Dear Friends,

Have you ever thought of writing a book? …My personal experience three years later…. & The release of my NPR Podcast!

I took the leap three years ago when I published my true story: “The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told – A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and The Mexican Cartel”

Book Trailer: (57 seconds – 400,000 Downloads)

How do I feel about the authorship experience three years later and what lessons have I learned?

• The writing and recreating of the adventure I experienced at age 32 was a joy! Each morning at 6 A.M. for five months I started throwing myself into the creative process. After spending 60 years focused on my career and raising a family – doing something imaginative, creative, and new was a life altering moment for me.
• The research for a non- fiction book was tedious, as was learning how to properly write dialogue, and use adjectives properly.
• The hardest part was, and still is, taking criticism and reading poor reviews. I learned it is far easier to be a critic than to be a writer.
• I would recommend it – if you enjoy the writing process and won’t judge your book’s success on how it changes your readers – but rather on how it changes you, the author.
• More articles on my writing experience, book information and photo gallery can be found on my author web site blog pages: https://markpaulauthor.com/

Other advice on writing?

• Hire professionals! You will need a professional editor, a professional publishing company (likely paid by you), and a professional graphic artist for your book cover.
• The single most important necessity is someone to be your early reader(s) as you write. These people will have to be supportive, and honest at the same time. I was lucky to have my wife, Renee, who read countless hours of countless versions of each chapter while giving me the hard-edged advice I desperately needed to improve the work, all wrapped in loving support and encouragement (apparently my understanding of female characters was limited).

When I published my book, my goal was not to embarrass myself, and sell 1,000 copies. In three years the book has now sold 45,000 copies (top 1% of all self- published books) and reached #1 in 10 Amazon Book Categories.