As readers of this blog know by now, I released Akeldama last week. This has been the culmination of years of anticipation, and it is far from the end. Most folks I know think that the release of a novel is the end point, the place where writers become rich and famous, and all is right with the world. For me, the release of Akeldama was the beginning of a career, not the end of a movement. I plan to release at least four novels over the next two years, and possibly as many as six over the next three years(five are written). I planned and plotted and worked hard to start a business, not create a hobby.
That doesn't mean all has gone smoothly.
For all the planning, things get missed, things that create frustration and have made me wonder if I'm just another schmuck on a lark. To start with, I promised those who joined my distro list prior to Akeldama's release that they'd get a 15% discount on the novel. I thought I had everything set up for that, even acquiring a discount code from CreateSpace. However, on the morning of release, several people emailed me to tell me that the code was invalid. I dug into it and found that the code only works for CreateSpace's e-store, which I'm not using. I was pissed!
So, after whining and feeling sorry for myself for an hour or so, I went back and figured out what I could do to give my customers the price I promised. To make good on my word, I reduced the price of Akeldama from $15.95 to $13.56(the price at 15% off) and made it available for a limited period of time(in this case, until June 1st). Yes, it means that others who weren't on my early subscribers' list also have access to that price, but at least those who wanted the discount can get it, and my word is still somewhat intact.
(On a side note, many people decided to purchase at full price anyway to support this struggling writer's career start, and I'm grateful for their help)
And then there was the reader who pointed out to me a typo. Yes, a typo. After months of pouring over it and having several people look it over, there was still a typo. It's not a big one, and it's one that, honestly, many people will miss. You have to really understand things to even notice, but it's still there, and it grates on me. I pride myself on being a perfectionist, and, sheepishly, I'm even quite arrogant about it. After all, don't most writers know - not believe, but know - that we're better grammarians and spellers than the average person? Don't we possess that conceit? When I heard about the typo at first, my initial reaction was, "Pfft, that person has it wrong. They've got no idea what they're talking about."
Then I looked at it.
Yup, it was there. Subtle but obvious to me. Proof positive that you need editors who know what they're doing, as well as proof positive that no amount of proofreading catches everything. I felt sick about it, and, honestly, I still do. Every time I think about it, I feel a twisting at the back of my neck, like someone has grabbed my brainstem and yanked. Perhaps I'm beating myself up too much over it, but no one feels this sting more than I. The ironic part is that nearly everyone who doesn't know this part in depth won't even notice.
Finally, I had a reader on my list ask to be taken off. I dutifully complied, but it still hurt. I don't want anyone who doesn't want my work to be bothered, but I spent years meticulously piecing together my subscriber list, and it's a body blow when people no longer want to be a part. Yes, everyone else has lives and things that they're into, but while my mind can understand that, my ego has trouble with it.
(Yet another side note - not everyone on my list has yet bought a copy of either the ebook or paperback. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out. After all, it's only been three days)
So stuff doesn't go perfectly. That's life, but it's also hard for a control freak like me to take. I don't like chaos, so I try to eliminate variables. Yet they stubbornly persist.
Oh, who am I kidding about just being a control freak? I'm their king!
That doesn't mean all has gone smoothly.
For all the planning, things get missed, things that create frustration and have made me wonder if I'm just another schmuck on a lark. To start with, I promised those who joined my distro list prior to Akeldama's release that they'd get a 15% discount on the novel. I thought I had everything set up for that, even acquiring a discount code from CreateSpace. However, on the morning of release, several people emailed me to tell me that the code was invalid. I dug into it and found that the code only works for CreateSpace's e-store, which I'm not using. I was pissed!
So, after whining and feeling sorry for myself for an hour or so, I went back and figured out what I could do to give my customers the price I promised. To make good on my word, I reduced the price of Akeldama from $15.95 to $13.56(the price at 15% off) and made it available for a limited period of time(in this case, until June 1st). Yes, it means that others who weren't on my early subscribers' list also have access to that price, but at least those who wanted the discount can get it, and my word is still somewhat intact.
(On a side note, many people decided to purchase at full price anyway to support this struggling writer's career start, and I'm grateful for their help)
And then there was the reader who pointed out to me a typo. Yes, a typo. After months of pouring over it and having several people look it over, there was still a typo. It's not a big one, and it's one that, honestly, many people will miss. You have to really understand things to even notice, but it's still there, and it grates on me. I pride myself on being a perfectionist, and, sheepishly, I'm even quite arrogant about it. After all, don't most writers know - not believe, but know - that we're better grammarians and spellers than the average person? Don't we possess that conceit? When I heard about the typo at first, my initial reaction was, "Pfft, that person has it wrong. They've got no idea what they're talking about."
Then I looked at it.
Yup, it was there. Subtle but obvious to me. Proof positive that you need editors who know what they're doing, as well as proof positive that no amount of proofreading catches everything. I felt sick about it, and, honestly, I still do. Every time I think about it, I feel a twisting at the back of my neck, like someone has grabbed my brainstem and yanked. Perhaps I'm beating myself up too much over it, but no one feels this sting more than I. The ironic part is that nearly everyone who doesn't know this part in depth won't even notice.
Finally, I had a reader on my list ask to be taken off. I dutifully complied, but it still hurt. I don't want anyone who doesn't want my work to be bothered, but I spent years meticulously piecing together my subscriber list, and it's a body blow when people no longer want to be a part. Yes, everyone else has lives and things that they're into, but while my mind can understand that, my ego has trouble with it.
(Yet another side note - not everyone on my list has yet bought a copy of either the ebook or paperback. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out. After all, it's only been three days)
So stuff doesn't go perfectly. That's life, but it's also hard for a control freak like me to take. I don't like chaos, so I try to eliminate variables. Yet they stubbornly persist.
Oh, who am I kidding about just being a control freak? I'm their king!
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