I Thought I Would Be Further Ahead
By this point in my writing adventure, I had expected to have at least five books on the market, modest profits, and a slim following of readers. Well… Things did not work out the way I had hoped. Why? My first two books had significant issues, and I needed to put writing new books on hold to correct the existing problems. A big problem was that editing took far longer than expected. While self-editing, I uncovered additional issues that required me to update previous efforts. This discovery cycle happened four times in my second and third books.
Sales remain elusive. Part of the problem is my low marketing effort and social media presence. However, I do not think this is my core issue.
I am still under a delusion about how modern self-publishing works. Subconsciously, I have this crazy idea that my work is out there, and anybody can do an internet search for “good book.” Logically, my books should be on top of the search. Clearly, I live in a dreamland.
Plus, I feel that marketing is not my job. If I ran an ebook sales site and a bunch of authors sent me their books, it would be my job to promote the heck out of them. Yet, the attitude of ebook sites seems to be, “Jump into the pool if you dare. You can sink or swim. I don’t care. If you float, I am happy to cash the reader's checks. Maybe I’ll throw you a few bucks.”
What books do ebook sites promote? Excellent reviews and powerful story do not seem to matter. One would think that an ebook site would at least have some sort of “chief editor” that would read the book and promote it if they liked it. Wow, I’m living in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, ebook sites only promote books with great sales. This makes the club challenging to get into.
My other delusion is that I will get “discovered.” Someday, somebody will read my book and become a huge fan. Then, they will do everything to let the world know. Perhaps Oprah Winfrey will get a copy and tell all her fans? Wow, my fantasy world is enormous.
It was a tough battle to get to this point, and I now understand that success will take time. However, I’m not giving up and will continue to put maximum effort into writing, editing, and blogging. For my four blog readers, there is good news. You get to watch my struggle.
You’re the best -Bill
June 08, 2022
Sales remain elusive. Part of the problem is my low marketing effort and social media presence. However, I do not think this is my core issue.
I am still under a delusion about how modern self-publishing works. Subconsciously, I have this crazy idea that my work is out there, and anybody can do an internet search for “good book.” Logically, my books should be on top of the search. Clearly, I live in a dreamland.
Plus, I feel that marketing is not my job. If I ran an ebook sales site and a bunch of authors sent me their books, it would be my job to promote the heck out of them. Yet, the attitude of ebook sites seems to be, “Jump into the pool if you dare. You can sink or swim. I don’t care. If you float, I am happy to cash the reader's checks. Maybe I’ll throw you a few bucks.”
What books do ebook sites promote? Excellent reviews and powerful story do not seem to matter. One would think that an ebook site would at least have some sort of “chief editor” that would read the book and promote it if they liked it. Wow, I’m living in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, ebook sites only promote books with great sales. This makes the club challenging to get into.
My other delusion is that I will get “discovered.” Someday, somebody will read my book and become a huge fan. Then, they will do everything to let the world know. Perhaps Oprah Winfrey will get a copy and tell all her fans? Wow, my fantasy world is enormous.
It was a tough battle to get to this point, and I now understand that success will take time. However, I’m not giving up and will continue to put maximum effort into writing, editing, and blogging. For my four blog readers, there is good news. You get to watch my struggle.
You’re the best -Bill
June 08, 2022
