One Stellar Success Story

Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is the inspiration for my next step forward as a writer. This post also includes a major announcement, so be sure to read to the end.

Conversations in the Car

At least once each week, I try to head home and spend time with my family.

I am my parents’ only kid. They are still not used to me being away from them. In many ways, I am not used to it either.

Usually, my mom handles the driving for these homecoming trips.

We talk about all sorts of things. Everything from future trips home to embarrassing work stories. When I started blogging, that naturally became another common topic.

My mom had her usual concerns.

She wanted me to approach everything realistically and practically. To ensure I knew the challenges and frustrations a blog would likely give me.

My mom did understand a blog was the next logical step for me as a writer. But she also wanted to know if a blog would really be something good for me as a whole.

To ease her concerns, I decided to share the success story of another author who started with a website.

I keep track of many such success stories. They help give me reasonable hope of finding my own success with the craft.

I told my mom the story of one Andy Weir and his novel The Martian.

First, Some Background

The Martian is a near-future science fiction story about the fictional American astronaut Mark Watney.

During a mission to Mars, a freak storm begins. The storm throws a loose antenna that impales Watney. The rest of the crew then leaves the planet believing Watney’s dead.

But Watney still lives.

Unfortunately, he has lost all means of contacting either Earth or his crew. To survive, Watney must depend on his natural resourcefulness as a scientist.

Eventually NASA discovers the living Watney. This sparks an international scramble to save the man left behind on Mars.

I first heard of The Martian through trailers for its movie adaptation.

The film seemed interesting. But a busy college semester kept me from the theaters.

Then I learned about the book. I placed it on my birthday and Christmas lists for the year. That way, I could experience the story before the movie came to DVD. I would also be able to join a shrinking club of people who have read The Martian before seeing The Martian.

When I got my hands on the book, I enjoyed it. Watney’s survival solutions show an impressive level of both scientific knowledge and creativity. Weir also takes great pains to show that, despite being an astronaut, Watney is  just a regular guy. The effort to return Watney to Earth also shows a reasonably hopeful view of human cooperation and ingenuity.

Enjoying The Martian led me to research the author. I wanted to see if Andy Weir had any other books I might like.

At the time, I found no other books. But I did learn Weir’s intriguing success story.

From Web Browsers to Theaters Everywhere

Andy Weir was a computer programmer who wanted to write books.

He had tried publishing several stories through literary agents. But these works were rejected.

After writing The Martian, Weir seemed to be tired of this same old routine. So, he put The Martian on his website one chapter at a time for free.

Over time, Weir’s readers requested he also place his work on the Amazon Kindle Store. Weir agreed and made a Kindle version of his full story. He priced this version at 99¢. The lowest possible price for an otherwise free book.

Weir could never have expected what would happen next.

The Martian became one of Amazon’s best-selling science fiction books. Three months saw 35,000 copies sold.

Publishers flocked for the rights to publish Weir’s apparent masterpiece. The same publishers who had rejected him now scrambled to be a part of his success.

The novel’s eventual print version soon became an even larger bestseller.

A movie offer was taken, and The Martian apparently became one of director Ridley Scott’s greatest films.

At least, that is what family, friends, and all the online critics have to say. Somehow, I still have not seen the movie at time of writing.

Either way, Weir’s story has been a great success beyond anyone’s imagination. His book truly is one of this generation’s signature science fiction stories. He jumpstarted his writing career and is now a good source of inspiration to anyone who aspires to be a writer.

All this happened because he wanted to share a story that he loved writing.

Return to the Car

I told my mom the story of one Andy Weir and his novel The Martian.

She took in every word.

Then she asked, “Why couldn’t you do that?”

I blinked.

My mom continued. She said all sorts of writers place their work on Kindle for only 99¢. They start this way to build an audience. People who buy these low-price, high-quality stories eventually buy later full-priced books.

I did not need to start my writing career with a full novel. I could do something smaller. Something to help me understand the marketplace before releasing something bigger.

My mom’s idea intrigued me.

Self-publishing has always been an attractive idea for sharing my stories. I would have the ability to share them as I want them to be read.

I had already been planning future blog posts on some of my short stories. Maybe this was a calling to do even more with them.

The Major Announcement

I am proud to announce my first book, Five Strange Stories. This collection contains five short stories written by me. They have been bound together for a shared sense of strangeness. They will entertain you with their mystery, their wonder, and their heart. Five Strange Stories is planned to release on Saturday February 16.

In the spirit of The Martian, I will place the eBook version of Five Strange Stories on the Amazon Kindle Store for 99¢. The eBook is available for pre-order now.

I am also planning a paperback version of Five Strange Stories. This version will cost $5.99 due to printing costs and expanded distribution. In recognition of this relatively high price, I have enrolled Five Strange Stories in the Kindle Matchbook program. Those who buy the paperback will be able to get the eBook for free.

Unfortunately, Amazon does not currently allow pre-orders for paperbacks published through Kindle Direct Publishing. Those who wish to read the paperback will need to wait to purchase the book until the paperback’s release. I will make this release as close to the eBook’s release as possible.

Additionally, this blog will focus on Five Strange Stories over the next few weeks. Each story will receive a post covering its inspiration. The first two stories will have their inspiration covered before the book’s release, and these two stories will be made available in this site’s portfolio. They can give you a taste of what to expect in the full book.

Kotcher’s Call to Action

To pre-order the eBook version of Five Strange Stories (or purchase it if you’re reading this in the future), please visit the book’s page on Amazon. Feel free to buy a book or two for yourself and all your friends.

If you liked my content and want to make sure you read all my new blog posts, be sure to like my Facebook page and share it with your friends. I post a link there whenever a new blog post goes live each Friday at 5:00 PM EST. Liking and sharing is especially appreciated now when a new book is being released.