Pixabay.com We all know that writing is not the
way to get rich fast, but I’m sure everyone following this blog has been
frustrated with writing and publishing at least once. I know I was. Several
times.
The good thing is that I’m stubborn
as a mule. If I want something, I work to get it, even if it takes ages. I
shudder to think how many of you give up because the headwind is too strong.
So here are a few words of
encouragement:
Things will get better!
Your Indie sales are low? Agents
reject your queries again and again? That’s all too familiar to most of us. If
you don’t mind listening, I’ll tell you a bit about my journey.
When I started out Indie publishing
at a time where the concept was still alien, most people told me I’m crazy (I
am but that’s beside the point). I hand-sold 1000 copies of my first ever novel
(a historical novels based on genealogical research) over the next 2 years, and
the feedback I got was great. BTW, the novel is still selling today.
So, enthusiastic as I was, I
thought I was destined to become a good mid-list author. I got an agent and
wrote more novels. One by one, they were rejected. And that wasn’t a question
of quality. To prove the point: I got phone calls from German editors who
apologized for not accepting my novel despite their strength. They had
guidelines from their admin that told them only to buy historical novels set in
the Middle Ages, or fantasy novels that were set in a Tolkienesque world.
I returned to self-publishing, and
since I was bilingual, I wrote my novels in English. I had no idea of cover
design, copy writing, or marketing, and never heard of rapid release, eMail
lists, or writing to genre. I only wanted to tell stories that other people
liked. Sure, I found some rabid fans but no financial success.
After Indie publishing more than 12
novels, 14 novellas, and a stack of short stories, I sat back and re-evaluated
what success meant to me. I had learned a lot since the gold-rush times of
Indie publishing and realized that my love and my strength lay with short
fiction. I prefer writing short stories and novellas, and my fans love those
tales for their rich small-scale worldbuilding. So I started honing my short
tale craft and began sending out my stories.
To my great surprise, the very
first one I sent out was snatched up and included in the IWSG anthology
"Voyagers: The Third Ghost" and the editors loved it. Nearly at the
same time, the Swords & Sorcery online
magazine bought my story "A Twist in Katlani’s Plan". And a few
months later, Dean Wesley Smith bought one of my short stories for his
Pulphouse Magazine (it’ll get published sometime later this year). There’s no
question of what I’ll be doing for a while yet: I’ll be writing short stories,
sending them out to paying markets for some time to come.
Sometimes being mule-headed has its
advantages. You just have to find the right direction for your inner mule. With
that in mind:
Cherish your mulishness and write
with joy!
