The Importance of Not Rushing
I’m not a patient person. Amazon two day (when it works) delivery is my friend. Amazon Prime Now is my best friend. I make a business decision and want to see the results immediately. I place an ad in AMS (Amazon Marketing Services) and I want to see it’s impact immediately. You see where I’m going with this. Patience, while a virtue, isn’t something I’m good at, and it often bites me. Today’s case in point. I published Space Rogues in August 2016. I rushed into it. It wasn’t well (at all) edited beyond me and friends. It had “developer art” for a cover. I should have waited. Over the next just over a year, I updated the manuscript (Hired an editor/proofreader), had the cover redone, etc. I track major…
Starting is the Hardest Part of Writing
I’ve no idea what other writers do to get started on their writing, but for me, it’s a multi-step thing, before I ever start to type. Space Rogues is the only exception to this post (And yeah that means only 2 data points, inclusive, whatever). That was created, as I’ve said many times, without a plan of any kind. That said, Space Rogues 2, and now 3, both started like this: I start with my iPad and Goodnotes (my all-time most highly recommended, favorite iPad app). I start with just jotting down ideas; Questions about plot points, or existing loose ends I might want to tackle. Sometimes an idea will come in but isn’t a whole book, so it’ll get a little note about maybe it’s a subplot. As I…
Yesterday I typed, ‘The End.’
Well, yesterday I typed two of my favorite words as a writer, “The End.” Not because I’m glad I’m done, but because I’m excited to share. Sometime this week I’ll be reviewing from the beginning and doing my first pass at cleaning it up. After that, I’ll ask for a beta reader or two to take a look at it. After that, an editor, then you all get to read it. I’ve learned a lot since publishing ‘Space Rogues‘ (You’ve read it right? If not, now’s a good time to grab it and get ready for the next chapter in the story.), namely, don’t rush to hit that magical ‘publish’ button. So I’m not. I’m going to make sure it’s really ready. Version 1 (can’t take the programmer out…
Writing, By the Numbers
I’ve always been (This won’t be surprising to those that know me) been an advocate of transparency. I realized in looking at the numbers this morning, I haven’t shared any numbers with Y’all around my writing. Probably not that interesting to most, but this is my blog, so… So, here goes, the Numbers. The numbers that go with this, as an example, for December are: Select (blue, Kindle Unlimited) $44.42, Royalties (red): $99.74, and Print (gray): $2.70 You can see that November was my best month. I think December would have been better, had I not spent a week and change not in KDP Select dipping my toes in the publishing wide waters. Someday, yes. Right now, no. It’s taken (More on that here) a while to get some upward trajectory…
