The countdown to launch ended.
On Friday, May 27th Uly Quits His Job launched, and suddenly Uly was officially published.
The sound of fans rushing to bookstores was like a distant rumble of raging waters.
Hardcover books my readers had pre-ordered were delivered on launch day. At T-plus 14 days since the launch, Uly reached a milestone:
100 hardcover copies sold.
One-hundred-and-three actually.
This is fantastic. I am extraordinarily grateful.
I can dream big, but I have zero expectations.
I told Colleen McCubbin, my publisher at Siretona Creative, that I would not be satisfied if I only sold twelve books. I definitely wanted to sell at least 12.
Well, as far as I’m concerned, Uly launched in a big way.
So many of you who read my posts must be telling people about my book. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t have gotten such good news after only two weeks.
But sales aren’t everything.
In my book the character of Mrs. Lucy tells Uly, “Trust in the Lord.”
I’m telling you, it ain’t me. I fumbled around and did some stuff to get the word out.
The glory goes to God. May Uly Quits His Job be in the hands of each person who needs to read it.
Authors don’t write books for buyers. We write books for readers.
If you bought the book, I would love for you to pass it along to someone else to read it. I imagine people reading tattered, worn out, coffee-stained copies warped from having been dropped in a mud puddle.
Pass it along with a warning: “Watch out. Don’t sip your coffee while reading this. It’s spit-take funny!”
If you pass your copy along, let me know. I would love to hear from my readers.
“Was it in anger, Lᴏʀᴅ, that you struck the rivers and parted the sea?
Were you displeased with them?
No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!
You brandished your bow and your quiver of arrows.
You split open the earth with flowing rivers.
The mountains watched and trembled.
Onward swept the raging waters.”
—Habakkuk 3:8-10, New Living Translation
Photo caption: In the cover image above, a hardcover copy of my book is on the side of the road. In the story, Uly rides a bike on the side of the road for part of his journey. Credit: Travis Williams.
