Saturday, January 29, 2011

Why I passed on the YA genre


A teen walks into the guidance counselor's office at school.  The kid is having a hard time finding his own way: his relationship with his parents has deteriorated and his grades have declined during the last couple years; he continues struggling to find acceptance at both home and school.  The counselor gives him that "I've got just what you need" look.  Ritalin?  Nope.  Prozac?  Nope.  She slides open her desk drawer and lifts out a paperback book.

"Read this," the counselor says.

The teen looks at the book.  "The Somebody Obsession?  You think I should become a professional wrestler?"

"Absolutely not," the counselor says, chuckling.  "But the book is about so much more than wrestling.  The guy who wrote it became a wrestler, but he has quite a journey along the way.  You should read it--I think you'll find that you have a lot in common with the author.  Just make sure I get it back when you're finished."

This was my vision.  My book, I daydreamed, would be the modern, nonfiction version of The Catcher in the Rye.  I'd be the real-life Holden Caulfield; teens would read  my story and think destiny brought them and my book together.  It would be quoted in locker-room speeches and commencement addresses, love letters and manifestos.

Friday, January 28, 2011

THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION reaches #1 on Amazon bestsellers list

THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION: A NOBODY'S DESPERATE JOURNEY TO STARDOM is currently ranked #1 on the Amazon Kindle bestsellers list in the Wrestling category!  This was one of my main goals for the book, and it took just a couple weeks to get there.  Many thanks to everyone who bought the book! 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The new book debuts on Kindle bestseller list

Current Kindle bestseller list, wrestling category: The Professional Wrestler (#11) and The Somebody Obsession (#15). The Professional Wrestler peaked at #3 a couple months ago--I'm confident The Somebody Obsession will make it to #1. Go to Amazon.com to download the free Kindle reading app for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.

You can order THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION for Kindle for just $2.99 by clicking here:
The Somebody Obsession: A Nobody's Desperate Journey to Stardom (Kindle version)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Sheldon Goldberg reviews THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION

THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION: A NOBODY'S DESPERATE JOURNEY TO STARDOM has just received its first review on Amazon.

Wrestling promoter/journalist/historian Sheldon Goldberg is the author of the review.  His voice is among the most respected in the wrestling industry and, though I never had the pleasure of working with Mr. Goldberg, I've always admired him.

Here is his review:

As someone who has read a good 60% of the pro wrestling bios out there, "The Somebody Obsession: A Nobody's Desperate Journey to Stardom" by Matt Murphy ranks with the very best of them right alongside Mick Foley's bestsellers and Brett Hart's autobiography. 

Matt's autobigraphical tale of his journey from troubled childhood to fondling, but not quite getting a grasp on the brass ring that is pro wrestling superstardom, is compelling, poignant, and often laugh out loud funny. As interesting as the lives of the big stars who have endeared themselves to us or entertained us in the squared circle throughout the years may be, this story of a man who tried and came close is in many ways more interesting than any of them. 

Even if you are not a fan of pro wrestling, Matt Murphy's story is a top notch page turner that anyone who ever had a dream will surely identify with. This is one of the best bios of any kind I've read in a while.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

A Crash Course in Marketing

Self-publishing my autobiography has allowed me the freedom to do pretty much whatever the hell I want with all things relating to my book.  I can't say I'm intimidated; I was responsible for 99% of the marketing of the original version, which was released by a so-called "traditional" publisher.

I've learned a lot in the months leading up to the book release.  With the help of two excellent Kindle books, Are You Still Submitting Your Work to a Traditional Publisher? by Edward C. Patterson and Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors, Book Publicity through Social Networking by Steve Weber, I created a low-cost marketing plan to help my book become a success. Its effectiveness is TBD.

Read THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION free!

If you'd like to read the new book in PDF, EPUB, or MOBI (Kindle) format, please send me a message including your email address and which format you prefer and I will email it you a digital copy.  My email is mjhmurphy at gmail dot com.


All I ask in return is that you take a couple minutes to share your thoughts about the book with the rest of the world by leaving a review on the book's Amazon product page after you read it.


This offer is limited to the first 50 readers.


Friday, January 14, 2011

THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION now available on Amazon

It's ten days ahead of schedule but THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION: A NOBODY'S DESPERATE JOURNEY TO STARDOM is now available.  Click here to view it on Amazon.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Like father, like son

I guess I should have seen it coming.
It's not that I don't want my son to love wrestling.  I loved it as a kid and it played an important part of my life.  But I can't help but feel a little uneasy right now.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Scrivener - my favorite writing software

I've bought several software programs to make my writing as easy as possible, but most of them just got in the way.  It was the same story every time: I would download a demo of a writing program, convince myself it would help me write a bestseller and I'd one day become its celebrity endorser, then within hours of using the full version I would close the program and switch to my word processor.  I was running out of excuses to tell my wife when she asked why I was using OpenOffice to write instead of using the new software that cost a day's wages.

Then I found Scrivener.

Before I get too far into this review, you should know that Scrivener is currently available for Mac only.  But don't fret, Windows users, it's coming to your OS early this year.

TRAILER TRASH is a treasure


Buying dirt-cheap Kindle books can be kind of like dumpster diving: there's a lot of garbage, but once in a while you'll stumble across a treasure. 

TRAILER TRASH by Timothy Boling was an impulse purchase several months ago and it wasn't until yesterday that I finally opened the digital file to give the story a chance. It was a pleasant surprise. The short novel was well-written and featured an interesting cast of characters. Boling really brought Tramp Manor, the run-down trailer park that's a nuisance to everyone except those who call it home, to life. 

Monday, January 3, 2011

My title is weird

THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION--it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it?  A book title is important and I don't like the way mine sounds.  So why did I name it that?  Three reasons:

1. The book is about the life experiences I collected that contributed to my obsession with becoming what I believed was a somebody, my journey into professional wrestling, and what I learned from the experience.  The first quarter-century of my life was driven by this obsession, so I think the title is appropriate.
2. I wanted a short title.  THE STORY OF A NOBODY AND THE PURSUIT TO BECOME A SOMEBODY (12 words) and THE PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER IN THE WORLD OF SPORTS-ENTERTAINMENT (9 words) were too long.
3. I couldn't think of anything better.

THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION release date is three weeks from today

Just three weeks to go until the official release date of THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION: A NOBODY'S DESPERATE JOURNEY TO STARDOM, although it may actually show up for sale on Amazon a day or two before then.  While I don't expect to make a significant profit from the book, I'm confident that the Kindle version will quickly ascend to #1 on the Amazon bestsellers list in the Wrestling category and hope the print version can do the same.  Those will be nice accomplishments, but it would be nice to see my book crack the top 100 on the overall Kindle bestseller list as well.  The success of the book will be highly dependent on word-of-mouth and Amazon reviews, but I believe I have a solid marketing plan that will get my story in the hands of enough readers to make it successful.

Because I self-published, Amazon doesn't have my book available for pre-order.  So it makes little sense to do a whole lot of marketing until I have a place to send the traffic.  I created a Facebook page for THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION, but that hasn't turned out too hot with just 40 followers so far.  Turns out most of the 400-plus people who were sent the invite never received it and Facebook won't allow me to resend it to them.  You can follow it by clicking here.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Included in Mike Mooneyham article in The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC

I recently answered some questions from Mike Mooneyham, bestselling co-author of Sex, Lies, and Headlocks and writer/editor for The Post and Courier, which were used in an article about a local man pursuing wrestling stardom.  Check it out here.