J. Todd Scott

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The Business

Happy Trails

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It has been an amazing month!

With the release of THE FAR EMPTY, I’ve finally taken my first step forward as a “professional author,” and realized a life-long dream.

It’s been everything I could have imagined and more.

Now, however, the real work begins. The reception so far to the book has been generous: I’ve had great reviews, steady sales, and plenty of interest in the world I’m creating in the Big Bend. But I came back from the book tour to find the first pass pages for HIGH WHITE SUN, the sequel, all ready for me to review, and I’ve been buried under the last few days getting that done. Similarly, I’ve been working steadily away on the third book. The secret to real success is not publishing a book, but publishing the next one, and the one after that.

That’s why I said I’ve only taken the first step, and there are many, many more to go.

For the next few months, I’m going to focus on getting Books 2 and 3 out the door, and I hope to be mercifully quiet (although based on a blog post I wrote for a national book club, there’s some serious interest in my “whale music”). If you’ve signed up for my newsletter, I will be getting out something there, and any huge updates in the coming months I’ll post up here; otherwise, it’s simply back to the grindstone. If you’ve read and enjoyed THE FAR EMPTY, please let me know – I love to hear it – and please throw up a review on Amazon or Goodreads. If you didn’t like it, well that’s fine, too…

I appreciate everyone who has helped, supported, and cheered me on along the way. I’ve tried to thank each of you personally, but if I’ve left someone out, the fault is all mine. As eager as I was to get THE FAR EMPTY out into the world, I’m equally eager to share HIGH WHITE SUN with you. In some ways, I think it’s a better book (it’s definitely a different one), and that’s really what being a serious author is all about: making each book better than your last.

That’s what I’m trying to do.

All the best, and I’ll see you on the trail – JTS

Not One Complaint

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This time next week, my debut novel will be out. This has been a  dream a lifetime in the making. And although the last few weeks have been stressful worrying about how the book will be received, if it will sell, and doubting whether I’m actually good at this writing thing, I have to remind myself that I AM HAVING A BOOK PUBLISHED.

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Nothing else matters. Because next Tuesday I’m going to be able to walk into a bookstore and see MY book sitting on a shelf.

I am incredibly fortunate…there are many deserving writers who just haven’t had their lucky break yet. And the truth is, luck plays a huge role in all of this: right story, right agent, right editor/publisher, right time. Over the past year, I’ve met writers who have been generous with their time and support, and I hope that in another couple of years I’ll be able to do the same for someone else when they finally get their break.

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It’s been an amazing ride, and there are a thousand people I can thank: my agent, the fantastic folks at Putnam who’ve put their hearts into making me and THE FAR EMPTY a success, and my family and friends who’ve been riding shotgun the whole way. The great thing about this dream coming true is that it’s been every bit as wonderful as I imagined.

So, although I’ve been anxious and nervous lately, I don’t have a single damn complaint. I’m having the time of life.

14 Books of Summer

I’ll see you around the bookstore…