The 100K Post---OR When Milestones Make New Ones
Greetings Liz fans and others here just to see what all the fuss is about,
I am pleased to announce that BREWING PASSION (this blog) has gone over the "100k hits" mark.
It's gotten me thinking about milestones and how they tend to shift and change the more successes we achieve and even with the more knowledge we gain about their relative importance. Once upon I time I really REALLY thought I'd be "IT" (you know, the Shit, without the SH...) if I could just get that "one acceptance" to that "one publisher."
Well, in 2012 I did.
However, along the way I become aware of the fact that, while that was cool and all--a goal achieved moment--it no longer had the impact I thought it would. Not because it didn't mean anything. It did. It was, as they say, a Solid Learning Experience.
I am fairly self-aware and hence, accept that I am pretty darn competitive. This leads me to be that writer, or that brewery owner, who is seemingly never satisfied with Where I Am Now. If it appears that way to you, I'm sorry. But because I tend to shift my gaze up, and past where I am I'm probably just focused on that next big milestone.
I set some goals for myself in 2012:
1. Get the Realty series (at the time "just" 3 books....) published
2. Get a handle on how much "blogging" actually affects my book sales/readership
3. Get a book accepted and published one of my 4 "target publishers"
4. Open a rental hall in my brewery and expand production by 150%
5. Expand distribution of my beer into the population dense/target rich Metro Detroit market
6. Go to Bikram Yoga 4 times a week
7. Get a book published whose concept had been rolling around in my mind for a while (a sort of "anti menage" as in "well since we live in the real world, let's get real about this thing" kind of...thing)
Five out of seven is not too shabby, considering that the #1 one goal blossomed into a 6 book project including two, 100k plus novels of backstory and front story. And #6 has been very gratifying (Paradise Hops) and was sort of a part of that "One Publisher Solid Learning Experience" thing I mentioned.
Truly the coolest thing I learned as part of my goal and milestone achievements this year?
Sometimes the most gratifying moments come by surprise. The Stewart Realty series was picked up by a very small publisher. As in I was one among their first authors. But that publisher (Tri Destiny) felt so strongly about my long story arc, difficult characters, deep POV and "unique voiced" series that together we pushed it right up to the top of sales over ALL my publishers including That Big One.
Oh, and I got a bunch of "hardware" in the form of a bunch of GOLD STARS from the Just Erotic Romance Reviews mag, plus many glowing reviews from other cool sites. Yeah, I collected some hater/ flamers too. And now that I realize that for what it is, I can compartmentalize it along with everything else.
Don't get me wrong. All of my publishers have taught me something and the parabola of my learning curve never ceases to amaze me relative to the editing processes. But of all those goals up there, the one NOT there, the one where I make "real" money writing and promoting and selling books is the one that makes me the proudest (OH and that this blog has gone over 100k hits, of course).
So thanks Tri Destiny: Jessica, Sheri, Ethan, Christine, Donna, Stephanie, and everyone else I'm forgetting because I just emerged from deep down in the writing cave (MUTUAL RELEASE: Steweart Realty Book 7 will Kick Ass. Just saying).
And thanks to all my FB Fan Page moderators and admins, Pink Boots Gang Street Team tweets and promoters, Beta readers and general propper uppers.
2012 was NOT what I expected it to be on many levels. But you know, that's OK.
Enough of this wallowing around....TIME FOR A GIVE AWAY!
Leave a comment and tell me ONE GOAL you set for yourself that you achieved in 2012. I will award a copy of ANY of my backlist in ebook format (or print if I have one) to 2 lucky commenters. PLUS I am going to pick THE MOST INTERESTING GOAL (or the one that is presented to me in the best format ---Haiku included) to get a $50 Amazon Gift card JUST IN TIME TO BUY MY NEXT 2 BOOKS THAT RELEASE BACK TO BACK!
HONEY RED: "Menage for Real Life"novel releases (ebook) 12/30/12
And HEALING HEARTS releases 1/1/13 to Launch THE CHALLENGE SERIES from Decadent Publishing:
I am pleased to announce that BREWING PASSION (this blog) has gone over the "100k hits" mark.
It's gotten me thinking about milestones and how they tend to shift and change the more successes we achieve and even with the more knowledge we gain about their relative importance. Once upon I time I really REALLY thought I'd be "IT" (you know, the Shit, without the SH...) if I could just get that "one acceptance" to that "one publisher."
Well, in 2012 I did.
However, along the way I become aware of the fact that, while that was cool and all--a goal achieved moment--it no longer had the impact I thought it would. Not because it didn't mean anything. It did. It was, as they say, a Solid Learning Experience.
I am fairly self-aware and hence, accept that I am pretty darn competitive. This leads me to be that writer, or that brewery owner, who is seemingly never satisfied with Where I Am Now. If it appears that way to you, I'm sorry. But because I tend to shift my gaze up, and past where I am I'm probably just focused on that next big milestone.
I set some goals for myself in 2012:
1. Get the Realty series (at the time "just" 3 books....) published
2. Get a handle on how much "blogging" actually affects my book sales/readership
3. Get a book accepted and published one of my 4 "target publishers"
4. Open a rental hall in my brewery and expand production by 150%
5. Expand distribution of my beer into the population dense/target rich Metro Detroit market
6. Go to Bikram Yoga 4 times a week
7. Get a book published whose concept had been rolling around in my mind for a while (a sort of "anti menage" as in "well since we live in the real world, let's get real about this thing" kind of...thing)
Five out of seven is not too shabby, considering that the #1 one goal blossomed into a 6 book project including two, 100k plus novels of backstory and front story. And #6 has been very gratifying (Paradise Hops) and was sort of a part of that "One Publisher Solid Learning Experience" thing I mentioned. Truly the coolest thing I learned as part of my goal and milestone achievements this year?
Sometimes the most gratifying moments come by surprise. The Stewart Realty series was picked up by a very small publisher. As in I was one among their first authors. But that publisher (Tri Destiny) felt so strongly about my long story arc, difficult characters, deep POV and "unique voiced" series that together we pushed it right up to the top of sales over ALL my publishers including That Big One.
Oh, and I got a bunch of "hardware" in the form of a bunch of GOLD STARS from the Just Erotic Romance Reviews mag, plus many glowing reviews from other cool sites. Yeah, I collected some hater/ flamers too. And now that I realize that for what it is, I can compartmentalize it along with everything else.
Don't get me wrong. All of my publishers have taught me something and the parabola of my learning curve never ceases to amaze me relative to the editing processes. But of all those goals up there, the one NOT there, the one where I make "real" money writing and promoting and selling books is the one that makes me the proudest (OH and that this blog has gone over 100k hits, of course).
So thanks Tri Destiny: Jessica, Sheri, Ethan, Christine, Donna, Stephanie, and everyone else I'm forgetting because I just emerged from deep down in the writing cave (MUTUAL RELEASE: Steweart Realty Book 7 will Kick Ass. Just saying).
And thanks to all my FB Fan Page moderators and admins, Pink Boots Gang Street Team tweets and promoters, Beta readers and general propper uppers.
2012 was NOT what I expected it to be on many levels. But you know, that's OK.
Enough of this wallowing around....TIME FOR A GIVE AWAY!
Leave a comment and tell me ONE GOAL you set for yourself that you achieved in 2012. I will award a copy of ANY of my backlist in ebook format (or print if I have one) to 2 lucky commenters. PLUS I am going to pick THE MOST INTERESTING GOAL (or the one that is presented to me in the best format ---Haiku included) to get a $50 Amazon Gift card JUST IN TIME TO BUY MY NEXT 2 BOOKS THAT RELEASE BACK TO BACK!
HONEY RED: "Menage for Real Life"novel releases (ebook) 12/30/12
And HEALING HEARTS releases 1/1/13 to Launch THE CHALLENGE SERIES from Decadent Publishing:
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