One Year Later and My Blog to Book Project is a Bestseller!

So I’m humble, grateful, and dancing my little arse off!

Yes, indeedy, Sweetie! I did it!

Not by myself. I had a lot of help from my friends. But still!

My new book went live on Amazon Sunday, August first, selling 96 copies!

Ninja Writers Guide to Character Development: Creative Blogging got its start right here on Humor! Authenticity! Magic! As my response to BYOB — the Blog Your Own Book challenge.

Or in my case, Blog your Own Bestseller! Cause it is, at the moment anyway. The moment being day two. Amazingly, it’s now — as of this writing — number one in three Kindle categories — Authorship, Writing Skill Reference (Kindle Store), and Two-Hour Education & Reference Short Reads!

I’m not usually this braggadocious. But it’s not every day I write a blog that turns into a book that becomes a bestseller. And it may never happen again.

So I’m tooting my own horn!

Yippy! Woo Hoo! Hip, hip, hooray! For she’s a jolly good writer! For she’s a jolly good writer! For she’s a jolly good wri-ter, which nobody can deny!!!

Well, you can, but at least read my first review before you do.

Yes the icing on the cake, I get the best review any writer could wish for. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be reading this!

I have never read a book so fast!

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2021, 5.0 out of 5 stars

Are you a writer? If you are, or you want to be, let me tell you — this guide book is not just helpful, it’s also hilarious. It’s a quick little read, with gems of information and brilliantly funny examples — and I think it’s fabulous.

It’s on sale right now for just under a buck, and I think it’s totally worth it! I have so many ideas for character development now, and ideas for blogging, too, and I’m so glad to have both! It’s like 2 birds with one stone, but no birds were harmed during the making of this book. If I could give it 10 stars, I would.

Thank you, Jessica S Rose! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

None of this would have happened without some key friends and mentors in my life.

First and foremost is called Ninja Writers extraordinaire, Shaunta Grimes. It was all her fault.

I say all her fault because one day in July of last year, she casually threw out the idea of BYOB, Blog Your Own Book. She planned to write a series of stand-alone posts she could turn into a book. She would post every day in August on her topic, which was How to Become a Writer.

Then she’d compile and edit the posts in September, and publish them as a short ebook in October. And that’s what she did. She also posted about the process, inviting all her friends and readers to join her.

And join we did!

The idea resonated with many of us, spreading quickly through Ninja ranks. In late July we started planning our posts so we could hit the ground running — or, should I say, writing.

Right away I knew what I wanted to do here with my BYOB — blog as the characters in the novel I’m editing. I’d already done three of four posts from their point of view.

I took an issue from 2 Sexy 4 My Church — teens and sex — and had Pastor Sterling take one side, and his wife the other, just like they do in the novel. A conflict that heightens the issues in their problematic relationship. Like his extramarital affair.

Not surprisingly, he advocates answering any questions the youth ask, ranting about the side effects of inaccurate information. His wife, Wendy, waxes long and hard on promoting abstinence. See the double entendre there? These pieces were fun to write.

I knew I could mine my novel for enough issues to keep these rants and diatribes going back and forth for an entire month. Easily. I even mapped out 31 potential posts, even though the topics shifted based on discoveries I made as the month unfolded.

Those discoveries included a weekly post where I described my process in terms of the gold I minded to use in revising my novel. Those nuggets included nuances of character voice, new layers of plot subtext, and the delicious beauty of emotional triangles.

What to do with the finished pieces?

At first, I wasn’t aiming for a book. A PDF to use as an opt-in to invite sign-ups for my growing email list was more my speed. But then…

Shaunta followed our progress with growing support and interest. At about that same time, she unfolded her vision for a series of guides for writers on a variety of topics, including grammar, punctuation, and character development.

My blogs fit for character development.

So I queried Ninja Writers Press when the call for submissions went out. Shaunta invited me to submit a proposal including market research, and a sample chapter. I got busy, and with lots of help from writing coach and fellow Ninja, Meg Stewart, who’s brilliant with SEO, my proposal passed muster!

Meg’s on the Ninja Writers Team and was assigned to manage this project. Together we edited and formatted the book. Debra McElroy copy-edited it, and in December, we submitted it.

Turns out the gestation period was a fitting nine months. I kept busy working on my novel edits and blogging another series about doing what’s on your bucket list. That’s now in process as another short ebook, so heads up!

And of course, blogging and poeting like crazy here on Medium.

All the work is paying off. I’m so proud. So humbly grateful as I never could have done this on my own. Creative Blogging would not be ranking so high were it not for promotional support from Shaunta.

My email list has 80 people on it. Hers has 22K! One of the values of blogging. Building a community of folks who like and support our work.

So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! I hardly slept last night cause I had to keep pinching myself to make sure it was for real. It is! Wow! I’ve written a book and people are reading it, laughing and learning!

How cool is that? Very, very, very to the tenth power cool! And that’s pretty cool!

Here’s how to do the thing you think you’re too old or scared to do.

Marilyn Flower is a sacred fool who writes fiction, poetry, and blogs, inspired by the practice of SoulCollage®. Her books: Developing Characters: Fun Ways to Cast Your Fiction, Creative Blogging, Bucket Listers. Follow her Sacred Foolishness or SoulCollage® for Writers, and Stay in touch!