Away so long!

Wow! 7 days since I last posted anything and yet it seems like I have been doing nothing but writing!

That is not a complaint, I love writing!

The problem is when you are not a full-time writer then there never seems to be enough time to do all the things that you want to do. Now that my first novel is published on the Kindle I need to get the message out so that people can find it and enjoy reading it.

This is a daunting task because there are so many pitfalls awaiting the unwary independent author. Hard sells don’t work, if anything they just switch people off to your message. Actually, I know that is true because that is how I react to other people who come at me with that approach.

I did have a little success with a softer approach in which I happened to mention that I had written a book in passing; that created some interest. However, you need more! You need a marketing strategy and this is where things get weird.

I want to write books not sell them but then if no one reads them is it worth all the effort and anguish to write them in the first place? The artist in me responds immediately – YES! Well he would, wouldn’t he! I mean, I always stated that my goal was to be read by someone that I did not know and I have succeeded there. They were even kind enough to write a very positive review of my book. The artist is happy.

For the real world it is not enough. For the kind of life I want where I get up in the morning and over a cup of coffee I contemplate character development, plot twists, how to insert a new piece of research, it is not enough. To be able to go to work in my study instead of an office 20 miles away it is not enough.

So now I am drifting away from the actual writing, the act that I love, to look at how to get more people to read my book. It is not all about making money; it is about achieving a lifelong ambition. I keep consoling myself with that thought.

Of course I know that I am not unique, almost every artist has struggled and suffered, even a little bit, but some artists have also gone on to enjoy credible success, so why not me?