Yes, I know I'm a slacker. I haven't written a post in two weeks. Life has been very busy at my day job, so blogging hasn't been high enough in my priorities. However, that got me thinking about a good idea for my return blog - that in-between place where one is trying to make the successful transition to this professional author thing while still trying to put food on the table until sales get high enough.
First off, I'm not delusional - I know that Salvation Day isn't a New York Times bestseller. I'm building a career, and that is going to take time. Regardless of how highly I think of my writing skills, it's going to take time for word to get out. After all, I'm still a relatively new author. My other novel, Akeldama, has only been out for about six months, so my presence in the market isn't large yet. That will change over the next few years as I release at least two more novels in the next year and a half(the plan being to release four in the next two or so). Hopefully one will catch on, which will translate into people checking out my other work.
Still, getting from A to B is challenging. Becoming a professional writer requires dedication, and, above all else, time. You've got to put yourself out on forums, in bookstores, into marketing, updating your website, going onto other websites, etc. It's time consuming enough when that's all you do, but doing it while also holding a steady job? That's tough.
Some will say that I should quit my other job and focus entirely on writing(and marketing my writing). That being my sole revenue source will supposedly be a motivating factor. Sounds great...in a movie. However, I have a family to take care of, and I like them to not freeze to death in the winter, so I'm keeping my day job for now.
Therein, however, lies the rub. It's hard to break out unless you can devote lots of time, but it's hard to devote lots of time until you break out. I know better than to just put my work on Amazon and hope someone notices, but most writers starve. I'm trying to find a happy medium between feeding my family and pursuing my dreams, and I'll bet that I'm not the only indie author in this boat.
Hence my reasoning that, like a ghost, I'm stuck in the veil. I can't completely manifest myself in the physical world(my day job), but I can't move on until I let go. Maybe as time moves on I'll be able to figure it out, but it's exhausting(as my lack of presence on this blog over the last couple of weeks has shown). On the plus side, work is now lightening up(the past two months have been brutal), and I've got some time off for the holidays. Perhaps we'll find out what more I can do. If nothing else, it'll keep me on the go.
First off, I'm not delusional - I know that Salvation Day isn't a New York Times bestseller. I'm building a career, and that is going to take time. Regardless of how highly I think of my writing skills, it's going to take time for word to get out. After all, I'm still a relatively new author. My other novel, Akeldama, has only been out for about six months, so my presence in the market isn't large yet. That will change over the next few years as I release at least two more novels in the next year and a half(the plan being to release four in the next two or so). Hopefully one will catch on, which will translate into people checking out my other work.
Still, getting from A to B is challenging. Becoming a professional writer requires dedication, and, above all else, time. You've got to put yourself out on forums, in bookstores, into marketing, updating your website, going onto other websites, etc. It's time consuming enough when that's all you do, but doing it while also holding a steady job? That's tough.
Some will say that I should quit my other job and focus entirely on writing(and marketing my writing). That being my sole revenue source will supposedly be a motivating factor. Sounds great...in a movie. However, I have a family to take care of, and I like them to not freeze to death in the winter, so I'm keeping my day job for now.
Therein, however, lies the rub. It's hard to break out unless you can devote lots of time, but it's hard to devote lots of time until you break out. I know better than to just put my work on Amazon and hope someone notices, but most writers starve. I'm trying to find a happy medium between feeding my family and pursuing my dreams, and I'll bet that I'm not the only indie author in this boat.
Hence my reasoning that, like a ghost, I'm stuck in the veil. I can't completely manifest myself in the physical world(my day job), but I can't move on until I let go. Maybe as time moves on I'll be able to figure it out, but it's exhausting(as my lack of presence on this blog over the last couple of weeks has shown). On the plus side, work is now lightening up(the past two months have been brutal), and I've got some time off for the holidays. Perhaps we'll find out what more I can do. If nothing else, it'll keep me on the go.
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