You learn a lot from your first novel. When I wrote this two years ago, I had thirty-five years to think about the topic. Surprisingly or depressingly, the topic was still relevant today. I published the book because I believed in its message and not because I hoped to make a career out of writing.
As an independent author, you could not choose a more difficult path to supporting yourself. When you are author, editor, publisher, marketer and so on, it is an all consuming task. And not one conducive to fostering the creative juices and focus necessary to churn out meaningful and entertaining fiction.
Thankfully, I was retired for several years and able to bang out not only What Can One Man Do? but also the next three books in the series in one form or another. Then came the call. A new job beckoned, and I reluctantly rejoined the workforce.
The one thing all retirees understand is, you can never have enough retirement savings. Once you start spending it, the water going out the bottom of the bucket is always greater than what is coming in. So, I took advantage of this offer and decided to put a bit more water in the bucket before returning to retirement.
While I was grateful for this opportunity to pad the savings, it coincided with the publishing of my first novel. Sadly, what that meant was I did not have the time to properly promote and market my book. So I did the only thing I could: keep writing. Over the course of the next two years, nearly every night, I wrote and edited what are now the next three novels in the America at the Brink series.
I continued to hone the craft of storytelling. A job that will never be finished. At least I hope not! What it also enabled me to do, was step away from the first novel I had invested so much time and energy into. After awhile, with a dispassionate eye, along with some timely editing advice from a colleague, i revisited the first novel.
In this retrospective edit of the first book, I was able to remove a hundred pages of wonderful, but unnecessary prose. I also learned a lot about the schizophrenic nature of being an independent author. When to take off the author hat, and pull out the editor’s scalpel. To groan as you must cut some of your favorite scenes or dialogue, that while great, do not move the story forward.
It also helps you understand that every chapter, paragraph, sentence, and even word, serves a distinct purpose in moving your story forward. If it does not, it has to go. The result is a better story and growth as a writer. Something we should all be striving for whether it is a novel or an email.
I present to you, the second edition of What Can One Man Do?. With new cover art and in a hardcover edition along with the paperback and Kindle versions. This book is now available everywhere books are sold online. The story is unchanged and the ending the same.
For those of you who purchased the first edition, I thank you. It is my belief the journey is now more enjoyable, suspenseful, and exciting. I am not saying it is worth a second purchase, but maybe convince your library to buy a copy and read the third part of the novel again. For those of you, who are starting with the second edition, you will reap the benefit of fewer words, faster pacing, and a more satisfying and surprising ending. Enjoy.
Eric
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