Stuff’s going on. Stuff I don’t want to talk about yet, but I will soon. It’s good stuff, mostly, but I manage to worry about stuff anyway, even if it’s good stuff.
As far as my writing goes—brutal honesty time—I’m pretty annoyed with the whole deal. Here’s what I’ve discovered (I’m not trying to bust anybody’s bubble, I’m just expressing reality as I see it), it’s extremely hard to make any money at this gig. Self-publishing is not a gold mine, by any stretch. It’s not even a penny mine.
Let me back up and clarify. If you have a life, or want to have a life outside of writing, don’t expect to make any money at self-publishing in the near term. Based on my observation, to see financial returns, self-publishing has to be a full time gig. Or it has to consume every waking (and perhaps sleeping) moment that you are not otherwise, feeding your kids, eating, or working at your real job.
Notice how I didn’t include spending time with your kids, or your husband for that matter. (What’s his name again?)
No. Forget it. I’m not cut out for the hamster wheel.
I still enjoy writing and crafting stories. In fact, that’s the one thing I do enjoy about the writing life. Marketing? Uh no. I do not enjoy pimping myself. Not in the slightest. I can pretend for a while, and then I just get grumpy. It’s not that I don’t like people. In fact, I do like people. That’s why I don’t like bugging them.
“I know you’re insanely busy and about 100 other self-published authors just pimped their book to you this morning on Twitter, but please, oh please consider, maybe maybe reading my book too…”
Call me bitter. Okay, I’ll wear that label. I’m not bitter about writing stories. That’s still quite fun. Sharing those stories with others is awesome. Twisting people’s arms to read my stories? Not so much.
What it all boils down to is this: I have to write on my terms. How I want and when I want. That’s the reason I started my own small press in the first place. It’s both amazing and scary how one can lose track in the sea advice. Five minutes after resolving to approach this writing gig on my terms, some marketing guru has convinced me that not only am I doing it wrong, but I’m not doing enough.
“10 Things You Must Do…!”
“Why You Should Always…!”
“5 Ways to Improve!”
Brutal honesty. That’s what this is. A wordy illustration of my broken dreams–shattered into little bits and then shattered some more and then ground into wafting dust that is now swirling about my head and making me stuffy.
*sneeze*
Ahh…Aren’t sneezes satisfying? Cathartic. Freeing.
Ahhhh choooooo!!!
Welp. Time to wrap this up. I have stuff to do, including a novel to finish.
July 28, 2014, 6:44 pm
Never lose the joy, Jessica!! Keep writing, and maybe with adding a handful of authors, your publishing house will begin to grow a sturdy structure. That’s the hope, anyway. 🙂
July 30, 2014, 3:46 pm
Without the joy, there’s not much point. Which is why it’s time to reframe.
July 29, 2014, 5:58 am
When it comes to marketing, two people you might want to check out are Sally Hogshead and Ash Ambirge. Ash talks about marketing in a way that makes sense to people who are more people-oriented than task-oriented, and she is very good at what she does. Sally talks about the qualities you have right now that already fascinate people, and letting those strengths lead.
Actually, now that I think of it, Sally’s probably one that will help you the most. She’s done a ton of research on the topic of fascination and has found some rather excellent insights. I know that her stuff has been very helpful for me in stopping the angst, chilling out, and letting things come from who I already am and the values I have always held. It’s also helped me to value myself and others better, which has been super neat.
July 30, 2014, 3:47 pm
Thank you for the tips, Thea! I definitely haven’t found my groove in the area of marketing. I’ll check these two ladies out.
July 30, 2014, 4:23 pm
You’re welcome. 🙂 If you need any more recommendations, let me know. I’ve been reading a lot about marketing for the past couple of years, so I could think of a lot more people who might be helpful, depending on what kind of focus and information you’re looking for.
August 5, 2014, 12:19 am
August 5, 2014, 3:12 pm
Well said.
Marketing is hugely tedious and the audience so deluged, I couldn’t agree more. I dumped my ‘rich and famous’ fantasy some time ago when I heard over a million books are released each year, more than half self-pubbed. Even now, there are times I want to throw up my hands in disgust and walk away… But I can’t escape the story, the gnawing in my bones to write. And I sit back down.
I want cash for my work, no doubt, but I think it’s what it does to me, who I become in doing it, that’s the real deeper reward.
Keep writing.
All the best,
patrick t.