Someone asked me what book my own book Feels Like the First Time is the most like. I really had to think about that. I can't come up with many non-fiction books that deal with romance and falling in love, other than advice books. My book is definitely not an advice book, except maybe as a cautionary tale of what happens when things get out of control in our lives at a very young age.
I've always thought that FLTFT is most like fictional romances, like Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook. Young lovers, separated by fate and disapproving parents, eventually find each other and realize their love is still strong.
When it comes to non-fiction, my mental cupboard is a bit more bare. The only example I can really think of is Richard Bach's Bridge Across Forever. I know there are mixed opinions about Richard Bach and his books these days, but he is still an author I admire very much.
He vaulted into the publishing spotlight in 1970 with the publication of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He sold one million copies of Jonathan that first year. I suppose the pop psychology and new age spirituality of the book seems a little dated to most of us 43 years later, but it still extols many ideas that I believe are true. It was also the first "adult" book I ever read. I could feel my consciousness and world view expand with every page.
His next book was Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. If Jonathan expanded my horizons, Illusions felt like it opened whole new worlds to me. It was the story of two men who flew biplanes across the heartland of America, pondering the meaning of life. To say it changed my life is not an exaggeration. Growing up in a tiny town in rural Washington State, I didn't have a lot of opportunity to find alternative world viewpoints, but Illusions showed me I could find that between the pages of a book. I've been doing so ever since.
In 1984, he published The Bridge Across Forever. It told the story of his love affair and marriage to Leslie Parrish. I thought it was a lovely book, although the last time I read it I had the distinct impression that Mr. Bach didn't come off as a sympathetic character even in his own book. Still, I thought it was an honest and fascinating glimpse into the life and love of an iconic writer.
The bloom came off the rose a little bit when Mr. Bach and Ms. Parrish divorced in 1997. I'm sure it was difficult and painful for both of them to declare themselves soul mates over the course of several hundred pages only to divorce after just a few years. Fans seemed to desert both the book and the author, feeling betrayed, I suppose. I had a different take, as usual. I never hung my belief in soul mates on a couple I read about in a book. I hung it on my belief in my own soul mate, which is still strong.
In any case, I think Bridge is the closest thing I've found to my own book. That's one of the reasons I elected to pursue independent publishing without even attempting to be traditionally published. The big publishers like books that they can say is "The next... whatever." Feels Like the First Time didn't really feel like the next... anything., except itself.
At this juncture, I am very glad I followed the publishing route I did. I don't talk about sales very much, because I don't think it matters all that much, but sales of the book improved each of the first three months it was out. Then it tripled in January and doubled again in February. Dawn and I feel so blessed that so many people have found their way to our story and have taken the time to read it and get in touch with us.
Also, please don't forget: If you haven't joined my New Release Newsletter, which gives you a chance to win a new Kindle Fire HD, you can enter by dropping me a quick line using the "Contact Shawn" box just above and to the right. I will never sell your email address, and I will only use it to send you notifications when I have a new book or story coming out.
I've always thought that FLTFT is most like fictional romances, like Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook. Young lovers, separated by fate and disapproving parents, eventually find each other and realize their love is still strong.
When it comes to non-fiction, my mental cupboard is a bit more bare. The only example I can really think of is Richard Bach's Bridge Across Forever. I know there are mixed opinions about Richard Bach and his books these days, but he is still an author I admire very much.
He vaulted into the publishing spotlight in 1970 with the publication of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He sold one million copies of Jonathan that first year. I suppose the pop psychology and new age spirituality of the book seems a little dated to most of us 43 years later, but it still extols many ideas that I believe are true. It was also the first "adult" book I ever read. I could feel my consciousness and world view expand with every page.
His next book was Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. If Jonathan expanded my horizons, Illusions felt like it opened whole new worlds to me. It was the story of two men who flew biplanes across the heartland of America, pondering the meaning of life. To say it changed my life is not an exaggeration. Growing up in a tiny town in rural Washington State, I didn't have a lot of opportunity to find alternative world viewpoints, but Illusions showed me I could find that between the pages of a book. I've been doing so ever since.
In 1984, he published The Bridge Across Forever. It told the story of his love affair and marriage to Leslie Parrish. I thought it was a lovely book, although the last time I read it I had the distinct impression that Mr. Bach didn't come off as a sympathetic character even in his own book. Still, I thought it was an honest and fascinating glimpse into the life and love of an iconic writer.
The bloom came off the rose a little bit when Mr. Bach and Ms. Parrish divorced in 1997. I'm sure it was difficult and painful for both of them to declare themselves soul mates over the course of several hundred pages only to divorce after just a few years. Fans seemed to desert both the book and the author, feeling betrayed, I suppose. I had a different take, as usual. I never hung my belief in soul mates on a couple I read about in a book. I hung it on my belief in my own soul mate, which is still strong.
In any case, I think Bridge is the closest thing I've found to my own book. That's one of the reasons I elected to pursue independent publishing without even attempting to be traditionally published. The big publishers like books that they can say is "The next... whatever." Feels Like the First Time didn't really feel like the next... anything., except itself.
At this juncture, I am very glad I followed the publishing route I did. I don't talk about sales very much, because I don't think it matters all that much, but sales of the book improved each of the first three months it was out. Then it tripled in January and doubled again in February. Dawn and I feel so blessed that so many people have found their way to our story and have taken the time to read it and get in touch with us.
Also, please don't forget: If you haven't joined my New Release Newsletter, which gives you a chance to win a new Kindle Fire HD, you can enter by dropping me a quick line using the "Contact Shawn" box just above and to the right. I will never sell your email address, and I will only use it to send you notifications when I have a new book or story coming out.
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