘Connectors’.

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Apr 3, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

It's so exciting that you got to do the middle school reading! I bet the kids loved it! Not so exciting about having to commute again... Good luck on your novel writing!!

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Apr 3, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

Thanks for these updates, Brian. I’m still chasing publication in The Paris Review, the New Yorker, and McSweeneys (ha!), but I’m very envious of the community of readers you’ve built and your business plan. I hope you discover your success only grows from here. Perhaps, like a mustard seed? And that your words gain more eyes than the cherry blossoms I’m taking my kids to marvel at later today.

Super cool you got to read at school! And your cover is killer. I once bought a book at a farmer’s market based on the title.

I, too, am hoping to work on something longform. We’ll see. I’ve found it’s not easy to get started. It’s also not easy to keep going!

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Apr 2, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

I feel your pain about working from home vs the office. My office switched back to a hybrid schedule months ago and my commute is also over an hour :-( I guess I shouldn't complain because it could be worse. But I love getting those 2-3 hours of commute time back.

Thanks for sharing the details about publishing your book. I'm hoping to embark on a similar project with my own book and it's great to learn from someone who has been down that road already. Good luck with the book!

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Apr 2, 2023Liked by Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

You rule, Brian. 👍🔥💫

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