Author Weaves Family History |
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Leaving behind a legacy, whether it takes the form of stories we tell our children or the memories we preserve in a journal, is a natural human instinct. Writing down our family history allows posterity to return to it at any time, gain a unique perspective on the past and continue to pass the stories down through generations to come. David Quinn was inspired to write It May be Forever: An Irish Rebel on the American Frontier to leave behind a legacy of his family’s rich history for his own children and grandchildren.
Quinn originally became interested in researching his family history on the occasion of a trip to Ireland in 1982. His passion for genealogy led him to uncover the remarkable story of his great-great-uncle, Michael Quinn. Michael’s story is one that embodies the twentieth-century American immigrant experience: escape from poverty and persecution, arrival on the Eastern Seaboard and exploration of the opportunities on the Western frontier.
From Research to Manuscript
In the late 1990s, as Quinn approached the end of his business career, he began seriously considering writing a book about his research for the benefit of his descendants. He had researched his ancestors, but wanted to place their lives within a historical context. “Much of my research traced the roots of my family and their movements,” says Quinn. “When I decided to do the book, I had to research much broader issues about the society in which my ancestors lived, and the social and economic challenges they faced as individuals.”
After two years of conducting research in Ireland, England, and the United States, David was ready to begin crafting the tale that would become It May Be Forever. Though he was determined to capture Michael’s true life story, Quinn ultimately decided to write the book as historical fiction. “The ability to use dialogue and portray emotions makes it less an exercise in history and more of a human adventure,” says Quinn.
Using unique characters and rich dialogue, Quinn was able to effectively develop themes of social justice and dynamic family relationships with a depth that a biography would have lacked. He was particularly interested in exploring how Michael’s many small decisions added up to create unintended consequences and ultimately change a man of strong conviction. “After criticizing the way his Irish people are treated by the British, Michael goes out on the frontier, and he exhibits similar behavior toward the Native Americans,” Quinn says.
Creating a Lasting Legacy
By the time he had completed his manuscript in the summer of 2005 and was finishing the final edits, Quinn had identified and analyzed his options for publishing the work. “I looked very closely at the publishing industry, and I did a side-by-side comparison of all my options,” remembers Quinn. He was initially interested in self-publishing because it offered him total control over the creative elements of the book. “I wanted to be sure that no one would go in and change my writing or give me a book cover I wasn’t happy with,” says Quinn.
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Self-publishing also appealed to Quinn because he could bypass the timelines set by large publishing houses. “I wanted to get my book into circulation promptly rather than waiting a year and a half to get it into a production queue,” says Quinn. After weighing all his options, Quinn says he “ultimately felt that AuthorHouse had the best tools available to allow the author to control how their book is priced and placed in the market.” Within two months of submitting his manuscript Quinn had set his selling price and had the first copy of It May Be Forever in his hands. |
Though his book was available to order at more than 25,000 retailers worldwide, Quinn realized he had to generate interest in his story to maximize book sales. Quinn has successfully implemented his marketing plan by using book events, the Internet and direct marketing to sell more than 1,500 copies of It May be Forever. “Since my target audience is interested in the Irish-American experience, I identified Irish gift shops that were doing trade in books, buying at least $100 in books in the last 12 months,” says Quinn. “I sent out a direct-marketing piece with a case study of a local Irish store that had sold 60 copies of my book in 45 days.”
Quinn has also achieved critical success with It May Be Forever. It has placed as finalist in two national book contests and has been praised by reviewers, scholars and writers as a display of his skillful storytelling ability. “I have a sense of satisfaction with the book and the effort I’ve put into it,” says Quinn, who isn’t waiting another 20 years to write his next book. “I’m happy enough that I’ve started working on another book.”
To learn more about It May Be Forever, read book reviews or contact the author, please visit www.itmaybeforever.com.
