Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
II. Publishing & Marketing Tips
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What does it take to succeed?
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Ideally, I'd love to replace my day job salary with income from writing, but that, to me, seems to be a pie in the sky dream. I'll define success for me as a significant second income, say $1000 to $2000/month.Other than a short story in an anthology, I don't even have anything for sale yet (and I submitted that more as a favor to the publisher than for the $25 plus "royalties"). Obviously, I have no experience at what it will take to succeed. All I can do is read stories from some people who are where I want to be and draw some, hopefully, logical conclusions. This is what I've come up with:
Let's stipulate that there are two types of readers: tolerant and intolerant.
(Actually, there are two types of people in this world - those who believe people can be divided into two groups and those who don't believe that :) )
Tolerant readers are characterized by their patience. They'll buy your book if they like your idea or if it's been recommended to them. They'll give you tons of time to develop your characters and your world and your plot. As long as there's some minimal promise of a payoff, they're happy.
Intolerant readers have to be pulled kicking and screaming into a story. You have to grab their attention and fight to hold it. You've got no time for backstory or infodumps. You've got to entertain from the start.
I'm an intolerant reader. If your first half page doesn't pull me into the story, I'm on to the next novel on my recommended list. My wife, who isn't a writer and who doesn't have any interest in knowing anything about writing, is also an intolerant reader. She reads mainly romance and has been so turned off by her perception of the low quality of the genre that she basically sticks to authors she trusts. She rarely even considers reading someone new.
It seems obvious to me that both tolerant and intolerant readers exist. Unfortunately, however, I have no data telling me how many of each there are. I think also that most readers can switch from one category to the other and back again based on various factors.
My plan for success is to write well enough to capture the intolerant reader. I base this plan on the supposition that appealing to the harder of the two groups makes the book accessible to both groups, thus widening my pool of potential readers.
I got serious about learning how to write about 3 1/2 years ago, and I've spent much of that time trying to make my writing more engaging. Hopefully, I've reached a level where I'm achieved that goal to some extent.
It seems to me that a lot of SPAs fail at this stage. Authors spend a lot of time dreaming up their characters and world and significant situation. It's all interesting to them because they've put so much energy into thinking about it. A big failing of a lot of SPAs, imo, is that they don't stop to consider, "What will a reader find interesting about this?"
I've read plenty of "engaging" books that didn't do much for me. Take Brandon Sanderson's writing. Everything I've read of his flows really well and keeps me immersed until the end. When I finish one of his novels, however, I never feel quite satisfied. Because of this lack, I don't think I'll buy any more of his books.
It seems to me, therefore, that a second component is needed for a writer to be successful. In addition to the writing being engaging, I think that the story needs to be satisfying.
This objective, imo, is much more difficult to achieve and harder to define than the other one.
I think that a deep POV, clearly defining emotional context, and giving my characters plenty of opportunities to experience highs and lows all help. Truthfully, though, I'm hoping that I can find a good content editor to help me with this aspect.
If I can write a book that meets both objectives - engaging writing and a satisfying story - I still don't think I'll find success. There are just too many books out there for one to stand out.
My plan is to write a second book that meets those objectives. And a third. And a fourth. And...
Hopefully, eventually, producing enough quality material will get me noticed.
The good thing is that most avid readers actively seek new books and, if they like the first one of yours they find, they'll take a look at your other titles.
Success, when I began writing many years ago was simply having a book published by a reputable publisher, but today it's much harder to define. Anybody can be a published writer now, simply by publishing on Amazon. Perhaps the definition of success would be to have a readership: one established by your output and the quality of your work. I was first published by Macmillan: one of the 'Big Five'. They dropped me, so my success turned to failure. My writing became a hobby rather than a career. So there's another definition of success: having a career as a writer.But now I have eight novels in print; all traditionally published with number nine due for release in January, so I can consider myself a success because I overcame the odds.
Am I happy and passionate about my writing? Have I become a better person through being a writer and doing what I truly love? Do I like prosperity and freedom in my life? Am I doing what I truly want to do?
The answer is yes! And to me that is success!
The answer is yes! And to me that is success!
Definition of success.The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines success as follows. 1: favorable or desired outcome. That's good enough for me.
What you did or plan to do
I read books and attended a seminar pertaining to developing and perfecting technical writing and story telling fundamentals and skills. Then I took my time (14 months) to produce what I felt was a completed, polished manuscript. Then I spent several weeks working with and learning from the copy editor, conceptual editor, and layout design artist who helped convert my manuscript into a commercially viable book.
Why do you think you succeeded or why you think your plan might lead to success.
Writing a novel was just one of several items included in bucket list that my late wife insisted I create upon retiring in 2001. So, in that sense, I have succeeded. To date (Aug. 9, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2014), the novel has sold 917 units (460 paperback, 403 e-book downloads, 33 audio books on CD, and 21 audio book downloads). So it has not yet proven to be a commercial success.
Jim wrote: "Definition of success.The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines success as follows. 1: favorable or desired outcome. That's good enough for me.
What you did or plan to do
I read books and at..."
compared to a lot of people, those aren't horrible numbers.
1. Success for me has been more of an accomplishment of goals, each replacing the one before it. Looking back, I don't think I would have been disappointed if I hadn't reached any but the first. I'm a firm believer in baby steps and small victories. It went something like this.a) write a full length novel - Yay me!
b) can you do it again? - Yay me!
c) get up the nerve to ask friends to read them - Yay me!
d) put it out there for others to buy and read - I didn't have much hope here, but was proud as punch I had the nerve to do it.
e) get a review from a stranger (bonus: they liked it!)
f) sell more books than I had relatives and friends - Yay me!
g) earn my living doing what I love - Yay me. A modest living, but a living nonetheless.
h) maintain and hopefully grow my readership - the success jury is still out on this one. Only time will tell.
2) I had no marketing plan, but I've learned some things along the way that I do now, but should have done sooner. I should have cultivated my readers through social media and a news letter. Once I had a loyal following, I should have started a street team to help spread the word. A bonus to all this is meeting readers who have become friends. I love my readers and should have found better ways to show it.
3) Those first two books sold steadily (and still do) but never made best seller. My third book - a different romance sub-genre - hit the lists and took off. I would like to proclaim my writing brilliance here, but the truth is more mundane. It was luck. I hit the right market at the right time and the right people read it and passed the word. I am convinced luck plays as big a role as good writing in a book's success.
Brian wrote: "Jim wrote: "Definition of success.The Merriam-Webster English Dictionary defines success as follows. 1: favorable or desired outcome. That's good enough for me.
What you did or plan to do
I read ..."
Brian,
I appreciate the encouraging words and support. Believe me, my original post was not an attempt to be modest. However, for a book to be considered a commercial success, it must sell in the thousands.
According to books on the subject and literary periodical articles, a mainline traditional publisher incurs considerable direct and sub-contracted overhead expenses: acquisition staff, editors, layout and graphic design artists, professional narrators, recording technicians, printing, distributors, website design and maintenance, marketing and publicity personnel. The average sales target, required for the publisher to recoup its initial investment in an author and reach its break-even point, is approximately 5,000 units (combination of all formats).
Share your thoughts. Include:
1. Your definition of success
2. What you did or what you plan to do
3. Why you think you succeeded or why you think your plan might lead to success