It’s just one of those weeks, I guess. You know the kind. There’s plenty of creativity flowing and your stories are going on pretty good directions, but you just don’t care.
You look at sales numbers and, in tandem, the necessity of a 9-5 because your writing is still really nothing more than a hobby. No matter how much time you put in, no matter how dedicated you are to the craft…sometimes you feel like your free time would be better spent learning to play the guitar again…or sleeping.
It makes you want to take the USB your stories are on and burn it.
Yes, this self publishing extravaganza is awesome and I am incredibly happy to have used it to get Everything Theory: Cold Compass out. But then there is the marketing. And I hate marketing. It may be hard to believe it if you see my Twitter feed and Facebook updates, but I feel like a whore every time I post a link to my work.
Buy my stuff. Read it. Leave reviews. Check this deal out. Pay attention to me. Blah. This is the one part of self publishing that I can say without hesitation that I truly hate.
But hey, speaking of which, have you entered the Everything Theory: Cold Compass Giveaway over at Goodreads?
Oh, and The Masks of Our Fathers is just $1.00 for Kindle now.
Some evils are necessary but they make you feel evil regardless. Yeah…just one of those weeks.
January 18th, 2012 at 11:27 am
Promote less and converse more on Twitter – you’ll feel better and also sell more books.
January 18th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
I totally know what you’re going through. I vacillate between nearly ego-maniacal confidence and lower-than-an-earthworm’s-belly-button self-doubt. I think a lot of writers go through the same thing.
And yeah, having to promote makes it worse. I imagine your promotional activities are just taking their toll, and that once this brutal month is over, you’ll find your balance again. Just know that when you’re able to focus on and lose yourself in the writing, you’ll feel better again.
I guess my only advice is to pay close attention to how much good this promotion is doing you, and unless it’s really paying off, maybe for the next book do the most you can do without bringing on depression and then compare results.
January 18th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
I’ve started to do less and less promote, and it doesn’t seem to make much difference. In other words, listen to Alan.