How Long Until I'm a Kindle Success?
How Long Until I’m a Kindle Success
by Jackie Vick
It’s easy to believe in overnight author successes when you
hear about the great things happening on Kindle. Free promotions. The KDP Prime
lending program. Record sales. I’m hopeful my new release, Barking Mad About Murder, will sell about 20,000 copies this month.
(Snicker)
The truth is, as with anything, blossoming into a successful
author takes time. Success is usually defined by monetary gain, but it also
refers to one’s ability to write well and turn out readable material. It takes
practice.
I still have the check from my first sale framed on my wall.
The year was 2001. Yes, that’s a long time ago. True, I went down many side
paths--screenwriting, essays, and the dreaded satire. It takes a while to
figure out where your talents lie as well as your interests, but I finally
figured out I like writing mysteries. And then comes the work.
I still remember hosting a particular author’s panel for
Sisters in Crime. There was a writer wannabe in the audience who had many
questions. That’s cool. I’ve found mystery writers are very generous with their
time and advice.
It became evident that this person wanted to be a writer but didn’t want to do the
legwork. She had answers for everything.
You should research publishers online.
I don’t have a
computer.
Then go to the library.
There isn’t one near
me.
Attend a class.
I can’t find any I
like. Can’t you just tell me where to submit my work?
(Cricket chirps.)
There are millions of people out there willing to do what
you won’t. That should be motivation enough. Don’t get me wrong. We all have
bad days when we’d rather curl up on the couch with a good book and eat Scooby
Snacks, but that’s okay. Reading is research, and Scooby Snacks contain vitamin
C!
Every published writer’s journey comes down to the same
steps. They wrote. They read. They wrote some more. There are disappointments
(read: learning curves) in-between, along with a lot of hard work and, yes,
joy. You may never publish. You may not want to publish. But I’m happy to tell
you that if you write, you’re a writer!
Barking Mad at Murder:
Frankie Chandler is a pet psychic—at least that’s how she bills her
services. Her “telepathic abilities” actually come to her via animal behavior books and her ability to
cold read people, a skill that she learned from her tarot card-reading Aunt
Gertrude, a.k.a. Madame Guinevere. That was before Sandy, a Golden Retriever
with a secret, blows through Frankie's mental barrier and shows her an image
she'll never forget.
(Jacqueline Vick and I have been online friends for quite a while now. I've been a guest on her blog more than one, can I'm thrilled to have her visiting me. Isn't this cover great?)
Thanks for visiting me today, Jacqueline. Your book sounds absolutely fantastic.
Jacqueline
Vick has published short stories in Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Orchard
Press Mysteries, and Every Day Fiction Anthology Two. She has
several e-novellas and ebooks on Kindle, including her latest, Barking Mad
at Murder.
Thanks for visiting me today, Jacqueline. Your book sounds absolutely fantastic.
Marilyn
Comments
Madeline
Barking Mad at Murder sounds like a great read, and if you excuse me, I'm heading over to Amazon right now!
Sally Carpenter
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com