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**I'M DONE!! SO DISCOURAGED & READY TO QUIT**
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Your books, specifically? I have no idea.But the business of being a writer is a tough one, and the joy, in the beginning, has to come from the work. Many won't get past that stage, and, with Amazon, etc., the competition gets more fierce every day.
So I hope your writing gives you pleasure. And maybe I would lay off the things that didn't work for a while - you gave them a good try.
Ryan wrote: "I'm just tired of the industry. Getting the next big "lead" and having hope grow up inside me again, only to be let down again, over and over. Sitting at show after show, watching hundreds of peopl..."Ryan,
The odds against anyone becoming a commercially successful author within this extremely competitive field are great and often insurmountable. There are literally millions of aspiring writers competing for the chance to succeed. The vast majority will not. That said; a few do succeed. Who is to say that you might not be one of them?
If you enjoy writing, continue to do so. If you truly feel that your writing meets or exceeds the quality and/or entertainment standards to eventually stand out sufficiently to achieve commercial success, don't allow frustration to override your aspirations and determination.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
Winston Churchill (Politician/Prime Minister of the U.K.) 1874 - 1965
Invaluable is the knowledge that what you have written is the best of what you can produce and that it will be enjoyed by the majority of those few (mostly people you know) individuals who have purchased your creation.
Unfortunately, what everyone else is saying is pretty much the way it is. Honestly, when people ask my opinion about pursuing a career in writing, I always say if there's anything else at all that you would enjoy doing, do that, because trying to make a living as a writer is extremely difficult. The writing is the easy part compared to the business aspect of it. You just have to walk into a book store to see your competition and that's only a small percentage of it. There are millions more vying for space. Just browse through Goodreads. But if you're compelled to write, if you're one of the ones who NEEDS to write, then have patience and know it's a long-game. It takes years and years of dogged determination (and marketing) to build your brand.
Kristine Rusch has a web site that has a lot of info on the business side of writing. (www.kriswrites.com). An important thing to remember is that sometimes it takes years to build your platform. In my limited experience, book signings usually don't work unless the reader is already acquainted with your work, or knows you personally, no matter the quality of your writing. Reviews come from joining Goodreads Review Groups where you review others' works, and other authors review yours. For me, I consider writing to be a hobby even though I have a number of books out there. I have a work week job and write when I can. But it takes time and money to build your platform.
I self-published, paid for printing too many books at a time I couldn't afford to pay for printing books, sold about 200 (and I live in a very rural area where it is hard to sell even books about the area!) of these books (Battle of the Band, the first in my The Prodigal Band Trilogy) in local stores, festival events and book conferences, in 1996, 1997, 1998. The printed my second book but only got a 100 copies and easily made a slight profit, sold the same way as the other. This year 2019 I finally finished the trilogy but as "three-books-in-one" but paid Lulu to publish it so it would have global reach through Amazon and others. In the meantime, I home schooled two kids beginning in 1994 and then when that ended I got a part time job as the office manager for my POA. Now retired but I still work at the office subbing every now and then and am on SS and MC (I am almost 67). Now is the time I am writing pretty much full time when I get a chance which allowed me to finish the trilogy and now am working on other novels, one of which is based on the trilogy. As with the music industry (where my prodigal band works) and the movie and art and whatever entertainment industry, only those who "know people" usually get the big time. I do not care, and I do not want to be a celebrity! Yep book sales are nice, but as with the other industries mentioned, to get a lot you have to give up a lot. So keep on going because at some point you will reach your destination which I hope is a good one.
I eventually decided to give away my ebooks for free online because my early attempts at getting published proved fruitless and the frustration was killing the fun of writing. So, I write strictly as a hobby and am now enjoying myself immensely in my retirement. There are simply too many authors trying to sell their books on the world market and too few spots available in the business plans of traditional publishers. Now, I use the services of a publisher that specializes in offering free ebooks online and, after some seven years of putting books on their site, can now claim to be known by at least a few thousand readers (my books total 120,000+ downloads on their site). I may not have made a cent out of this, but I had the pleasure of entertaining many others while enjoying my hobby. Maybe you could follow the same road, Ryan.
You don't publish a book to get rich, that's for sure, and bookmarketing is an art - and depends on what kind of book you have. Most authors fail at marketing as it takes prolonged effort and know-how. I don't do book fairs anymore, and definitely not mere signings. Presentations work better, with back of room sales. Most of my sales are online - and for ebooks. Having a social media presence has helped.
During the 6 years and 4 months of its commercial availability, sales of my one and only novel totaled 1,029 units (485 paperbacks, 480 e-books, 36 audio books on CD, and 28 audio book downloads). Royalties totaled $2,358.34 (the equivalent of $31.03 per month). Thankfully, I did not have to depend upon writing to earn my living.Since I had never entertained the delusion that my novel would ever become a commercial success, I was not disappointed when it did not.
Not everyone is destined to be a successful author. Had I not even tried, I may have always wondered "What if?" I am now content with being an avid reader and leaving the goal of someday perhaps becoming a best-selling author to others. I wish you success.
I sympathize completely, and understand your frustration and pain. I share it well. The truth is, its not enough to be a good writer and work hard, you have to be also a great promoter and get lucky.
I feel your pain. I am a new Author with my first Children's book. It's a darn good book if I say so myself. Many good reviews but still it's a hard sell. I just keep plugging away and coming up with new ideas. It gets frustrating but there is no way I will give up because I love my book. You want a review, I will read your book and review it. Anyone wanting to review mine, I would appreciate it.I'm trying to figure out how to get an author interview and bloggers to mention my books.
Michel,Good idea! I also want to give away e-copies of my books. Would you give me the name of your publisher who specializes in offering free ebooks?
Thanks, Max Swanson
The publisher is Paradise Publishing and you want to go to the site named 'Free-Ebooks.net', where you can become a member (for free) and submit your ebooks. I already sent you a message with the details about that site. Glad to be of help.
Speaking as a successful writer, both in terms of reviews and sales, I have also suffered the torment you have gone through. I presume your books are novels. It is much harder for a new writer to establish himself/ herself in fiction than non-fiction. I write both. If you have only written fiction, you might try a non-fiction. If so, choose a subject that you know a lot about, one that matters to a lot of people out there, and one you feel very strongly about. Re the fiction, try to get somebody really knowledgeable to give you an opinion on what you have written, the quality of the writing (has to be honest) and the quality of the cover art and titles. A knowledgeable editor or marketing expert may point out some important glitches. Be comforted, if you can, by the fact that a great many famous writers have also experienced the same pain.
I'm not sure if your work is horror which is one of the genres I'm more familiar with reading but I would suggest attending genre specific conventions and signings rather than general ones (if you haven't already). I went to one last year with $100 cash in hand and I spent it in about 10 minutes. People were there to buy signed books and there were a lot of them. Also, are you on Twitter/Instagram? If not, you should join both and spend a little time each day becoming part of the community. By that, I mean getting to know people first and then talking about your book. Or a mix of both. I've discovered so many writers via Twitter and Instagram this year - far more than just using Gr alone. The horror community is big on supporting their own and are very friendly and I hope the other communities are similar.
Personally I've never done an in-person event or conference. I write in a small sub genre (gaslamp) and Facebook ads have been fantastic for finding my tiny niche. The market is evolving and publishers need to wrap their heads around advertising and how to target their audience.
Unfortunately, writing and publishing is a lot of work. I am always re-evaluating what works and what doesn't, as a first-time author myself. Did you have beta readers before you published? Did you hire a professional editor before you published? Did you send it out as an advanced reader copy for advance endorsements prior to publishing? I encourage you to spend time networking with other authors, whether in person or online, and learn what has worked for others. Do you also have an online presence, good website and setup on social media? Focus more online and less on in-person events. Marketing online is where the best return is. All of these things help lay a strong foundation. If you haven't said yes to all of these, you might want to get feedback on the books. Try following leaders like Jane Friedman and Sandra Beckwith and learn from them. Bottom line - write for the passion of the craft and the message - and write the kind of book you like to read. Good luck!
I love Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ and particularly love these words in it: ‘In addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, “one dies of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon”.’Sounds like you’re at that point where you just need to push through. Doesn't mean you'll become an overnight success, but gotta love those shifts in perspective as stepping stones! ;-)
Elaine wrote: "I feel your pain. I am a new Author with my first Children's book. It's a darn good book if I say so myself. Many good reviews but still it's a hard sell. I just keep plugging away and coming up wi..."All books are hard to sell unless you go viral (better chance to be struck by lightning). When I worked for a publisher, even the best children's eBooks were hard to sell.
I suspect it's because most parents want to read from a paper book when putting the kids to sleep at night. Also, makes it easier for the kids to follow along with the pictures.
Thank you to everyone posting. I haven’t sold many books and yet I keep writing. There were book events where I wanted to give away books so I wouldn’t have to carry them all back home. The avenues to sell books have changed and I can’t keep up.
JJ: Don't feel like you're alone. There's a LOT of competition out there and the younger people aren't reading books outside of school. I know a lot of "indie" authors and they all have trouble selling except for one or two.One fellow went viral with a short story he wasn't very happy with. Wool. He capitalized on it and made million$.
Another writes great Science Fiction and just kept cranking them out. Eventually, he accumulated enough of a following to allow a good side income (not wealthy like the first guy) through talent and hard work. He has 16 titles on Amazon.
Me? I'm plugging along, but hardly getting rich off of my yarns. I write because I have stories to tell and I hope that they will "catch on". I think I'm good at it. At least the few reviews say they're good. But my audience is very limited as is my income from writing.
I'm finishing up my latest (5th novel) and I've run out of stories. If my muse comes back, I'll plug ahead in spite of the low sales. Heck, I'm retired and widowed, and don't want to live in front of FaceBook until I die. So, I may as well stay busy with something that's productive.
I got some great advice from Derf (of "My Friend Dahmer" fame) when I asked him about publishing my first/just released graphic novel "Hey You Punks!".
Derf's advice was both practical and painful reality, in stating that as an unknown AND first time author it is truly a long process to succeed and the expos and all the other business/marketing is just the way it is. As Derf stated and others are reinforcing, gotta just keep plugging away - its not a sprint, but a marathon. Hang in there and good luck.
Derf's advice was both practical and painful reality, in stating that as an unknown AND first time author it is truly a long process to succeed and the expos and all the other business/marketing is just the way it is. As Derf stated and others are reinforcing, gotta just keep plugging away - its not a sprint, but a marathon. Hang in there and good luck.
One final advice (since I said in an earlier post I was working on a book based on my trilogy)--write spin-off novels based on characters in your earlier books, since you already know about the characters you will include in your spin-off novels, which will make the novels easier to write. Right now I am completing a short novel with a spin-off character and his own particular journey through trials and tribulations; he is a "roadie" for my "prodigal band," and includes the band members and other trilogy characters. Hopefully before end of year will upload to Amazon, an e-book for Kindle and Kindle Cloud. Blessings!
Novel Slush Pile Inspector for fun on Amazon
See also Frankenstein Goes to Washington 2020
I don't know about you, but I get sick of the adage, "Writing is easy but marketing is hard." Writing is not easy. It's a lot of work. If it's fiction, the story has to have good pacing, setting, conflict, character development, prose, grammar. If it's non-fiction, there's a lot of research and fact-checking involved, organization, footnotes and references. The fact that most writers aren't good marketers, well, it makes it seem like marketing is hard but it's just a skill we're not all suited for. I have enjoyed every aspect of writing - from developing that first kernel of an idea, to making an outline of chapters, to writing the first draft, to editing...and rewriting...and editing again, and again.But the one part of it that I have not enjoyed has been the self-marketing. I will freely admit: I'm not good at it. I don't like it. I would rather chew off my left foot. I wasted several years trying to market my first novel. Paid book reviews. Free book reviews. Amazon giveaways. I had thousands of downloads but only made a small pittance in paid sales. I couldn't understand why my book didn't just take off on its own. Now I know that what I should have done, what others in this thread have suggested, is to just keep writing. If that is what you enjoy. Sure, you may need to do some self-marketing but balance it with continuing to write.
And I agree with others here, trade shows and expos are not what's going to get an unknown author noticed. It is better to become involved in online reader/writer groups. Have an online presence. Above all, be patient and continue to do it because the creative part of your brain just...won't...let...you...stop!
Michel wrote: "I eventually decided to give away my ebooks for free online because my early attempts at getting published proved fruitless and the frustration was killing the fun of writing. So, I write strictly ..."If you don't publish with Amazon how do you give your books away free?
Welcome to marketing. The art where everyone knows what you need to do, but no one knows how to do it.I am in a similar situation, in that I only have two books and it has been tough to get people to take the time to read my stories. A big part of getting people to read you is figuring out who your audience is, and what makes your book stand out.
I write Steampunk Comedy Adventure. Recently, I went to my first Steampunk event, and it was next to impossible to get people to even look at my book, even though I have a dynamite cover. Then I figured out that in that environment, it didn't stand out. I had cool cover, but so did everyone else. My prior experience was doing book signings at the Renaissance Festival, where I killed it. There is enough overlap between the Renaissance and Steampunk crowds that there were people to sell to, and they'd be hooked by the cover as soon as they saw it because there was nothing like it around.
So how do your stories stand out? Who is your audience? Where do they hang out? What is there to attract them to your stories? You want to positions your book so that it is the tree on the hill, not just another tree in the forest.
And, of course, the more books you have, the more chances you have to be distinctive and finally connect with the community that will love your stories.
Good luck.
Doc
Bruce wrote: "Michel wrote: "I eventually decided to give away my ebooks for free online because my early attempts at getting published proved fruitless and the frustration was killing the fun of writing. So, I ..."
If you don't publish with Amazon how do you give your books away free?
Amazon is not everything when it comes to ebooks (thank God for that!). I publish my ebooks on a site that specialize in free ebooks by independent authors (Free-Ebooks.net). They don't edit or proofread your book, only put it online as is, so it is up to you to provide a decent product. I didn't make a cent on the 23 ebooks I put online through them, but at least I had the satisfaction of being able to share my stories with many others around the World (120,000+ downloads since 2012).
If you don't publish with Amazon how do you give your books away free?
Amazon is not everything when it comes to ebooks (thank God for that!). I publish my ebooks on a site that specialize in free ebooks by independent authors (Free-Ebooks.net). They don't edit or proofread your book, only put it online as is, so it is up to you to provide a decent product. I didn't make a cent on the 23 ebooks I put online through them, but at least I had the satisfaction of being able to share my stories with many others around the World (120,000+ downloads since 2012).
Bruce wrote: "If you don't publish with Amazon how do you give your books away free? "(Assuming it's a real question.) It's trivial to set oneself up for giving away e-books! Get a website and put them up; post them to Google Drive or Dropbox; e-mail them to people; put them in other places such as Michel suggested.
But we know that a large number of downloads doesn't translate automatically into a large number of readers, and even less into getting any reviews or other feedback. As an active reader, even if I review every novel I read, that translates into reviewing a bare handful of books yearly, and very few "new to me" authors.
Having finished a book, the writer's problem (if we can call it that), is more like how to put books in a place where multitudes of readers find them and think they seem interesting enough to read. And there's really only one place that has developed a de-facto monopoly on attracting multitudes... So if you're searching for lots of readers, that's probably where you'd go set up shop.
(And fwiw, I've ranted elsewhere about my experience with putting out "free bowls of candy". LOL.)
Hey all and I truly understand. the book marketing is very, very competitive. Brutal, in fact.Look, I have 40 yrs of mkting experience. Did my MBA at UCLA in mkting, finance and strategy foe gosh sakes. Worked foe some of the largest global companies... Coke, EMC, AMEX. It's tough!
I wrote a paper, a sort of real-time journal, about the recent launch of a romantic fantasy. It tries to answer some of your toughest questions. It's free. no strings attached. My way of paying it forward. you can download it here. https://drive.google.com/file/d/12n-C...
my very best to you all.
Tom. www.tomrichards.ie
I'm not anywhere near the success I want and I've wanted to quit a few times but if that were the case I'd have done it like 6 years ago and I wouldn't have 7 books under my belt and still eager and have that thrill whenever I write a new one.
Ryan wrote: "I'm just tired of the industry. Getting the next big "lead" and having hope grow up inside me again, only to be let down again, over and over. Sitting at show after show, watching hundreds of peopl..."You could try IndiesToday.com. They have lists of book bloggers who offer to review books for free. There are also book promo sites. You might try investing in a new book description to give it some oomph
I know the thing is to get reviews but how we get them!!??
Where are the readers!!!??
Where are people who actually want to read books!!??
Where is the niche market!!??
Book signings haven't worked.
Book shows, conventions, fairs have not worked.
Even fanexpo, where millions of people come through and it's such a huge draw of people, not ONE sale!!!???
It's emotionally draining and just literally sucks everything out of you to sit for 4 days, smiling, saying hello, having conversations, and getting zero interest...
I am so ready to be done with writing, which sucks because I really do love it!
Any advice at all!? Any pointers?
I guess my stuff just sucks! And my content is not interesting to anyone...
RDG