Unprofessional Advice from a Retiree Who Just Happened to Write a Novel

Peruse any interactive literary website and you will inevitably discover thousands of members routinely referring to themselves as a professional writer. Though technically correct, in most cases it is not actually true. Many would be and novice writers often seek and receive the advice of these self-proclaimed professionals. My unprofessional advice is to expend that time and effort obtaining such knowledge from books, periodicals, seminars, classes and lectures written and conducted by those who truly are professionals instead.

Upon retiring in 2001 after a 33-year management career with the H.J. Heinz Company, I created a bucket list of things I always wanted to do, but never had the time. One of the items was to write a novel. I began the process in 2009. It was published August 9, 2011.

The most recent sales report reveals that, as of March 31, 2016, 1,002 units have been sold (479 paperbacks, 459 e-books, 36 audio books on CD and 38 audio book downloads). Total royalties paid to date total $2,306.67. If this data reflected units sold and royalties paid for a one week period, it would be quite impressive and I would feel justified in referring to myself as a professional writer. However, the accumulated data actually represents total units sold and royalties paid over a 4 1/2 year period; not impressive by any standard. So I must be content to refer to myself as a retiree who happened to write a novel; definitely not qualified to offer professional advice on the subject.