The Day After Number One
- Story Paul
- Sep 23
- 2 min read
By Paul Ponce
Last weekend, my debut novel A.I. Capone: The Digital Don hit #1 on Amazon’s Sci-Fi Cyberpunk chart. Yeah, it was during a free promo — but that little gold tag still shines. Cause for me, it’s more than a number. It’s a reward for taking the punches and still stepping back into the ring. Rocky said it best: it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
And I took my share of hits. A previous failed attemp at writing a novel. Popular BookTubers who brushed off my pitch for this one. Writing clients who didn’t like my work. Even the friends and relatives who tilt their heads when you say you’re a writer, like you just admitted to running off with the circus. And then there’s the hardest jab of them all — my own voice telling me I had no business trying to write a damn book. Rocky also nailed that one: the toughest opponent? The guy staring back at you in the mirror.
But here we are. Number one. And the day after? A.I. Capone is still in the Top 100 (#64) out of thousands of titles in the genre. No freebie this time. Orders are getting placed and paid for, organically. No suits, no favors owed. Almost feels like when I used to play in bands — that moment you stop begging friends and family to fill the room, and real listeners start showing up because they want to hear what’s rockin’.
Right now, it’s the Don.
I also wanna share my little victory dance with those who had my six all along. My wife and daughter, who saw me through every late night and early morning. The handful of friends who always believed. The colleagues and clients who put their trust in me. And my Korean student and his delightful misreading of the name of an infamous Italian-American gangster. Grazie.
And the reviews from Indies Today, Reedsy Discovery, Review Tales, and Online Book Club? Turns out they weren’t flukes. The Digital Don’s got legs. Swagger. Staying power. But more importantly, so do I.
Meaning, after a little celebration, it’s back to work. Promoting this book, improving my craft, developing its adaptation for the screen, and of course, cranking out new stories. That’s my ring.
Not sure what yours is, but here’s my simple message if you’re doubting yourself: keep swinging. The world’s full of starched shirts, gatekeepers, naysayers, and scrutinizing mirrors. But every punch you take is proof you’re still in the fight. And sometimes, for one weekend or more, you get to wear the crown.
In other words, no matter how bad it gets when you’re fighting for your dream, suck it up and keep at it.
You’ve freakin’ got this.
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