My Personal Score Card

I keep track of publications, sales, etc. and at the end of each year I have a personal score card that I compare to other years. I won’t bore you with the slide show or the Powerpoint presentation, You probably get enough of that at work. But I will tell you that I’m excited about a few of my books for 2014 based on 2013.
But first, the part that keeps me moving forward year after year: poetry and short stories. Although I get a lot of rejections, this year I published ten poems and one flash fiction piece. I didn’t mail as many flash and short story pieces out this year due to just being busy, so my goal is to do better next year. Because I send more poetry out, I tend to do better there, and this year I doubled what I published last year. And, a lot of them were new poems, which means (to me, anyway) that I’ve still got it.
Even better news is that I had my third collection of poetry published this year. Moon Path Press published And Now This, and I’ve done a lot of readings this year to support its publication. The book is beautifully done, which makes it easy to attract attention at readings. (The poems aren’t too bad, either.)
Before I get into my novels, I’d like to give a nod to my technical writing (which pays most of the bills around here). I published nearly twenty-five pieces this year, and then some (I don’t always get copies when one of my clients places a piece). Many of the articles I do are so cool – robots, space travel, 3D printing of…everything you could imagine. And next year looks even better.
My novels are another story. Year after year, I find that people want and read different things – to be expected, I know. And, novels are affected by a lot of outside elements like advertising (that my publisher does), social media (that I do), and word of mouth (which is what I thank all of you for doing). Word of mouth is still the number one seller of books, so whatever success I have is due to my friends, family, and readers. I owe you, so if you need anything from me, don’t hesitate to ask.
So, this year, my historical novel, Sweet Song, about a mulatto passing as white just after the Civil War was my number one seller. It was on the Amazon bestsellers list at the top five (paid) for nine days. I was dancing in my office. Thank goodness no one noticed. My second best seller is my utopian/dystopian novel, Cathedral of Dreams. This novel was on Amazon’s top 100 (paid) list three times in the past year, and continues to sell.
I had hoped the first book in my fantasy trilogy, Doublesight, had sold better, but it’s been a slow starter. I shouldn’t complain, both my best sellers took over a year to start moving – again, this is because of word of mouth, which is slow to gain momentum. I suspect, since Doublesightis getting good reviews, that things will pick up for it.
My mid-listers this year were Revision 7: DNA, another science fiction title about robots and time machines, The NSA Files, about a shaman detective and the internet, and Ten Months In Wonderland, a contemporary novel about a young Airman stationed in Thailand during 1973 and 74. (Or is that historical?) Anyway, the great thing about Ten Months In Wonderlandis the, 5-star reviews it’s getting. Again, word of mouth is working for that novel. The NSA Files got a great boost from the NSA being in the news so often this year. You can’t plan that one.
My other novels bring up the rear: A newer science fiction novel, Hear No Evil was one of my personal favorites to write. It’s a space opera with military and political leanings. I like the two main characters a lot, and plan to write more about them if the book starts to move. The Perceived Darkness, is another contemporary novel about several couples who meet at a party and one crazy person loosely connected to them. Other novels like Wolf’s Rite, Giver of Gifts, The Witness Tree (my daughter’s most recent favorite), and Deception Creek all bring up the rear. They are older titles that sold fairly well in print at one time. I’m hoping they catch on with their own readership in ebook format. I have noticed that once someone reads one of my more contemporary titles, I sell a few copies of each of these.
That’s the report card. I continue to write in multiple genres because that’s what’s fun for me. I figure if I’m not having fun, then writing is just work. I have to love what I do in order to get up in the morning. Thanks for listening.
* * * * Terry Persun holds a Bachelor’s of Science as well as an MA in Creative Writing. He has worked as an engineer, has been the Editor-in-Chief of several technology journals, and is now marketing consultant for technical and manufacturing companies. Seven of his novels have been published. His science fiction novel Cathedral of Dreamswon a ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Finalist Award, and his historical novel, Sweet Song won a Silver IPPY Award. His latest science fiction space opera is Hear No Evil.