RESETTING The REASON for The Book

A man goes up to a woman and says, "Will you go to bed with me for a million dollars?"  She says, "Yes!" He then asks, "Will you go to bed with me for one dollar?" She says, "No, what do you think I am?"  He says, "Well, we have already determined what you are, now we need to arrive at a price."

These past few days have been a real conflict for me.

Any author wants their new book to do well, even become a best seller. With the average book selling about 500 copies over its shelf life, best seller status usually remains a pipe dream for most authors.

When a book is released, the author becomes a publicity whore, seeking and accepting any and all media interviews, whether print, TV or radio, in order to sell as many books as possible, as quickly as possible.

In the past week, NO GOOD-BYES has gone nuclear. Rising from #400,000 on Amazon's Top 100, to 1,200 out of almost eight million books.

On Amazon's Top 100 True Crime category, the book has gone from #5,000 (last place) to #7. While these numbers may fluctuate daily, the fact remains that the book became a best seller almost overnight. And, there is little doubt that with the current media attention the book will get to #1 eventually.

Why, then, with all these record-breaking numbers for an unreleased book, do I feel dirty?

I did not write NO GOOD-BYES to be a best seller, never crossed my mind. I wrote it to help solve the mystery of the missing McStay family. My definition of 'success' with NO GOOD-BYES is not monetary, but moral: If the book helps solve the mystery, it is a success, regardless of how many copies may sell.

It is clear to me that after yesterday's two articles in the Daily Mail UK, I need to stop this publicity machine now and reset my reason for writing NO GOOD-BYES, before it is too late.

Here is a headline from one of yesterday's Daily Mail UK stories:

'I will turn on you': Revealed, the shocking emails sent by wife to husband before they vanished without a trace with their two children three years ago

This is not what I wanted. 

Publicity such as this belittles the McStay family, regardless of how many issues Summer may have. I understand that the DM UK has seven million daily readers in Europe and the US and that it is 'rare to get this kind of publicity for an unreleased book.' Doesn't matter because it is wrong and I don't believe it will help solve this mystery.

Yes, Summer did write those emails, and yes, I have many more that I did not include in the book, and yes, I have theorized that Summer may have 'done something or had something done to Joseph.' But, this is only one theory and there are others. The intrigue of the book is that it leaves the solving of this mystery up to the reader. My theory is not any more important or accurate than yours. Summer may have had nothing to do with the disappearance and may be a victim herself. Until this case is solved, one could claim that an alien spaceship snatched the family. No one knows what happened, not even law enforcement.

I take the blame for much of this mess. When asked by the media interviewers for my theory, I have blamed Summer more times than not and haven't talked about the other possibilities. This was a mistake. It's not about what I think, it's about what you think.

Further, I no longer believe that 'any publicity is good publicity' for the book. I have canceled my appearances on the national entertainment and news television shows because all they wanted to talk about were Summer's emails. I have canceled two appearances on prominent radio talk shows for the same reason. And, I have cancelled my book events in Southern California.

Personally, if no one else ever buys a copy of my book, I won't be discouraged at all. It has already been an undeserved success. May God Bless Joseph, Summer, Gianni and Joseph Mateo McStay.