Friday was a bit of a quiet celebration day around here.

First, it was Friday and that always puts a spring in my step.

Second, my young adult gamer geek mystery, Ganked was officially released into the world as an ebook. The print edition will follow in mid-November.

I say it was a “quiet celebration” because Ganked was released without much fanfare or rafflecoptering giveaways, blog hops or well, much of anything really. It just kinda became “available”. And I couldn’t be happier.

After publishing 30-odd books and participating in my fair share of book launch parties and signings, I’ve decided a quiet book launch is the way to go in this very noisy world. And it’s not because I’m becoming a crusty old writer.

Why Launching Quietly Works for Me

1. Writing quietly doesn’t make me (or you) cringe

If you’re like me, you immediately shut down the moment you smell a marketing message. In this new world of self-publishing, marketing your book has become a full time job for many writers. And while I’m not an “I just want to write” prima donna, I’m also not a “promote, promote, promote” huckster either. I’m somewhere in between.

I want you to know about my books, but I’m not going to spend my valuable writing time trying to shout over the noise of endless marketing we endure. It makes me wither inside and it just wouldn’t work. Readers will find my books without me hosting a party at a local bar or library or endlessly tweeting deals and giveaways for the next month.

2. You know you better than I know you

I want you to buy my books, but only if you really want to.  Only if you think it’s something you, your kids or your students will enjoy.

As a teacher, I spend all day trying to match kids with books they will love. I know it is a very personal choice and no amount of marketing from an author, publisher  or teacher will make a kid sit down and read. It might make them pick the book up, but if the story isn’t an ideal match, it’s game over.

I don’t want to waste your time with a song and dance about my book, when you’re the one who will know best.

3. Welders don’t have parties when they do their job

I write. That’s my job. I don’t deserve a party for doing my job.

Sure, writing is an art, but it’s also a craft. I have an idea, I sit down and write it in a way that is entertaining. Done. Like a carpenter or a welder, I go through steps until I’m done. Then I move on to the next project.

That’s what I’m doing now. I’ve got book 2 in the Geeked Out Mysteries series outline and will dive into the first draft next week. This week, I’m putting the final touches to Pixelhead, the third story in my Tech Tales series of ebooks for reluctant readers. In December, I’m hoping the contract wrangling on two projects with traditional publishers will be done and I can get cracking on those books too.

All causes for celebration, but more in the way of “put your feet up on a Friday night” kind of way.

Don’t Worry, I’ll still try to sell you my books

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I’ll never do a free giveaway,  blog hop or promote my books on social media. In fact, I’m giving away copies of the Ganked ebook to my amazing Reading Change subscribers. Just sign up by the end of this month to grab your copy. (See what I did there? That’s marketing!)

I’m just saying, that I’d rather be writing my next book than marketing my current one. And I’m guessing you’d prefer it that way, too.

In the mean time, if you felt the need to tell the world about a brand new Young Adult mystery about online video games, murder and all around geekiness, go right ahead. Those Share! links below are there for a reason.

😉