Writing is just the start

Having just published my seventeenth novel, I am again inclined to ponder the non-writing of the process. Editing is a tough gig, sometimes taking longer than the actual writing.  Professional editors price themselves out of the indie writer’s budget; fortunately most indie readers are forgiving, and using non-professionals will suffice. It helps that Amazon is easy to plug in updated versions of your manuscript.

The blurb is a stressful part of the package; how do you sell a book in a paragraph? I don’t feel comfortable claiming my books are all that special, although I have done quite well by indie standards. ‘Quite well’ is not, however, the sort of adjectives that you want to use in a blurb.

The cover is a major pain. I have poor visual creativity, and after some forays into hiring artists (never fun) I have settled on functional covers.

Where I am most lacking is marketing. Writer’s boards are full of what did not work, but the methods that do work are carefully guarded secrets. I keep an eye out for methods, but meanwhile I cherish my reviews and the slow but steady sales I do get, and keep writing. Sooner or later I’ll stumble upon a workable plan, and until then I’ll continue to crank out more books.

In the final accounting, it is the writing that I love.