I received a text today that a book I sent to New York City did not arrive. You are probably thinking, the Postal system strikes again. Perhaps, but the envelope arrived, and the book Leaving Cleveland, enclosed, did not. Did someone steal the book? Or did the book envelope fail, and the glue came undone. I was flattered to think someone would go through the trouble to steal my book, but it is under further investigation. A trip to the post office revealed that, most likely, the glue came undone, and the book fell out at the NYC mail facility.

Why does this even matter? You ask?

I sent out this book to my NYC contact because she informed me that a writer for the New York Times is interested in reading my book. I will not reveal their name, but I can tell you this person is well known in the photography/culture circles. Of course, nothing may come of this interest, but what have I got to lose? I guess the loss of a book.

What is new in the world of Leaving Cleveland and it’s Author?

I have been creating more video reviews of my book and am up to 21 five-star reviews, 1 four-star review, and 1 one-star ( no check or name, just someone trying to undermine my book’s success. I have recorded 5 reviews thus far, and my goal is to record all of them by year’s end.

You can go to my YouTube channel, Leaving Cleveland, to watch all the videos; just click on this Link to see all the videos, and while you are there, subscribe to keep up with the latest from Leaving Cleveland.

Chutzpa is a Yiddish world meaning ” crazy” courage.

Those who know me know I can get crazy with Chutzpa. For example, I contacted Barnes and Noble in Manhattan on Fifth Ave. I thought since I had a successful book signing in Denver at the B&N, surely the 5th Ave store would want me. I will be traveling to NYC at the end of this month to drop my daughter off at college, and since I am there… Well, the good news is they got back to me right away; the bad news is the person said that unless I can guarantee 200 people showing up for the book signing, it would not happen. Knowing that taxes and death are the only guarantees, I had to be honest and say, ” I am not sure.” She did say I should try other bookstores in Manhattan, an excellent way to leave the discussion. That is the definition of Chutzpah.

How’s It Going?

That question often arises when people ask me how the book Leaving Cleveland sells. My only reply is, ” I don’t know.” I have learned that you must wait four months to receive your first royalty check when you publish a book on Amazon. Since my book came out on April 12, 2023, I imagine I will know by the second week of this month. It is not a best seller yet, but it has consistent rankings. What does ranking mean? Here is where it gets crazy. So my book Leaving Cleveland has been averaging a ranking of 500k and as low as 80k, and as depressing as that sounds, it is pretty good on Amazon. For instance, the book Zombie is ranked at 1.5 million. There are millions of readers on Amazon.

If you have read the book, review and rate the book.

Please get the word out to friends, book clubs, and local bookstores. If I hit 25 four-star reviews on Amazon, I can sell the Kindle version of the book for $2.99; I am three reviews away from that goal.

Thank you for subscribing and taking the time to read my blog, Leaving Cleveland. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments.

Peace

Steven