Proofs are ordered, but now what?

Thanks for sticking with me through this journey. In case you didn't know, book publishing is hard! I've run into my share of road blocks along the way, but I'm happy to say we're moving along nicely.

I originally planned to have the book published by now, but apparently book publishing isn't like hitting Ctrl+P on your keyboard and getting a finished product shortly after. The book is not officially published yet, but I have physical proofs on the way (check out Facebook or Instagram for a sneak peek)! This has been a very frustrating part of the process for me and I'm thankful for your support. This is mostly what I've looked like recently...

“The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom.”

— General George S. Patton

I won't be beat by some stupid process. I have too many people depending on me to print this book. Seriously, thank you for being on this list. Knowing that I have people waiting on me to finish drives me every day. 

For those of you who ordered a hardcover, nothing has changed and they are still being printed. If you missed the email about hardcovers, there are 5(ish) more available. Click here to find out more.

If you haven't already, be sure to download your free chapter(s). The system is going to ask for your credit card number even though it's free; don't worry, nothing will be charged. Enjoy your free chapter(s) and share with anyone you like, they are free for a reason! 

A firm publication date is being set soon, I promise. I will be in contact next week with more information. You'll be the first to know when the launch countdown officially begins. Right now, the tentative launch date is looking like the first week of December so I don't have to compete with Thanksgiving the week before. This will ensure everyone's books will be to them well before Christmas breaks. 

In the mean time, if you are planning on purchasing an eBook version of Believe EG21 and would like to help me out, please contact me. I may have something cool for you that could help the book spread like wildfire at launch. Thanks again for your patience, we're almost there. 

Take care, go Bucs!

Your free chapter is here!

Over the past few weeks I've hardly slept. I'm excited, nervous, and anxious all at once! I appreciate you accompanying me on this journey and I want to reassure you we're almost there. This email will be short and sweet because I have tons (copyrighting, formatting, final edits, etc.) to do.

To those of you who have pre-ordered a hardcover: THANK YOU! The run of 100 Limited Edition hardcovers is being printed and shipped to me in another week +/-. As soon as these are printed, I will be mail them to you with the address listed in the "shipping address" field you filled out at checkout. If you missed the email, there are still a few hardcovers available. Click here to find out more.

Enjoy it and share it with anyone you like, it's free for a reason! 

We're still a couple weeks away from live publication so hang in there with me. Upon launch, we'll have an ebook as well as a paperback-copy book for sale. You'll be the first to know when "launch" has officially happened. 

Take care, go Bucs!

Mike McCann
 

There's been a hiccup with the book, but I have good news

There's been a problem with the book. It's a simple oversight that has caused some problems and I have nobody to blame but myself. This whole self-publishing thing is difficult! 

I have been telling everyone that this book will be hardcover and I told you, my very supportive audience, that it will cost about $25. Well, that's false. Turns out I can't sell a hardcover book for under $30 unless I'm a big publishing company. This has thrown off my timeline and I'm now scrambling with new formats. 

Though the book will not be ready on 10/31 as I projected, this does create some cool new opportunities that I'd like to share with you. 

First, let me explain what will be for sale when the book is (finally) published in early November:

1) An eBook readable on all devices, priced around $10.
2) A Paperback that will be widely sold and marketed, priced around $20.

What I want to share with you is that I am considering selling a 3rd option option as well. A hardcover! However, this would be a limited run (50 or 100 max) and I have to pre-purchase them. Since they all ship to me, I'll be personally distributing them to the people who want them with a personalized thank you note and a little something extra in it. 

Here's the catch, the hardcover option will cost around $49.21. It will be a special edition and only a few will be printed. Essentially, these will be collector's items. I am not naive, I know that most people are not going to want to buy a $49.21 book. If you prefer the ebook or the paperback, you can stop reading here and I'll send out another update soon with your free chapter. 

But, if you would even consider owning a hardcover book with a signature, a personalized note from me, and little something extra, please click the link below. 

There have already been *updated* 75 Special Edition books purchased, there are only a few more. If you have questions, feel free to email me directly.

Take care, and Go Bucs!

Mike McCann

Want to See the Book's Logo?

I love that you're on this journey with me and I couldn't be more excited to share some of this news. Thanks for being a part of this, we're getting close to launch!

You may have noticed that I recently changed the name and URL of the website from “BelievEG21” to “BelieveEG21.” This slight change serves two purposes: 1) The book title simply looks cleaner as two words. 2) It's easier to tell people the URL and correct name if it's split. I'm telling you this because my next email is going to come from “mike@BelieveEG21.com” so please be sure to add that email to your contacts list. (Here's how to do that in Gmail and Outlook if you don't already know.) Otherwise, these messages will start going to spam and you'll miss out on the updates.

Speaking of book cover, what do you think of the logo at the header of the email??? Over the next few weeks I'll be updating the social media banners soon so you'll get a taste of what the branding for the book looks like. Nobody will actually see the book until it's release in about one month.

I've received a number of questions in person and via social media so I've included a short Q & A session. If you have more questions, feel free to hit reply and I'll get back to you as fast as possible.

Q: When will the book be published?
A: My goal is October 31st, the day CSU plays Coastal and the same weekend the school is holding a reunion for the 2005 team (https://www.facebook.com/events/357740681083873/) . There is still a load of work to be done before then, but that's the goal.

Q: Will this be a physical book I can hold or an ebook?
A: The initial publishing will include a hardcover and an ebook. An audio version will be released soon after the initial publication.

Q: What's it going to cost?
A: Ebooks are always cheaper than hardcover books so if you're looking to save, that's the way to go. If you want the full experience and something to put on your shelf with other CSU memorabilia, the hardcover will be your best best. The hardcover will cost less than $30, a few details still need to be ironed out here, so I can't tell you exactly. Remember, 10% of the profits will go to the Eddie Gadson Memorial Scholarship Fund on all book sales.

Q: Is this a first person or third person narrative?
A: The book is told from my first person perspective. I've interviewed a number of people for this project (thank you everyone!) and at times the book puts the “camera” in their shoes so you can see what they see.

Q: Will there be pictures?
A: During this process I've collected dozens of pictures from the school, some parents, and other fans at the game. I am including as many photos as possible and I will provide links to view the rest on the website. The website will be used for a number of extras that don't quite fit into the story, but remain relevant to a select group of people (such as post-season awards and non-action photos).

If you have pictures that you'd like to share, please hit reply and send them my way! I can't guarantee that I can use them all (due to quality restraints), but I'll do my best to add them to the library.

Thank you if you've already shared the website, the Facebook page, or anything else to help spread the word about BelieveEG21 the book coming out this fall. Now's the perfect time!

The next update, which will be sent in approximately two weeks, will include some significant information for you. And maybe, just maybe, a part of the story for you enjoy.

Take care, and Go Bucs!

Mike McCann
mike@BelieveEG21.com (*note the new email address coming soon!)
 

I seriously couldn't get this far without you. Thank you!

Thank you for supporting me through this process. I've purposely avoided a “real job” to take on this (massive) project. I have asked you to send me information, I have asked for your time, and I have asked you to share my work with circle. Thank you so much for your willingness to help me craft this dream into a reality!

Last week I spoke with Phil Kornblut of Sports Talk Radio on air. Thanks for having me on Phil! The “CSU Episode” highlighted this year's Buccaneer team so our conversation about the book fit perfectly. If you'd like to listen, click here: https://youtu.be/nV0EHoEd-BY?t=1h40m43s

Big shout out to Paul Chelmis from SOUTH for taking the website to the next level with some amazing design tweaks. Check out all the changes he made here: http://BelievEG21.com. If you like what you see, please share it on social media or forward it to someone who would resonate with a story about hope, perseverance, and football.

Another talented member of the SOUTH team, Alan Spears, is currently working on the design of the book cover. I wish I could share it with you, but I'm keeping it under wraps. I have to leave something to the imagination :). The only thing I'll share is my initial reaction: “WOW!”

John Strubel, Kevin O'Rourke, and the CSU sports information department have been tremendously helpful in this endeavor. They have provided images (see Facebook for a fun album), behind the scenes information on the 2005 team, and a history of the program that has helped me add invaluable details to the story that even my teammates will be surprised to read.

In closing, draft one is officially done! I am busily working on draft number two, the main reason for the lag between updates. Draft two includes copy edits thanks to my amazing editor, Stephanie Araujo, as well as some plot and style edits that will make the story flow in an easy to read manner. I have interviewed my teammate Shawn Huntsinger and re-interviewed the head coach of the 2005 team, Jay Mills over the past few weeks. The contents of both interviews are also being added to the story during this round of edits.

There will be more to come in September as we draw closer to launch. You're still owed a free chapter, I haven't forgotten about that. In the mean time, please help me reach my goal of 1,000 email subscribers prior to launch by sending the website to someone you know who would enjoy reading this book.

Clearly this is not a one-person show. Thank you for being there with me, I could not do this without you!

Take care, and Go Bucs!