Note: Before I go any further, if you’re a new author please, please, please get scrivener and sigil when you are publishing. Also, never submit an .epub to Smashwords. Just use Scrivener to export a .doc and let Smashwords handle the rest. I learned this the hard way.
Reddit. Some love it, some hate it but I’ve grown to see past its posts to the heart of its users. I wanted to market From Boardroom To Blackbox on multiple forums, but I held my digital hand. Why would I want to market a book that I knew helped me? Why not offer it as a gift to those I know it could help? So I decided to post my free book elsewhere. Final stop? R/Acting. I didn’t offer it as an author, a voice actress or a corporate PM gone rogue, but as a woman who was so sick of corporate America’s white collar circus. Someone who was lucky to get out while I could with my sanity intact and show others they could do the same leap if they wanted to.
The results were astounding. I wept when the community pushed me high on Amazon’s metrics and I humbly gave more books away for free for people who DM’d me requests for a copy. The voice was clear; many people who surf reddit hate their jobs and they want a way out. So many project managers, engineers, producers and assistants pinged me, thanking me that I was a light at the end of their tunnel. A few asked questions about my first steps and how I’m living now. Others professed kinsman-ship that someone else went from golden handcuffs to creative filthiness. Why? Life called.
I know I’m getting started, but I’d like this to be a reminder that life is too short to punch a clock you hate. Maybe thinking and doing different can make life different. It’s a possibility if one wants it enough. I know I did. So thank you, reddit. Thank you for believing in my goal to no longer work for ‘The Man’ and I also thank you for showing a nobody love. This is what makes little guys great.
So to quote that 90s band Space Hog, in the meantime…well, on October 8, 2017, From Boardroom To Blackbox will be available on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, IBook and Nook for 2.99. Preorders are available now.
Not bad for a scrappy PM primer! Thank you again, reddit. I appreciate you.