Borne the Battle

Marine and Gulf War Veteran G. Michael Hopf shares his journey from joining the Marines to signing with the largest book publisher in the world.

Show Notes

As a big reader, G. Michael Hopf had a great desire to explore the world and have adventures.

However, a near death experience led him to reconsider his career. With help from his father, Hopf found a new direction working as a private security detailer.

During all of these adventures, he was always dabbling in writing. From journaling to short stories, Hopf kept in touch with his love of telling stories.

After just dabbling with writing and self-publishing an illustrated children’s book, Hopf was inspired to try writing a novel. He decided to stop being a dabbler and make writing his job.

Working on a novel while still working was not easy, but Hopf found the process fun and interesting. But in the end, all the effort had been worth it when his book suddenly hit peak sales.

Noticing the success of Hopf’s novel, Amazon offered a pre-order option for a second novel. This sequel hit best-seller on Amazon as soon as the pre-orders were opened. This event led him to get signed by the largest publisher in the world: Penguin Random House.

Hopf shared advice to Veterans and civilians alike on how to become an author:
• Stop dabbling and just write
• Don’t be too analytical
• Don’t be afraid to self-publish
• Celebrate when you finish your draft

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT G. MICHAEL HOPF

#BtBattle Veteran of the Week:
Additional Links:

What is Borne the Battle?

Borne the Battle recognizes each battle, challenge, and sacrifice our Veterans endure during and after their service, as well as spotlighting important resources, offices, and benefits VA offers our Veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs does not endorse or officially sanction any entities that may be discussed in this podcast, nor any media, products or services they may provide.