Relax. Write. Enjoy.
Every few years someone becomes a million-seller with a first novel, and many writers and wannabes believe lightning can strike them, too (writers tend to be an optimistic breed … they always expect to win).
My advice?
Drop expectations of mega-success. If everyone who writes a novel expects to be the next [insert your favorite highly successful writer here], then almost everyone who tries will be disappointed.
Only a handful of writers every decade get noticed at that level.
Stop Being Delusional
If you want to know why readers clamor for those best-sellers … study them. I think the best advice I could give you is to read the stories you like over-and-over until you figure out how they entranced you (trust me, it wasn’t luck).
Know where you are in learning the craft, and figure out how to get to your goal. Writing is a business. Study that part of it, too. Then have a plan, and work on it.
Be obsessed about your writing. Practice it.
Figure out your goals. Not just for today or this week. Break it into chunks … weekly, monthly, yearly and beyond. Work on making your own writing as entrancing as the stories you love.
Once you achieve one of your goals, look to the next goal as the measure of your success, and keep moving.
Keep practicing … and keep writing.
Remember, the only way to become proficient in something is to do it over-and-over again, always trying to improve.
Do It for the Right Reason
If you’re going to choose to do something, and obsess about it, then do it for the love of it. Not because you’ll be famous or renowned … but because it’s part of who you are and what you do.
That’s how you learn to be the best storyteller in the business.
Do the work.
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Enjoy the holiday weekend. I’m off to my middle son’s wedding. He’s found a lovely, intelligent young lady who seems to believe he’s every bit as special as he thinks she is.
I think it’s marvelous … and it ain’t just good ol’ Dad talking. It’s the only real reason to do something about it.
Love.
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BTW – I’ll have that podcast I promised, answering your questions, when I get back. Stay tuned.
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The Official Book Trailer for “Street Light”
Reviews are in for my latest novel, “Street Light.” One is from Top Book Reviewers and the other is posted by Readers Favorite. I’ll let them speak for themselves.
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My books have all garnered some terrific reviews. You can see the stories I have available by using the Amazon link below.
You’re also invited to visit my web site, BROKEN GLASS, or like my Book of Face page. You can also follow my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.
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Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.
There are Stories to Tell.
I had lunch last week with two old friends I haven’t seen in over thirty years. It turned into a great afternoon, catching up on half a lifetime. Both of them seemed surprised and impressed to learn I have published five books of fiction.
They wanted to know if I am getting wealthy doing it. I had to laugh and tell them no. When they asked, “Then why do you do it?” I said it was because I had stories to tell.
All you author wannabes out there, if you’re writing a book simply to get rich … forget it. Stop what you’re doing right now.
You should only write a book because you have something to say.
If you have a story that inspires or entertains; or information you believe everyone needs to know, then write it. But don’t rush to get something out because you think it will enhance your bank account.
Chances are you will not succeed, and I’m not being harsh. Rowling, King and Grisholm aside, the vast majority of authors don’t make much money from their books … most sell fewer than 5000 copies.
Here are some sobering stats for you (source: Publishers Weekly):
– Nielsen Bookscan tracks 1.2 million books
– 950,000 sold fewer than 99 copies
– 200,000 sold fewer than 1,000 copies
– Only 25,000 sold more than 5,000 copies
– The average book only sells 500 copies
Self-Publishing
In the old days, the imprint of the publisher was the main proxy for quality … if you were accepted by the publisher, you passed the test. It still didn’t mean your book would sell.
The self-publishing world has eradicated the filters and barriers the traditional publishing world represented (where editors made the judgments about content and worthiness).
This should be just fine because today, when readers contemplate buying a book, many don’t even notice the publisher. They look instead at audience ratings and reviews.
However, with self-publishing … even more so than traditional … you must start with a very good book … then market it with everything you’ve got. There is no publisher to do that for you.
For many would-be authors, writing a good book is difficult enough.
We’ve all seen self-published examples that fall far short of the mark. Or, not to dilly-dally around the obvious, many of these books fail because they’re poorly written, dismal-reading crap (sorry to be so blunt, but somebody has to be).
Many more fail not because of bad writing, but poor editing, or the total lack of it.
The Key to Success
You absolutely must have good copy editing to succeed. All writers need it, even the great ones. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can edit on your own. You can’t.
I spent many years writing, proofreading and editing copy for publications produced by one of the largest corporations in the world. I know how to do it.
But editing my own work is always a no-no … for the simple reason that when you write the copy in the first place, you quite often see what you want to see when you edit.
Believe me, if you skip this step, the quality of your product will be sorely compromised.
Readers don’t take long to spot the garbage that’s out there … and they will abandon it in a heartbeat.
In order for them to be followers and advocates for what you do, they need to see a true reason, be it talent or style, which makes yours an important story to read. It has to be well written and compelling, adding in a positive way to things that already exist.
Is Your Book Worthwhile?
Think of it this way: readers go to Amazon or visit a Barnes & Noble bookstore and see amazing books written by names they recognize … John Grisham, Ray Bradbury, Lee Child, Stephen King, David Baldacci, Anthony Doerr.
When they see your book, why should anyone give a hoot?
As an indie, to help make your book as good as it can be, get as much feedback as possible from your potential audience before publishing.
Be forewarned. You might not like what you hear. Strangers aren’t necessarily kind. You’ll likely get a host of brutally frank comments. But it is all feedback and input that you can use to understand if your book passes the test.
You should also learn how to improve it, so the work you eventually show the world is the best you’re capable of doing.
However, even if you turn out great work, in the end if you want to be a successful self-publisher, you have to be willing to do the marketing, which can be a daunting task.
Many self-published authors are ignorant of what’s required to get the word out (or they simply detest the marketing process altogether). How do you get your book the viewing it deserves?
Find Your Community
Most new authors think everyone in the world will want to read their book. To be successful, you need to get over that idea, and focus on who will really read it. Segment that audience as specifically as you can.
You want to see what those people do, where they do it, what they read, how they read it, what their biggest celebrations are, and so on. Then figure out how you can connect with them. Do they meet at rallies? Do they congregate at special places? Do they all drink Starbucks coffee?
That last item is not as frivolous as it sounds. The idea is to meet your community where it lives, and reads. After you’ve figured out how you’re going to connect to your community, then start getting the word out.
For example, award-winning author Eddie Price who writes good historical fiction, actually goes in costume to annual recreations of famous battles, where he talks about (and sells) his books to folks interested in that period. He does well with it because he has found his community.
Do you know where yours is?
Build a Platform
More marketing efforts will undoubtedly involve The Twitter, Book of Face postings, LinkedIn updates, and whatever else you can stand to do. Just be sure you have something interesting to say, other than “buy my book.” You want people to like you, after all.
They are far more likely to buy a book written by someone who helps them and whom they like, than from someone who merely bludgeons them to make a purchase.
And remember, marketing and selling a book is a long-distance run, not a sprint. Your publication date is only the beginning of the journey to make your book count.
Good luck.
The Official Book Trailer for “Street Light”
New reviews are in for my latest novel, “Street Light.” One is from Top Book Reviewers and the other is posted by Readers Favorite. I’ll let them speak for themselves.
**********
My books have garnered some terrific reviews. You can see the stories I have available by using the Amazon link below.
You’re also invited to visit my web site, BROKEN GLASS, or like my Book of Face page. You can also follow my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.
**********
Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.
Where to Start?
One of the most common questions a published writer is asked is where they get their story ideas. New writers sometimes think ideas just pop into an author’s head … or else they use some secret formula.
Many newbies think if they could learn this magic technique they could write best-sellers, too.
But fully-formed story ideas don’t just pop into an author’s head. Not usually, anyway. Nor do those authors have some magic formula.
They don’t need one. The truth is they probably already have more great ideas than they could ever write.
Great Ideas Come From the Act of Writing
Every how-to book on writing will tell you what you need is a solid premise. What they rarely tell you is where this story idea comes from in the first place.
This often causes a great deal of frustration in beginning writers because of the mistaken belief that the creation of a solid story idea is an event.
Theoretically, I suppose it could happen that a story would pop into the mind of a writer fully formed. But sitting in front of a blank page waiting for inspiration to strike is not a recipe for success.
The truth is that coming up with a full, rich story idea is a process. Knowing this is the key to generating ideas. Once you free yourself from the concept of a story idea as an event, you’ll be amazed at how much there is to write about.
The Secret to Endless Ideas
The secret to generating ideas is the same “secret” that solves every writing problem: writing itself. You can start with almost anything you find interesting and collect ideas as you go through your daily life.
Maybe it’s a location that fascinates you, a likable (or despicable) character you know, a clever line of dialogue you hear, or even a great title. You actually need very little inspiration to start writing. I started my fourth novel after imagining a great last sentence!
Hopefully, you’ll begin to notice when things you see or hear give you that little tingle that says there’s something there worth exploring. Pay attention and jot it down.
Write First, Edit Later
When you sit down later to write, just pick one of your notes and begin writing about it … what it makes you think of, how it makes you feel, what questions it raises … and write fast.
One of the keys to idea generation (and writing in general) is to write as quickly as you can. You don’t want to analyze anything yet. You want a volume of words on the page.
Even if you find yourself writing about something completely different from what you originally started … just go with it. The idea is not to stress about structure, not to analyze where the story is going, not even to think about it as a story yet.
You want volume, varied thoughts, and a wealth of possibilities. Don’t make any decisions; just stay open and receptive to whatever comes. You will be amazed at what’s in your brain just waiting to spill out onto the page.
How it Works
This process of starting with story nuggets and expanding them is the core of story idea generation. Stephen King wrote about it in his fabulous book On Writing. If you haven’t read it yet, you should.
As you explore your story nuggets, ask questions and follow your answers wherever they lead. Don’t try to force your thoughts into a story yet. Keep things loose and continue asking and answering questions. Feel free to backtrack and choose different answers.
And remember to write a lot. Volume is your friend. Ask a question, answer it, repeat. Keep at it for a few sessions and you will be amazed at the material you’ll generate.
By feeding your brain a fertile mountain of images, characters and possibilities it goes to work trying to make sense of it all. This process is the truth of where great story ideas come from. It’s like magic when it happens, and I promise it happens every single time.
A Bottomless Well of Ideas
You may find yourself coming up with multiple story ideas based on the same initial nugget … and that’s great! Choose one idea and work on it until it’s done. File the others for later use.
When the pros say they have more ideas than they could ever work on in a lifetime they aren’t merely showing off (well, maybe some of them are … a little), it’s simply that the process of working on one idea always creates new ideas.
That’s the secret to a lifetime of story ideas.
The Official Book Trailer for “Street Light”
New reviews are in for my latest novel, “Street Light.” One is from Top Book Reviewers and the other is posted by Readers Favorite. I’ll let them speak for themselves.
**********
My books have garnered some terrific reviews. You can see the stories I have available by using the Amazon link below.
You’re also invited to visit my web site, BROKEN GLASS, or like my Book of Face page. You can also follow my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.
**********
Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.
Painting With Light 