I looked at your book. Your writing's okay, and there's no question you know your stuff.

It's heartbreaking to sit down and put 300+ pages down and have it disappear. Been there, did that.

Today, I earn a FT living as a novelist- I know, I know your bag is non-fic, but selling a book is selling a book right? RIGHT Here's a couple of things to know that (hopefully) will take some of the sting out:

1. NONE of your friends/family will EVER read your stuff. That's just the way it is. It's a cliche among authors. I've been to conferences w/ other writers (outfit's called NINC). On average, it's people doing about 150K/year with the top players making millions. We laugh about how one author bought her mother a frikkin HOUSE w/ her writing income (paid cash too) and her mother had never read any of her books. No, not porn; fantasy.

2. Best way to sell a book is write another. Let me put it like this: many, MANY authors have hit the NYT best sellers rank, sold 100K + in hardcopy and 500K in paperback who are now back driving a cab. Like YouTubers, content volume is important. In your field (politics) a book a year is an OK start. Please note: NOTHING is going to even have a hope of happening until you get to book 3 or 4.

3. There are a million ways you can promote your book, but it takes time and it's sooo hard on what I call 'Newbie writer ego'. We get sooo enamored with the drivel we pound out that we think it's special. Well... it ain't. It's a tree in a forest, buddy. And if it doesn't find a readership, it may as well be a blank piece of paper, despite the effort you put in.

***

Selling a book is fuckin' HARD man.

BUT...

Once you develop the tools and skills to sell a bunch, those skills remain. And you build on them.

However, a writing career is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to decide how much effort you're willing to expend in a writing career. As in hours/ day-week-month. You say you've been a high flying consultant; I assume that many of the techniques from your past life can apply.

Best of luck. Don't feel bad that your first effort's not doing what you expected. It's the way the game goes, man. Shit, when I wrote MY first novel I had visions of being on Ellen and Oprah. Today, that 90K words (324 pgs) of hopeless dreck has been sitting on the back a shelf in my office for 12 years. But it was the start.