Sometimes, dreams can be elusive. You pour all your energy into them, years go by and it seems you're no closer to than you were when you started. The bigger and bolder those dreams are, the smaller the guarantee that you'll ever attain them.
It can be a struggle. It can be painful. Hope appears unexpectedly and then gets dashed on the rocks into a million little pieces. Writers know this heartbreak well. Yet dreams spur us on, whisper in our ear to 'keep trying, keep trying'. Many times we talk sense into ourselves and settle for a safer, less frustrating existence.
I don't know how many of you are reality show junkies, but I shamelessly admit to being one. There are always contestants, particularly on talent shows like The X-Factor and American Idol, who step forward and share the story of their struggles: poverty, addiction, years on the road seeking out that one big break. Talent and persistence alone don't always equal success. Sometimes the missing element is just plain luck.
A year ago, I had sold an unimpressive total of about 400 e-books after six months and three books. It wasn't even enough to cover my start-up expenses. Satisfied, I'd given it a go, I signed up at the local community college for courses in biology and geology. I had bills to pay and I accepted that my life was headed down a new path - that of becoming a teacher. An admirable vocation and it was about time I put my neglected degree to use. For four months, I didn't write a single word. Encouraged by a steady uptick in sales, I continued to market my work, but I was thoroughly convinced there wouldn't be a fourth book. It just wasn't worth the effort anymore.
Fast forward a year later and not only is the fourth book out, but I'm close to finishing my fifth. By Christmas, I'll have sold a total of 30,000 e-books. So yeah, for now at least, it looks like this is my career. It doesn't touch what Amanda Hocking, John Locke or a dozen others (see here) have done in this rapidly changing world of publishing, but it's waaay more than I ever imagined possible.
I wanted to share this because I know a lot of writers who have published more recently or who are still struggling to increase sales. I can only advise patience and hard work. It's extremely rare for a book to take off out of the gate, especially a debut. It's crowded out there and it's getting harder and harder to get noticed. I understand the frustration, but if you chuck your dreams today, whatever they are, you may never know how close you were to reaching them.
Meanwhile, enjoy the journey. As Socrates said, "If you really want to get to Mt. Olympus, make sure every step you take is in that direction."
Oh, and Merry Christmas! In celebration, I'm going shopping because my brain is fried from reading medieval history.
Until later,
Gemi
8 comments:
Gemi, congrats on a great year. Even if you doubted so much could happen to you, I never doubted the natural talent I saw in the crit group. Wishing you and family a Merry Christmas too.
Congrats on such a good year. I will be watching X factor tonight as well.
Congratulations on your amazing success! That's definitely exciting and heartening to myself as I'm sure it is to other writers starting out.
Merry Christmas to you as well, and a Guid Hogmany! I hope next year brings you even more success!
Lisa - I learned so much from all of you. But the best part was having made dear friends. Someone to share the ups and downs with, someone who can be honest in an enlightening way. I wish I'd had the benefit of a group like that about five years earlier.
Chris - Thank you. We'll see who wins shortly here. Josh was an early favorite of mine. I think Chris has a future as a singer-songwriter. Melanie has come on strong in the final weeks - that girl can belt! (P.S. I'm still bummed Ozzy didn't make it to the end in Survivor. He's one of my all-time favorite players.)
Hazel - And thank you. I can't stress patience and hard work enough. It's taken me ten years to get to this point and I still feel like I have so much to learn and so far to go. Best of everything in your writing career!
A very hearty congrats to you!! You made it!
Here is to next year!!
Gemi: here's exactly what happened in my brain when I pulled up this post:
"Ooh." "I wanna see mine there." "Isn't mine there?" "OOH. Yes!" Whee!" "Uh oh." "Hmm." "Yes." "Yeeeeessss." "Oh my goodness." "You're kidding!" "WOWOWOWOWOWOW!" "That's amazing!" "Oh!" "Ha ha ha!" "And there I am again..." "Ha Ha Ha!"
And "Thank You!"
Amazing post! I think I'll print it out.
PS: What you say makes absolute sense, and Wow! Congratulations on your fantastic year! I'm so happy about this!
Gemi, Congratulations from a new reader. I wonder, are you planning any comment on your blog about how this happened. 30,000 is an impressive number. Best wishes for another great year!
Judith
Reb - You're an amazing writer. Just keep at it. There's no telling when you'll reach the tipping point. And keep writing while you're waiting for that to happen!
Anonymous - Yes, I think I will do something in regards to that eventually. (Give me time, though. I'm so close to finishing another book). The bummer is that what worked a year or two ago, may not work now. Plus, there's more than one way to get there. The best advice I have is to visit the Writers' Cafe at www.kindleboards.com and just soak up the wisdom.
Post a Comment