Folly or Destiny?

How to keep pushing forward when it seems no one is interested in your writing? This is a common question for an Indie author, I think. The cards are ultimately stacked against you, and some days you are going to ask if it is worth the struggle. There is just a huge amount of competition out there and ultimately you’re going to question whether being an author is in the cards for you.

My first self-published book, Island of Stone, has been out since April 1st. I followed all the sage advice online, hopeful (and naive) that I would see the same success that others found. There are plenty of stories out there where an author’s first work skyrockets to fame and fortune. I know now that is a very distant exception and most (many of which are very good writers) just wallow in the limbo. I followed all the steps too, but my book didn’t move. The most significant bump in distribution was when it was free, which is not surprising, and I did see some sales, Kindle Unlimited reads, and reviews for a while, but that quickly trailed off to zero. I’ve been running a countdown promotion recently, but even at $0.99, I have only sold one copy. Pretty dismal, right?

I went through all the pinch points. Was my blurb ok? I think so. I’ve rewritten it several times with no changes in sales. Was it the keywords? I’ve updated those several times as well with no results. Was it my cover? I’ve changed that recently and it is much improved, but with no change. Was it the writing? I don’t think so as the few unsolicited reviews I’ve received through Amazon and Goodreads have been positive. Those that have read the book have enjoyed it. It is much more than what it seems. Was it advertising? I’ve produced dozens of advertisements targeted at different audiences using different angles. I’ve run Amazon marketing ads, Twitter ads, Facebook ads, targeted my circle of both close friends and family as well as acquaintances. Nothing seems to work.

My conclusion? Either the story doesn’t resonate with people, I haven’t found the right way to promote it, or I haven’t found the right audience yet.

The sage advice also says that you have to keep producing no matter what, and with time, things will grow. So I kept writing, and I put out my second book in June, The Slaying of the Bull. I was hopeful that the little audience I did create with the Island of Stone (for Twitter I went from 0 to 2,000 followers in two months) would translate in a bump in sales for the Bull. To date, I have sold eight copies- not 800, not 80, just 8. All told with both my works, there are 150 copies of my writing out there. I am human, and this is incredibly disheartening, seeing that a tremendous amount of work went into researching, writing, editing, and promoting these books. We’re talking about literally years of work for about $50 in sales (equating to $0 for returns if you count marketing costs).

You might be saying, so you gave up, right? No. Have I been close? Maybe, but I am still very much in this fight. Why? Well, one, I love to write. I mean, I absolutely and unconditionally love it. I wrote for 15 years before deciding to e-publish and currently have several books in the planned-to-publish queue. Two, with e-publishing, your work is out there forever- like little seeds just waiting to sprout. Sales might not happen now, but it only takes one success to fertilize these other works. Three, not everyone can write a book and just getting to this point, is something to be proud of. And lastly, four, and this one is going to sound wacky, but apparently it’s my destiny to be a successful writer. No, I’m being completely serious.

My wife is Chinese, and if you know anything about the culture, you will know that it is ancient and full of wisdom. Many Chinese believe in an old method of telling your future using a mixture of your birth weight, the date, and the exact time you came into this world. Yuan Tiangang created it in the Tang Dynasty, so about 1,400 years ago, and is still firmly believed today. Now, I am a skeptic by nature, but when my wife calculated my future, we were all floored by how specific it was, namely, it said my destiny was to be a writer of great fame. The exact translated words were that I write like silk (what a compliment from the heavens!). This fortune-telling is very reassuring for someone who has dreamed of being a writer all their life. It was also quite specific, indicating that this would happen two years from now. So, I still have some time and perhaps the reason I haven’t seen sales is it just isn’t my time yet. Of course, it wasn’t all good news. It also said that I would likely die at 64 (probably from the stress of the game), but hey, I’ll take it if it means I can fulfill my dream!

Now, do I wholeheartedly believe in this prophecy of my future? No, but it certainly helps bolster my confidence on the days I feel defeated and it helps push me forward. So I continue to write and write and hope that I will someday create that yarn that pushes me from limbo and into the heavenly delights of success. It would seem that it is just two years away! There, it’s in writing. Check back in two years and see how I’ve done. If I’m famous, maybe check out Yuan Tiangang.

If your interested in my work, check out the Island of Stone if you haven’t already. It’s just $0.99 until 7 pm EST (July 7). It will then go to $1.99 until the 11th and then back to its regular $2.99. I don’t think you will be disappointed. It’s a good page-turner with plenty of thrills and mystery. Leaving a review would be greatly appreciated as always. Also, be sure to check out The Slaying of the Bull, a deep and profound historical thriller.

Cheers!