Indie authors live and die by moments.
Every sale is a victory to be savored. Every like, every comment, every review; we bust our ass for every single one. We don’t have a teams of publishers, fancy and expensive press releases or famous authors friends to give us pull quotes. We only have each other; an insane community of like-minded writers, each of us trying to find an audience for these crazy thoughts that come out of our brains.
With that said, It’s been two weeks since The Hotel at the End of Time launched with all the ceremony and fanfare I was able to summon by myself. So how are we doing?
Pretty good actually.
65 books sold
1,650 pages read through KU (works out to about 4 books)
10 reviews on Goodreads and 5 on Amazon.
Frankly, this has succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. I gave myself the target of selling 200 copies of my book by the end of the year and I’m already 35% of the way to my goal. This is nuts. I don’t expect this to continue, but I’m delighted by the early reaction and support.
Through this entire experience, something has stuck out more than anything, and that’s been the support from my friends and family. My friends have all been texting me, taking pictures with my book. My entire writing group bought a copy. My family are all showing up to support me.
I never expected releasing a book would remind me of how loved I am, how many people I have that are rooting for me to succeed. And that, I think, is worth more than just about anything. It’s kept me warm. And whether you’re stuck in a snowstorm or trapped inside or doing whatever you need to do to keep going during these challenging times, I hope you have something to keep you warm too.
I like to leave my subscribers with something when I sent these out; some reason to keep reading. I have a special treat for you this time, it’s a silly little article I wrote about a year ago. It’s a writers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Who knows? Maybe some of you are thinking about writing your own book. If so, this will certainly answer the most common questions about what the writing process is all about. It’s not meant to be taken seriously, but
it is meant to be honest. I hope you like it.
A final thank you for joining me on this journey. If you ever have any questions about what I’m working on, or just want to chat, you can find me on twitter at my confusing handle @studioreadwrite or, email me at studioreadwrite@gmail.com
Thanks for sticking around.
Writers FAQ
Q – So, I’m thinking of writing. What’s the best way to get started? A – Write a book.
Q – I wrote a book and submitted it to a ton of agents. None of them were interested. What now? A – Write another book.
Q – I wrote a book and got an agent. Sadly, I wasn’t able to get a publisher. Now I’m not clear what to do next. A – Write another book.
Q – I wrote a book, got an agent, and got a publisher, but my book didn’t sell very well. Now what? A – Write another book.
Q – I wrote a book, got an agent, got a publisher and my book sold just a ton of copies and was turned into a movie starring Matt Damon. Also, I’m Andy Weir. What should I do next? A – Write another book.
Q – I’ve been writing for ages, but nothing seems to be working. I’m getting really discouraged. It seems like no matter how hard I try, I can’t make any progress. A – Okay, quit.
Q – But I don’t want to quit. I love writing, and I want to be successful. A – Okay. Write another book.
Q – I wrote a couple books, but I’m not sure I’m improving. What can I do to get better? A – Write another book.
Q – Everyone who reads my book says it’s terrible. Should I stop writing? A – No. Write another book.
Q – Everyone who reads my book says it’s wonderful. Should I stop writing? A – No. Write another book.
Q – I’m self-published, but my books aren’t selling very well. Do you have any tips on – A – Write another book.
Q – Okay, I get it. I totally get the conceit of this piece. You’re saying that the essence of being a writer comes down to writing and no matter what circumstances you find in your path, ultimately, all you can do is the one thing that’s directly in your control, i.e. write. I get it. Honestly. I get it. A – Great.
Q – But seriously, I have genuine questions about how to market yourself in a world glutted by – A – Write another book.
Q – Oh my god, this is spectacularly not helpful A – You should write a book about that.