When
I first became an “official” author, I really didn’t know what the hell to do with
myself. The only other authors I’d met were big time best sellers, after
standing in line for hours at a B&N, often after driving 3-5 hours to get
there in the first place. Totally worth it. ♥
#FangirlScrapbooking101
Back before I even knew
that I should be requesting reviews from fellow authors, I happened to find
myself at a signing for one of these amazeball best sellers, MaryJanice
Davidson (she’s the one on the right in the center picture, and the only one
who doesn’t make me look freakishly tall). After waiting in line to have my
copy of Fish Out of Water signed, I
reached MJ’s table and timidly mentioned that I’d just finished writing my
first novel. She then blew me away by offering
to read and blurb it. O.O I’m pale as death, so I’m sure I turned fifty
shades of red at this point. Of course, then she added on, “You know, as long
as it doesn’t suck.”
No pressure, right?
Well, apparently, it didn't
suck. At least not to MaryJanice. She wrote a super sweet blurb, and it gave me the courage to ask other
authors and reviewers to take a look at my work too. It also encouraged me to
man the fuck up and start treating my writing as a career rather than a hobby.
This is what I wanted to do for a living—not just in my spare time. I couldn’t
afford to let my introverted awkwardness stand as an obstacle in my path. I
needed to network.
I soon found myself on a
quest to seek out online forums and social media platforms, signing venues and
bookish conventions. It’s been an exciting and often nerve-wracking journey. Especially
as an indie author without an agent or publicist. It took 5 years before I
earned enough in royalties to be able to quit my day job. And now I have a
really nice circle of fellow indie author pals—a few of which are even close
enough to manage a lunch date on occasion. Most are still scattered across the globe,
but every now and then our paths cross at conventions, and it’s magical!
I’m not on the NYT or USA
Today best sellers lists… yet. But I am happy to say that my latest book, Death
Wish, has been hanging out on Amazon’s Dark Fantasy best sellers since its
release last week. Woot!
(Pardon me, while I go eat all the Halloween candy in the kitchen to celebrate... )
I am frequently asked how I
got where I am, often by people under the impression that it happened overnight.
There are a lot, and I mean A LOT, of great books on writing, and publishing,
and marketing out there. I’ve read quite a few of them. There are quite a few more
on my TBR list. Still, I’ve been considering tossing my two cents into the well.
What do you say, aspiring
authors? What elements of the writing/publishing/marketing process befuddle you
the most? Where does the map fail you with a shaded area marked no-man’s-land? I'd sincerely like to help. ♥
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