Self-publishing a book takes an extraordinary amount of confidence. It’s no wonder that web forums and Facebook groups are filled with people who have deluded themselves into thinking that they’ve written the big one.

A common motivation amongst authors is the belief that someone will enjoy reading what’s been written. Applied over a long period of time spent in solitary isolation with no external assessment, it’s no wonder that there are so many mediocre books published.

I almost published a mediocre book. I didn’t think the manuscript of Framed needed an editor’s touch.

The editor I hired in late January ended up shortening my book by more than 3% while correcting a few gaffes. She taught this “professional writer” quite a bit about the fundamentals of English.

My blog post addresses:

• The importance of feedback

• The difficulty of securing beta readers

• My process for finding an editor and how much it cost

• Mistakes that my editor identified

• My views on editor subjectivity and correctness

• Whether it was “worth it”

The competition is stacking fake reviews 👀

Whether you believe this is a matter of good versus evil, red versus blue, Meta versus its users, your friend Tim O’Hearn against the world, or some other matchup, there is a conflict here, and I’m getting my ass kicked because I’m playing by the rules.

I will not buy fake reviews for Framed.

Unfortunately, my competitors’ pages are primed with bogus reviews. Ironically, it’s the same type of digital fakery that I addressed in my book.

Framed’s lack of reviews (social proof) hurts sales conversions. Fewer conversions means less exposure.

If you liked the book, leave a review on Amazon. If you want to reserve bragging rights for having read Framed prior to it reaching a wider audience, you can play a part in the book reaching that wider audience.

On Track

Next week, I have a few podcast interviews scheduled. I also anticipate that the IngramSpark proof will finally reach me and I’ll be able to release the book for wide distribution!

Also, I’m happy to announce that I’m getting back to sportswriting! I’ll be covering World Indoors in Nanjing, China from the comfort of my windowless apartment here in the West Village. I’ll be writing for FanSided, and by the time you read this my first article might be published.

Fans of running will have something else to enjoy very soon…