As many of you know, I’ve been writing for a very long time and working hard at developing my career. Over the last few months I’ve found it to be a bit difficult to maintain any positivity about the future of my life as a writer. Yes, I love doing this. Yes, I will probably always write. But there is a difference between doing what you love, and doing what you love for a living.
So I’m asking sincerely and with as much honesty and openness as a human being can muster: What is it about my books that keep you from buying them? If you have bought them (THANK YOU!!) perhaps you can offer some insight into why other readers you know may not find them interesting enough to buy them. Redemption is my latest release and despite my blog tours and promotions, I’ve only sold 3 copies in the last six months. I really need to know what’s gone wrong.
Maybe you can ask your twitter or facebook friends to take a look at the site and at Amazon and give their honest feedback about why they would move on instead of purchasing a copy. Maybe someone will be able to give me the insight I truly need to understand if this is something I can overcome, or something I will need to accept.
Thank you for your help with this.
Warmly,
Jenny:)
Well you know me. I read everything you write. So I will ask around. Good question Jenny.
It must all come down to getting enough exposure and building up a momentum, because I would find it very hard to believe that the flaw is in the writing, Jenny.
To be honest, I’ve never been entirely sold on blog tours. In my (admittedly limited) experience, they seem to be hosted by authors and are read by…well…other authors. It’s neat to have that mutual support, but that’s not where a growing readership comes from.
One technique I’d be interested in trying would be to put up a free eBook as a hook for the rest of a series. I wonder how much that strategy boosts downloads and subsequent sales?
Jenny, when I first read your blog post yesterday, I just shook my head and went on to something else. Why? Because I knew exactly how you felt, but didn’t know what to tell you. One thing is for certain: you are not alone. Not that that helps, but it’s certainly true. You’ve been around this block. You know how bad the odds are. Luck of the draw, right place at the right time, it’s who you know, etc. These are the cliches that are actually correct. It’s absolutely not about the quality of the writing. We’ve all read a plethora of poorly written books that make best sellers, are made into blockbuster movies… you know.
The competition is fierce. The economy–that is, where disposable income is concerned–is terrible. Promotion is hit-and-miss. You can spend a lot of money promoting and get no return. Or, you can place your book in some odd, obscure place and it gets noticed right away.
I wish I knew the answers. I was first published in Sept, 2001 — yep, right around 9/11. Nobody bought anything for a while after that. At least that was my excuse at the time. Like you, I’ve tried some of just about everything except television commercials, LOL.
What does it take to get major attention? (See 6th line, above). I haven’t read the Fifty Shades of whatever series, but I’ve been told by a number of people that they are poorly written. But the audience? Shockingly immense! In this case, titillation, sensationalism and word-of-mouth. High profile interest level.
You know that old saying about, “now that I’ve given up, I feel much better”? Well, that’s how I finally came around. I *love* to write. I don’t have enough hours in the day to write. Now that I’ve published some books on my own, I feel liberated. Are they selling? Not measurably, but some. For me, for now, that’s enough.
I hope you don’t give up. You are a fine writer with wonderful stories to tell. Stay the course. Adjust expectations. Keep on keeping on! – Pam
Jenny, you are a great person with amazing books. I know you’ll do fantastic. Thanks for being such a great friend. I wish you nothing but the best!
Thank you all for your advice and kind words! I guess I just needed to know if there was something I wasn’t doing or something I could correct. I know that book covers are so important and the blurb is too, so I figured I’d check to see if either of those was hurting my chances. I don’t really want to give up or anything, but there’s a difference between giving up the idea of a career and writing all together. I truly do appreciate each of you taking the time to help me with this!
Warmly,
Jenny:)
Hello, Jenny,Thanks for your good job in getting convention pix on website, quickly.———————————Your plea about your writing dilemma deserves a response. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough expertise or experience to be of much help. All I can give is my own reaction, for what that’s worth.
I bought Stark Knight and enjoyed it—hard to put down! I bought Redemption, but it’s languishing on my pile of dozens of other books to read—How to use Macbook and Adobe Photoshop, etc. Along with thousands of photos to do something with; AND oodles of writing projects in the embryonic stage.
Strolling through Walmart, I wondered who picks their books; what criteria? My last time at our downtown bookstore—months ago—I wondered why I didn’t see any J.R. T. books? Michael Perry will be at library this Thursday, maybe you can consult with him? At Siren WWA a few conventions ago, he made me painfully aware of how he makes a living writing. He spends a third (?) of the year on the road reading, speaking about his books!
The pictures were awesome, Carl! Thanks for taking the time to add so many of the names in. That really helped me tons. As to the books not being here–they were for a while, but things are different now than they used to be. That seems to be the case everywhere these days!
I do think hand-selling is about the only way I’m going to be able to make a name for myself. It’s just tough to do when you have 3 kids relying on you aon a daily basis. Michael Perry likely doesn’t have to figure out what to do with 3 children who have demanding schedules of their own while he’s out promoting his books. Not that I’m complaining–I love my children to pieces and I’m blessed to be a mother. On the other hand, I’m truly looking forward when I can devote my full time self to my career
Thanks for chiming in on this! It was cool to see your name pop up here
Warmly,
Jenny:)
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