The Prequel To My Debut Novel
Get it for free!
Hello there,
So as you probably already know, I will be publishing my debut novel this year.
It’s going to be out in a few months, and I finally have a title for it.
“THE STORIES AROUND US”.
In due time I will be releasing more information, but right now it’s still in the early stages of being written.
HOWEVER…
Before that time comes, I want to give you:
The Prequel To: The Stories Around Us.
It’s a short collection of FIVE STORIES that have already been published in this newsletter.
Which means you’ve probably read all of them before, unless you’re a new subscriber.
However, I’ve gone through the stories again, revised and edited them, and I believe I’ve improved the overall quality of all the narratives.
So if you enjoyed reading them the first time, you’ll definitely enjoy reading them again.
And if you haven’t read them before, even better.
This book has been formatted into a PDF file, so you can read it on your phone or laptop whenever you want to.
It’s also completely FREE for you to get.
Think of this Prequel as my little gift to you as we gradually prepare for the release of my debut novel.
The stories in this little collection are:
- A Tale of My Many Loves.
- A Mother’s Love.
- Big Boys Don’t Cry.
- The Beach & A Beautiful Stranger.
- Always & Forever.
Before we go further, let me make some clarifications.
This is only a Prequel containing already released stories, not the actual novel itself.
I don’t want to divulge too many details yet, but “The Stories Around Us” will contain about 12 original stories that haven’t (and won’t) be published anywhere else.
While I’m giving out this Prequel totally free of charge, the novel itself will be available for purchase after publishing.
If you have any further questions, let me know.
Why am I doing this?
You may ask.
Well, I’ll be honest with you:
First Reason: For The Experience.
Writing is hard.
Writing a book and getting it ready for publication and marketing? Even harder.
I’d already gotten a lot of theoretical knowledge on the scope of the process in the past few months, so this was my chance to put them into practice.
Releasing this prequel helps me to experiment, make mistakes, and learn new things so that when it’s time for the novel to be out, I know the areas that will need improvement.
So this is like me dipping my toe into the pool to gauge the temperature of the water before I dive into it with all my might.
You get what I mean.
Second Reason: Pre-Marketing
If you’ve been following me for a while and you’ve read my stories before, you probably have a fair idea of how good (or bad) my writing is, depending on your perspective.
However, there are still a lot of people out there who don’t know this, and if I want my book to do well by industry parameters (sales, reviews, audience reach, etc.), then I have to start my marketing early.
That’s exactly the purpose of this book.
My major aim is to reach more people OUTSIDE of Substack, and that’s why I’m counting on YOU to help me.
I really appreciate those of you that always share my posts with your friends.
I see the stats all the time, and it’s really humbling (encouraging too).
I figured that since it’s already hard enough to get people to click links/join newsletters, this prequel will make it easier for you and me to spread the word.
Now when I meet someone and they want to read any of my stories, rather than send them a link or multiple links, I’ll just send them this book.
Easy.
Five stories should ideally be enough for anybody to decide if they like what I like or not.
If they do, then that’s another potential reader for The Stories Among Us.
If they don’t, well, they can easily share the book with someone who might.
Win-Win.
This is exactly what I want YOU to do for ME.
I want you to share this book with your friends, coursemates, family members, exes, enemies, neighbours, group chats… everybody.
People you know that LOVE to read.
I may not have hundreds of millions of Naira to throw into marketing campaigns and wide-scale ads, but I have each and every one of YOU.
I believe that there’s no greater form of marketing than word-of-mouth and referrals, and I believe in the power of community.
That’s why I’m asking that you spread the word.
You can post it on your stories, embed the book in your newsletters, share it over AirDrop/Bluetooth/Xender (does that still exist?), anything and everything.
Marketing as a self-publisher is a lot of difficult work, trust me.
You can set a personal target of just getting at least ONE person to read it; that could go a longer way than you think.
If you know someone who likes reading stories, just send it to them.
And God will bless you as you do so.
The Prequel To: The Stories Around Us-
If you can’t download it directly from this post, then you can get it for FREE on Selar:
If you’re looking forward to The Stories Around Us and you want to get firsthand information on the release date, pre-order discounts, bonus stories, etc.
You should join the waitlist here:
It’s a WhatsApp channel, but don’t worry; I have no plan to send any messages unless there’s something important to share.
As a channel member, you will be given “preferential treatment” when it comes to everything related to the book, because I’ll assume that you’re looking forward to reading it when it comes out.
You’ll also get the chance to be part of the creation process.
When I’m confused with character names or cover selection or story titles, I’ll put up polls, and you’ll get to share your opinions on what you think is the best.
Sounds good, yeah?
Feel free to join the channel and to also share it with the voracious book lovers that you know.
Finally, I will also be accepting any generous donations that will be geared toward making this book a success.
I’ve been putting money aside for my book for months now because I know that as possible as it is to do all this for $0, I’m going to have to invest money in it to make it be a success.
That’s totally fine by me because this is my biggest project for the year, and by God’s grace I’m willing to do all I can to make it happen.
Anyways, if you want to make a “donation” of any amount, use this link below:
Do so only out of the goodwill of your heart.
There will be zero hard feelings if you don’t.
Whatever proceeds are made will go towards editing, proofreading, marketing, and maybe even toward making physical copies of the book available.
Who knows? As for me, I’m thinking as big as possible, and I’ll be thrilled if you decide to think big with me.
Thank you, as always, for all the support!
You are the best.
That’s all for now.
I hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.
I also hope that you share the book with as many people as you possibly can.
I’m looking forward to seeing how the next few months pan out, and I’m glad to know that you’ll be here with me on the way.
If you have any comments, questions, ideas, suggestions, or anything at all related to writing or marketing or my upcoming novel, feel free to leave a comment or send me a direct message here on Substack.
Peace! (Happy Easter, Jesus Loves You, like it or not.)
This is so beautiful and deeply motivating 🥹🤍
Congratulations. So proud of you, coming from a little internet stranger like me 😂🎊🤍
Congratulations ooo