Dear Readers and Friends,
Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there, and especially to Dog Dads.
As you can see, I’m headed to Washington, DC soon for some book signings and also visits to bookstores. Wish me luck! As any introverted author will tell you, selling books is no easy task.
It’s also not easy to be an indie publisher. You have to work twice as hard to get anyone to notice your book. Like I mentioned in a previous newsletter, I contacted about 200 bookstores in March to ask them to stock my novel and had luck with several across the U.S. Since then, I’ve encountered many snubs by bookstores because my book is not published by one of the major five publishers. I feel like I’m being penalized or my book has been designated a clunker even though they haven’t read it or the book is being taken less seriously because of the publishing path I’ve chosen. It’s at times like this that I remember the following poem.
DON’T QUIT
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must—but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twist and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow—
You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late, when night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint to the clouds of doubt—
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
To stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
Fortunately, I’m not one to give up or I would’ve quit a long time ago.
In other news, I am still waiting for Audible to approve my audiobook, however, it can now be purchased through the following vendors:
Kobo/Walmart
Storytel
NOOK audiobooks
LIBRO.FM
GOOGLE PLAY
I also lowered the price of my books. The hardcover, paperback and e-book are still available from:
Amazon,
Barnes & Noble,
and Bookshop.org
Hardcover $27.95 – Paperback $17.95 – e-book $9.99 Audiobook – $15.00
Here is what another reviewer wrote about my book:
“Joan Kop’s The Spy from Beijing is a masterfully crafted espionage thriller, rich with suspense and unexpected turns. It immerses the reader in the frigid, perilous realm of international intelligence—a world inhabited by individuals who willingly embrace a life defined by secrecy, risk, and brain gamesmanship. Kop humanizes her spies, revealing them not as faceless operatives, but as complex individuals whose extraordinary choices set them apart. Through realistic dialogue and astute narrative insight, the novel invites reflection on contemporary geopolitical tensions, the looming challenges posed by biotechnology, and the resurgence of authoritarianism. The Spy from Beijing is not only a gripping read, but also a thought-provoking exploration of our modern world.”
The best way you can support me is to write an honest review. Positive reviews help a lot to sell more books.
Thank you as always for all your kind notes and messages!
Until next time…
All best,
JOAN M KOP
