I don’t mean to be trite when I say that I never expected to actually sell any copies of my book; The Biblical God Doesn’t Exist. I knew I’d buy a copy–although I have misplaced my physical book and will need to order another–but my objective in writing and ultimately publishing it was very personal. It represented a culmination of many years of study and countless A-ha! moments as I slowly unwound the mess of jumbled contradictions from my forced indoctrination into a First Century superstition as a child, and my late blooming fascination with logic, reasoning and the beauty of the scientific method. Combined with the joy I take in putting figurative pen to paper and it became a thing that just had to be done.
I knew from my blogging experience that religionists would not take kindly to my work, so when the first reviews appeared on Amazon I refused to read them. I don’t shy away from argument certainly, but I can’t say that I enjoy the feeling of being rejected. I eventually digest the opposing narrative and lose the initial wave of angst from it to allow me to respond appropriately, if a response is sought, but somehow my book was different than a blog post or Facebook status. I didn’t want to read bad reviews of my work, and it wasn’t the subject matter that concerned me, but more a critique of my writing itself! When I finally steeled myself for the tongue lashing I knew was coming, I read the reviews. I was overwhelmed with joy, gratitude and the satisfied feeling that seems to only come from being accepted and appreciated for who you are and how you think.
As the reviews grew in number, so did the sales and month after month I stared at my sales stats with mouth agape, slowly shaking my head in disbelief. I am now on the verge of commemorating a significant milestone, at least I view it that way because the number has a certain heft to it, as well as a visual appeal. I have sold 1,000 copies of my book since it’s publication in mid-2013. To all who have purchased it, I humbly thank you and my sincere hope is that you took pleasure in reading it. If it provided any insight, or offered any aid in overcoming your own doubts about what you may have been taught as a child, my expectations would be exceeded by a wide margin. To those who not only purchased and read it, but took the time to review it, I owe a special debt of gratitude and I revisit your kind words from time to time as I hope you may revisit a chapter or two of my work from time to time. I have an idea brewing for another book, having stalled miserably on the tale of my life as an Army helicopter pilot (when I read the draft, it somehow doesn’t seem as interesting as I thought it would be), and I hope to do more than just think about it, but it’s hard to imagine it will feel like my first. After all, there’s only one first time for everything.
JD Espinoza 