Releasing my book was just the tip of the iceberg By Joshua Shea

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Jeyran Main

Releasing my book was just the tip of the iceberg By Joshua Shea

There it was, late January of this year and aside from family and friends, I really hadn’t sold many books, maybe 30 or 40. Perhaps that’s all that would happen.

After all, my memoir about being a pornography addict was certainly not light escapist fare. A non-fiction book that, while not-at-all graphic but explored my demons, was either being shunned or people just didn’t want to be seen purchasing a book with the word “pornography” in the subhead. Would you pick up a book called “The Addiction Nobody Talks About: How My Pornography Addiction Destroyed Relationships and Hurt People” thinking you were in for a fun read? Neither did anyone else.I had a difficult time finding people to review it. It’s much easier to take a critical eye to fiction, and most reviewers won’t touch non-fiction. Of those that did, I bet one-in-ten who I offered a copy to were willing to look it over. It’s kind of funny, when you think of it. People have no problem picking up a book about serial killers without being worried they’ll be considered one, yet if you pick up a book with “pornography” in the title, the fear is you’ll be cast as someone who either has a problem or condones its use. But then a funny thing happened. I was invited on a podcast. Then another one. Pretty soon, I was directed to the WorldCat listing and saw that a handful of libraries had put my book on their shelf and in most, it was being regularly borrowed. Podcasts begat podcasts and libraries begat libraries. Now, almost seven months to the day later that the book was released, I’m in over 220 libraries and have appeared on over 50 podcasts, radios, and TV shows.I’ve learned that the book was not the end of my story with porn addiction. In many ways, it was just the beginning. My website at www.RecoveringPornAddict.com gets more hits than ever before, and I don’t see any sign of it stopping. Writing my book was cathartic, but it also showed me that my real work is just beginning. I would have laughed at people calling me a pornography addiction expert a year ago, but today, it fits. And I have my book to thank for all of it.

Joshua Shea is a recovering porn addict and pornography addiction expert who regularly appears on podcasts, radio and television shows. He has been in recovery for nearly five years and speaks about the subject at libraries, colleges, and other organizations. His first book, “The Addiction Nobody Talks About: How I Destroyed Relationships and Hurt People” was released in January 2018 and is available via Amazon. He also maintains RecoveringPornAddict.com, a resource site for pornography addiction and PornAddictCounseling.org, a site for addicts and families members to get peer support. He lives in Auburn, Maine, with his wife, two children, two cats and three dogs. He may be contacted at peerhelpjosh@gmail.com

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