All Books Go to Heaven

Anne’s book proposal was accepted by a small publisher. They printed and distributed 500 copies, and that was the end of it. But those books found readers, and some of those readers enjoyed the story.

Bill wrote a book that didn’t quite fit into a well-defined category, and so it went largely unnoticed. Still, a few strangers appreciated the novel concept.

Cara published a controversial book. Several non-readers stoned her book with bad reviews. Yet many people who opposed the opinions of the stoners still read the book supported it.

Dave made a simple, humble cover for his book, which didn’t attract much attention. However, those who read it learned some valuable lessons.

Erin’s writing had some grammatical mistakes, but she couldn’t afford an editor. Still, those who read the book were amazed by the vivid characterization.

Finn felt personally attacked by a negative review and couldn’t refrain from commenting on it. Unfortunately, this attracted a mob of negative reviews. Sales continued, albeit much less frequently, and many of the customers experienced very passionate emotions while reading it.

Gwen didn’t realize that her book was selling for twice the average price of similar books. Yet the brave customers who invested in her book found it very useful.

Hank’s title didn’t seem to fit the genre. But his readers laughed several times during the book.

Inga couldn’t find the courage to share her work with the whole world. However, her family cherished it wholeheartedly.

John wrote his book in Pig Latin, which deterred many potential customers. But some readers who spoke Pig Latin fluently enjoyed the chance to apply their knowledge.

A book doesn’t have to be a bestseller, or have a fantastic cover, or be traditionally published, or have hundreds of five-star reviews, or be written with Pulitzer-Prize style, or be praised by a major newspaper – in order to be a good book. A book can humbly achieve a much milder form of success and still be a good book.

A book is something that an author is sharing with the world. The book may share experience, it may share powerful emotions, it may share vivid characters, it may share a great plot, it may share helpful instructions, it may share much creativity – there are so many wonderful things that a book can share. A reader somewhere just needs to appreciate something that the book is sharing, and that book will go to Book Heaven.

The better the writing and editing, the better the sharing. The better the cover, blurb, and marketing, the more people the book is shared with. There are ways to increase and improve the sharing.

Writers do the sharing, with hopes of readers who will do the caring.

The better the sharing, the more the caring.

Share a few books. Care for many books. But try not to scare them.

All of the people described in this blog post are fictional characters. Any resemblance to real authors or books is purely coincidental.

Chris McMullen, self-published author of A Detailed Guide to Self-Publishing with Amazon and Other Online Booksellers

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