I think we've discussed this before you and I. I write because I cannot ignore the need to write. I write for my personal enjoyment and if I can entertain, enlighten, or enrapture others along the way, that's a bonus. I will eat whether I sell any books but it doesn't keep me from checking my amazon numbers each week. I'll never recoup what it costs to keep a secure website up by selling books with tiny royalties but I'm having a ball. If I get sucked into the numbers too far I pull out the notes I've gotten from delighted readers or go back and reread my five star reviews. I really believe the pandemic drove a lot of people to listen to their inner muse and try their hand at writing. The competition is stiffer than ever. I'm overwhelmed by the number of new books popping up every week but I still smile when I look at my debut novel from last year on my shelf. Soon she'll be joined by my second in July. It makes me tingle all the way to my toes and that's why I'm actively working on my third one! Embrace your inner muse. Sometimes that's all there is!
I agree with you, Kim. There is no other explanation for why millions of others are writing books, too, because the financial remuneration does not support doing so. Thank you for commenting and congrats on your second in July!
<< It's not the amount of books I'm selling that's the issue; it's what it's costing me personally. >>
Thank you for articulating the *real* issue, Kay. Far too many of us seem unaware of the toll our literary pretensions take on us. More to the point, many do not realize that "success" is a subjective concept, and it does not always correlate directly with sales and/or royalties.
Most of us must languish in obscurity; I consider that fate my karma. However, the true "success" lies in what writers have achieved. We have made something out of nothing, and the joy of that creative act -- in and of itself -- is a reward on which we cannot put a price tag. I have learned to be profoundly grateful for whatever I can produce: novel, novella, dramatic work, or musical composition. If success comes, it comes; if not, I shall keep creating.
I, too, squandered considerable sums marketing IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE (the first novel of the ill-fated series). What happened? The publisher died intestate shortly after she released the second volume, and I never saw a penny of royalties. Moreover, I had ordered fifty copies of the second book, but she died before she could ship them.
At the moment, I am doing almost no marketing, and my "sales" are a joke. It's all right. Perhaps I'll figure out how to play the game some day. [Perhaps I'll at least figure out how to function on substack!] The key element, however, is what you wrote. "It's not the amount of books I'm selling that's the issue." I shall not let concern over those figures blight my creative spirit.
Find your joy. Sing to your work and let the work sing back to you.
Yes do the things you can but also learn when you need to step back and let the universe take over.
And probably foremost, connect with your readers. Focus on them... as you can... and let them know you appreciate them. "Oh and btw there's this new shiny thing I'm working on..."
I love hearing from you, my mentor because you've been in the trenches longer than I have. You've experienced the highs, the lows, and in between's. I hope the shiny new thing isn't a canon you are blowing yourself out of. LOL.
Yes, we must remind ourselves we are luckier than many others. We get to pursue our creative passions. Thank you for commenting, Lenny!
I think we've discussed this before you and I. I write because I cannot ignore the need to write. I write for my personal enjoyment and if I can entertain, enlighten, or enrapture others along the way, that's a bonus. I will eat whether I sell any books but it doesn't keep me from checking my amazon numbers each week. I'll never recoup what it costs to keep a secure website up by selling books with tiny royalties but I'm having a ball. If I get sucked into the numbers too far I pull out the notes I've gotten from delighted readers or go back and reread my five star reviews. I really believe the pandemic drove a lot of people to listen to their inner muse and try their hand at writing. The competition is stiffer than ever. I'm overwhelmed by the number of new books popping up every week but I still smile when I look at my debut novel from last year on my shelf. Soon she'll be joined by my second in July. It makes me tingle all the way to my toes and that's why I'm actively working on my third one! Embrace your inner muse. Sometimes that's all there is!
I agree with you, Kim. There is no other explanation for why millions of others are writing books, too, because the financial remuneration does not support doing so. Thank you for commenting and congrats on your second in July!
<< It's not the amount of books I'm selling that's the issue; it's what it's costing me personally. >>
Thank you for articulating the *real* issue, Kay. Far too many of us seem unaware of the toll our literary pretensions take on us. More to the point, many do not realize that "success" is a subjective concept, and it does not always correlate directly with sales and/or royalties.
Most of us must languish in obscurity; I consider that fate my karma. However, the true "success" lies in what writers have achieved. We have made something out of nothing, and the joy of that creative act -- in and of itself -- is a reward on which we cannot put a price tag. I have learned to be profoundly grateful for whatever I can produce: novel, novella, dramatic work, or musical composition. If success comes, it comes; if not, I shall keep creating.
I, too, squandered considerable sums marketing IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE (the first novel of the ill-fated series). What happened? The publisher died intestate shortly after she released the second volume, and I never saw a penny of royalties. Moreover, I had ordered fifty copies of the second book, but she died before she could ship them.
At the moment, I am doing almost no marketing, and my "sales" are a joke. It's all right. Perhaps I'll figure out how to play the game some day. [Perhaps I'll at least figure out how to function on substack!] The key element, however, is what you wrote. "It's not the amount of books I'm selling that's the issue." I shall not let concern over those figures blight my creative spirit.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful post!
Trite saying: "It's a marathon, not a sprint."
I hate that saying btw
Find your joy. Sing to your work and let the work sing back to you.
Yes do the things you can but also learn when you need to step back and let the universe take over.
And probably foremost, connect with your readers. Focus on them... as you can... and let them know you appreciate them. "Oh and btw there's this new shiny thing I'm working on..."
That's all I've got. Hope it helps. ❤️
I love hearing from you, my mentor because you've been in the trenches longer than I have. You've experienced the highs, the lows, and in between's. I hope the shiny new thing isn't a canon you are blowing yourself out of. LOL.
Lol. My SFX days are in the past. There's only so many cold concrete arena floors my bones can take. This shiny wears a Santa hat. 😍