Hey Guys, I just wanted to check in and ask if you guys had any questions about any online marketing that you want answered. I haven't been posting much lately as I have been trying to keep my trucking business alive as the War killed our work supply chain but we are hanging in there. If you need some help, just comment below and I will try to help any way I can. Hope you all are doing well and having success! Paul Roberson

Authors at a paid book fair are a special breed of optimists. They pay for a table, pay for the travel, pay for coffee to stay awake, and then spend the day convincing strangers to buy a book they already spent years writing. If they break even, it's called success. If they sell out, it's called a miracle. Three times a year, I attend book fairs that don't charge authors for a stand. On June 7, I had a book stand at the Fismes festival “L’amour fait livre” -- this theme was based on a paronomasia/pun “L’amour fait vivre” (Love keeps us alive). Two fellow authors visited my stand and exchanged their autographed books for mine; we agreed to stay in touch, which was one of the highlights of the day. I did not sell a single book in the afternoon (for the first time 🙃). Another author joked, “How could you? You were surrounded by teenagers trying to practise their English!” He was right. Six teenagers stayed at my stand for several hours (my legs felt exhausted afterwards). Four of them left only when their mothers came to pick them up, while one politely excused herself after receiving a phone call. A 19-year-old male student was the last to leave at around five o’clock; his father, who had come to tell him it was time to go home, was grateful and thanked me generously for spending time with him. These six teenagers talked and listened without checking their phones (except when I requested one of them to show me his Australian friend in Queensland, where I came from) or fidgeting; they were polite and interacted with interest. It was worth it. I collected smiles, conversations, and enough human connection to almost pay for my petrol. Fismes “City of Coronations” is a small town in the Marne department, France, about 30 km west of Reims, which is famous for its cathedral, Champagne houses, and its role in French royal history.

I will continue to be authentic and transparent. I’ve been asked about my book royalties, so you can see what I’ve received this month. This is the most I’ve been paid due to printing costs and distributor fees.

Nineteen years old. Night-shift cab driver. Goju-Ryu martial artist. A young man shaped by discipline, loyalty, and a code he refuses to abandon. In 1979, New York City, Diego DeLacruz works the streets from behind the wheel of a taxi, trying to survive the night and keep his world in order. But when the Cortez crime organization tries and fails to set him up with a dead body in his cab, Diego is forced to confront a brutal truth: some men will not stop until they own the streets, the people, and the fear. The Night Driver is a gritty NYC crime thriller built around martial arts, loyalty, honor, and the cost of standing your ground when walking away is no longer an option. Book One of the Diego DeLacruz Thriller Series. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1QSRG6T https://www.mannydsuriel.com

I wanted to create a thread for everyone who purchased a book for the test run of the Book Launch Network. If you purchased a book, please comment below the book that you purchased so the author knows you supported them and to let me know that you are participating. If you purchased a book, after you have read it, please support your author by leaving a Rating and Review on the same account you purchased the book. That will allow you to leave a verified review! That is the actual value that helps the author launch their book in the amazon algorithm. I decided to support M. Damien Suriel who is one of our VIP Supporting Authors.