Writing is work – but it’s also awesome

Creating a story isn’t that hard – it really isn’t.

Creating a story that has multiple moving pieces, more than one main character, interesting antagonists, a storyline that moves and is moving, drama, intrigue, romance (if you’re into that kind of thing), credible threats, satisfying outcomes — having all those disparate pieces come together to form a cohesive and enjoyable tale – that’s work. Actual work. It’s not lumberjacking, to be sure, but it’s head-throbbing, gut-wrenching, ‘what the hell am I doing here’ certifiable work. If airplane mechanics had the same self-doubt that writers have – and if they had to change their work as often – you would never step foot on an airplane. Ever.

Everything that makes a story can also be true of being an Indie Author. There are multiple threads to this job – and again, I reiterate, it’s a job. It’s officially work if you want to do more than share a story with your immediate friends and family.

The first thing is, of course, the story itself. The book or short story, or play, or whatever it is you happen to be writing. Then there is engagement – social media, blogs like this, setting up a website. Each of those things on their own isn’t that hard, but making it work together and trying to build a community around the stories, that’s a much tougher nut to crack.

Part of the reason for the difficulty is that so much of what happens after the story is printed is beyond the author’s control, but it is still something the author needs to remain connected to. The biggest example of this is getting reviews. The writer has absolutely zero control on this. Some people love to review things. Other do not. Maybe they liked your book but just don’t like reviews. Maybe they didn’t like your book and feel they are sparing your feelings. Here’s the thing, the reviews matter. A lot.

If you support Indie Authors, and many people do, thank you. From the bottom of the same soul that giggles when I write a bad guy doing something horrible, I thank you for your patronage of my story and of any story that supports independent artists. But buying and reading the book are only the first two steps. To complete the communication cycle, you’ve got to review it – provide some feedback either in the form of an Amazon or BookBub or Goodreads review, or send the author an email or a private message on social. I don’t know an author that wouldn’t welcome hearing from a reader.

There are other parts to this – the worst/hardest/most time-consuming perhaps, is the marketing. Creating a mailing list, finding venues to share your story, letting people know through the social channels what it is you’re all about, doing the research to figure out Amazon ads, Facebook ads… the list goes on. Writing a book is one thing – letting people know about that book is another matter entirely.

Other than the actual writing of the book, the marketing is the hardest part because as a writer I want to:

Let people know what I’ve done
Help people find and buy what I’ve done
Encourage people to read what I’ve done (even if you don’t buy it – go the library, download a free e-book, borrow it from a friend – it doesn’t matter because of No. 4…
Encourage people to review it. It’s impossible to overstate how important this is to Indie Authors.
Take every ‘legitimate’ opportunity to create a sales pitch
Don’t want to be seen as always giving a sales pitch
Engage my readers through posts and responses. If you comment on something on a social post or my website, I will answer you. If you send me a private message, I’ll answer that too.
I also want people to know that I don’t expect everyone will like what I write and that’s okay. Did you know there are people out there who don’t like The Hobbit or Harry Potter!? There will always be people who like what you write, but as an Indie Author especially, it’s (another one of) my job(s) to go find them.

With my mailing list, I honestly try not to send emails unless I’ve got something to say – usually that something involves a new release. So, if you’re on my mailing list and you want more, let me know what you’re looking for. I guess I could send you a picture of my cats.

The writing of a story is really only the first step on a long road, but it’s so much fun and so well worth it when you connect with someone who really enjoys what you’ve done. Having a reader come up to you at an event excited because they can get the next book is a great feeling. It validates the work you’ve put in. It doesn’t need to be universal validation – it only takes one reader to make all the hours feel well spent.

I hope that in the coming months and years, we can grow this little community as I grow the story world between the pages.

Cheers to you all.