MARLBOROUGH — Popular blogger Simcha Fisher’s first book, The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning, became a bestseller overnight after Fisher accidentally published the e-book a month early.
“I freaked out when I realized it was live, but I couldn’t figure out how to take it down. The next morning it was a number one bestseller on Kindle,” Fisher said. “Apparently there was an option to set the release date, but I sort of glossed over that part, and now here we are. Great news, obviously, and the whole family is very happy. But we are scrambling with the logistics, because the timing was a little . . . unexpected. Good thing we had already picked out a name. For the book.”
Fisher added, “Yes, yes, book about NFP, accidental launch, irony, I get it. I get it!”
Fisher planned to launch the e-book in November, to coincide with the audio version of her book produced by Audible.com. Fisher thought she was setting up her Kindle publishing account in advance, but instead published the book. Within 24 hours it was the top selling Catholic e-book, and the top selling Catholic book in all published categories on Amazon.
“I didn’t even have time to think about it,” Fisher said. “I still had to drive the kids to a birthday party and go grocery shopping. It really hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m beating out the Pope. And St. Augustine. And the Bible. Oh gosh, when does the dump close today? I told you boys to sort that recycling!”
Fisher, a popular writer and speaker whose work appears in the National Catholic Register, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic Digest, and other publications, offers her frank and funny take on Catholic sex, marriage, and family planning in The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning.
“If you’ve tried natural family planning and have discovered that your life is now awful – or if you feel judged or judgey, or if you trust NFP but your doctor doesn’t, or if just you’re trying to figure out how the heck to have a sex life that is holy but still human – you’ll find comfort, encouragement, honesty, wit, and, most importantly, practical advice in my book,” Fisher said.
The Sinners Guide to Natural Family Planning is already being hailed as a turning point in how Catholics can deal with this sometimes-difficult subject. There are 26 reviews on Amazon, with an average rating of five stars.
“I’m pretty sure that one three-star rating is a joke,” Fisher said. “My readers are real wise asses. But seriously, if you think that taking bread out of the mouths of my children is a joking matter, by all means, continue.”
Simcha Fisher lives in Marlborough, NH, with her husband and nine children. She is available for interviews and can be contacted at simchafisher@gmail.com.
Her book is available now on Amazon, Smashwords, and Nook. The Audible.com version will be available for pre-order very soon, and a print version is in the works.
