Vanity Project?
I've been writing books for almost 15 years now. I started writing my first novel in 2012 with the intent of publishing for my 50th birthday, which I did. I have always self-published, in part because I don't think finding a traditional publisher would be easy and in part because that way I have complete control of the process and the product. But it also means I sell few copies, and that means I make almost no money from my writing.
When I published my first novel, Life Reimagined, I had fantasies of it being "found" by some publisher, who would love it so much they wouldn't want to change a thing and would publish and promote it. I would make money - not a lot, perhaps, but more than I do now.
Then, I received high praise from the mother of a friend, who read the book "by accident" because they shared a Kindle library. She loved the book and asked my friend how she had found this author her mother had never heard of. My friend confessed that she knew me because she was my friend. :) Still, her mother read several of my other books and continued to tell my friend that she enjoyed my writing. It was a wonderful compliment.
Then, I started doing giveaways on Goodreads. In exchange for a free Kindle version of a novel, the giveaway awardees are supposed to write a review of the book. I've given away 100 copies of each of my books for several books now (I didn't do this for Maverick for the Built Environment, which is nonfiction). And gotten at most, three or four reviews of each. The reviews have primarily been positive, however, and the ratings have been mostly 4s and 5s. So, that gives me some hope that my writing is enjoyed by complete strangers.
But still I self-publish. And I make little money. And so, to a large extent, I've always said my writing is really a "vanity project".
If you look up the definition of a "vanity project", though, it says a vanity project is something released but failed. Usually financed by someone who has more money than sense. And just can't let go of what they "know" is a bad project.
In my case, however, I would define vanity project as something I do because I need to and because I enjoy it, and don't worry about whether it's going to make money or not. I self-publish because I love that my words are out in the universe. And seeing my name on the cover and spine of a book still brings a thrill, in my English major heart.
So, I guess it's vanity that I continue to self-publish with so little feedback on my work, except the three or four reviews I might get. But, you know what? I'm not hurting anyone by writing and self-publishing. So, I'm okay with that.
When I published my first novel, Life Reimagined, I had fantasies of it being "found" by some publisher, who would love it so much they wouldn't want to change a thing and would publish and promote it. I would make money - not a lot, perhaps, but more than I do now.
Then, I received high praise from the mother of a friend, who read the book "by accident" because they shared a Kindle library. She loved the book and asked my friend how she had found this author her mother had never heard of. My friend confessed that she knew me because she was my friend. :) Still, her mother read several of my other books and continued to tell my friend that she enjoyed my writing. It was a wonderful compliment.
Then, I started doing giveaways on Goodreads. In exchange for a free Kindle version of a novel, the giveaway awardees are supposed to write a review of the book. I've given away 100 copies of each of my books for several books now (I didn't do this for Maverick for the Built Environment, which is nonfiction). And gotten at most, three or four reviews of each. The reviews have primarily been positive, however, and the ratings have been mostly 4s and 5s. So, that gives me some hope that my writing is enjoyed by complete strangers.
But still I self-publish. And I make little money. And so, to a large extent, I've always said my writing is really a "vanity project".
If you look up the definition of a "vanity project", though, it says a vanity project is something released but failed. Usually financed by someone who has more money than sense. And just can't let go of what they "know" is a bad project.
In my case, however, I would define vanity project as something I do because I need to and because I enjoy it, and don't worry about whether it's going to make money or not. I self-publish because I love that my words are out in the universe. And seeing my name on the cover and spine of a book still brings a thrill, in my English major heart.
So, I guess it's vanity that I continue to self-publish with so little feedback on my work, except the three or four reviews I might get. But, you know what? I'm not hurting anyone by writing and self-publishing. So, I'm okay with that.
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