Words Can’t Fully Express How Exciting The Reaction To Fear Conquers All Has Been

I must admit, it’s been an odd journey not only writing Fear Conquers All – (see What a journey writing this book has been!) – but also launching it.

I’ve (this is a contradiction in terms!) worked hard at not over stressing or pushing myself over the launch. I’m casting the net, but trying to remain chilled and methodical to try to get it noticed. Better than my usual bull at a gate approach!

Trying to get an agent is a job and a half, one that I didn’t succeed at, mainly because this sort of book is a hybrid. Agents, I’m told, like to be able to picture which shelf a book would sit on. I think this fits the motivational auto-biography boxes, but I obviously didn’t pitch to the right people or the way I explained it didn’t hit the right buttons for them. So I have self-published, via the mind-blowingly professional Amazon system. A few people have been a bit shocked – “Oh, it is a real book.” Err, well, yes! And a compliment on the poems came about in a strange way. My aunt rung another aunt telling her she was going to send her a copy of the book and explained it has some great poems in it, saying “I’m not sure where Jonathan took those from.” She then, later, apparently rung my other aunt back up and said she’d realised, I had written them!

I can confirm it is a real book and that the poems that preface each chapter are mine! I can also confirm, purely on the reactions I’ve got, the book seems to be pretty decent!

Comments like: Thank you so much for letting us in and inspiring us all to do more, be more, see more and just live more.
“Stunningly well written with real feeling.” “Remarkable and inspiring story.”
“I expect everyone to feel fully involved in JFs life on reading this.” “Buy it, read it, you won’t regret it.”
“Well done for still being alive.” “With a positive mental attitude, he gives us all something to think about.”
and “Would recommend to anyone and everyone who may need a little motivation in their life…”

I can’t express in words (not a good sentence for a writer to type!) just how much the reactions have meant to me. Whilst writing, at times, I felt I was onto something. At other times, there were moments of doubt where I thought, ‘No one will be interested in this.’ Nice to know people are interested and are taking something from the book.

I have laid myself bare in the book, there is one chapter (appropriately chapter 13) that I never thought I’d publish, but hey, in for a penny, in for a pound. I have nothing to hide and if it helps others going through dark days, then it will be job done.

Now I need a slice of luck for it to truly get noticed. Amazon do a book of the year competition which is shortlisted this month. That would be a massive boost. I’ve also sent to some press contacts, Men’s Health (as a chapter is devoted to my feature in their magazine in 2016), as well as book distributors. The minimum I want is to reach break-even, but that isn’t my real ambition, I obviously – after so many years writing and perfecting it – is for it to get truly noticed and become successful. Firstly for myself, but also because I do think it delivers the all important, “Don’t give up,” message that people often need to hear.

Grab a copy fine folks: https://thefear.net/how-to-buy-fear-conquers-all/ and spread the word.