Congratulations! You are an Indie Author. And you wrote the best book ever published. But it does not sell. You escalated your marketing and advertising efforts and expected those hungry readers to buy your e-book by the dozens, hundreds, let’s dare say thousands?
Not.
What’s going on? You’ve read blogs saying that many Indie Authors quit their day jobs and can live on their published books. But then many other sources say that if you sell 100 e-books ever, consider yourself lucky. Lucky? You feel like quitting.
Let’s look at this from a more down to earth point of view. You’ve never run a marathon, but decide to run in one. Do you think you’d win? How about finish? Would you be disappointed if you quit by mile five? Your stamina and the task at hand are obvious. You don’t win a marathon on the first try.
Yes, but running the marathon has to do with physical conditioning. Writing is different. You should be able to succeed the first time. Oh, really? Remember the “good-old” days, as far back as ten years ago? Back then for you to become a writer you had to write the book, polish it, and submit the manuscript to publishers and agents. And then to your shock, after months of waiting you received “NO” or not even a response. Some considered themselves lucky to get a personalized rejection. Yeah, somehow a sugar coated “NO” is easier to swallow. What would you do? By the time you got your first rejection years would pass. Would you quit or write another book and submit again?
If your dream was to become an author you kept writing and submitting until the publishers said, “YES,” or you gave up, or died (sadly that happened.) In the old days not everyone who submitted one manuscript, two, three, or more became a traditional published author. To succeed you had to write a lot and submit a lot until one day, and only if you kept at it, you might get published.
Today you can become a published author on your own, without the approval from those ‘despicable’ gatekeepers, and Amazon will validate you. Except today the readers, not the gatekeepers are saying “NO,” by not buying your book(s.)
In the past the key to success was: Write, Polish, Submit, and do it over again until you were successful. Today the key to success is: Write, Edit and Publish, and do it over again until your books sell. Nothing has changed.
In the old days chances were slim that you’d ever get published, and didn’t make any money while trying. Today at least you get published, although sales/money are not there. At first.
Eventually the readers will say “YES,” but only if you Write, Edit and Publish repetitively. It will take time and only the determined will succeed. And the more you write the more your skills will improve, making you a better writer. There were no quick results then, there are no quick results now. This is a long haul effort, not a get rich quick scheme.
So what will you do? Keep Writing or Quit?