It is difficult to believe I published my first four books eight years ago. November 8, 2014.
It’s been a wild ride. I’ve watched excellent writers get discouraged and quit. I’ve watched mediocre writers become millionaires. I’ve watched good writers continue to endure, hoping for a break.
For myself, I have come to the realization this gig is basically a hobby. I’m not going to get rich and probably won’t be able to buy that Rolls Royce I’ve always wanted.
I can’t write fast enough to put out a book a month. And that’s pretty much a necessity, if you want to hit the big time and stay there in the indie world.
I don’t have the money to launch massive ad campaigns, nor the know-how to fudge the system to get those coveted bestseller rankings.
I don’t care to write in the genres that are hot, where the books simply fly off the shelves. They aren’t my cup of tea. I don’t like to read them, and therefore probably wouldn’t do a good job writing them even if I chose to do so. Then again, quality has nothing to do with marketing.
Given the above, I have been asked, “So why continue? Don’t you have anything better to do?”
The answer to the last question is NO. I do have other things that I can do — but nothing, for me, is better than telling stories.
The first question, why continue, is actually one I have been asking myself of late. Writing and publishing a book it is a lot of work, and it does cost money. Sometimes more than I make from the book.
So why do it?
I do it because I love storytelling.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I loved reading as a kid and I wanted to create stories and hopefully give others something of the enjoyment I had received from books.
When I was young, I didn’t write stories like many writers say they did. I told myself stories and sometimes acted them out in my play. Maybe that is why I have always been drawn to acting and drama. It’s probably why I focus on dialogue in my writing and tend to skimp on the description.
Whether vocal or written, storytelling is still storytelling. We tell stories to make us laugh, to make us cry, to encourage us, to give us hope, to allay our fears, and to realize our dreams.
Storytelling does all that for not only the storyteller but also his audience.
So while I am not making much money at this gig, I am getting paid in something other than money.
Whenever I read a good review or tweet about one of my books I know that I have touched someone’s heart. I have given someone a bit of joy to help them make it through their day. And that makes me just a little bit richer.
But the indie publishing scene is changing. Many authors have decided to take even more control of their work. They are moving away from Amazon.
There is an increase in the number of writers moving away from being exclusive with Amazon, in order to offer their books to readers through a multitude of vendors.
A growing number of writers are focusing on selling from their websites and to the members of their Patreon channels.
Others are using Kickstarter to bring in needed funds and to reach new readers.
I myself I am moving more and more away from Amazon. I no longer directly search for books on Amazon. Because when I do — half of my search results are sponsored ads. And most have nothing to do with what I am searching for.
Now I search for books using Google. Although ads are on the increase with Google. If the ad situation on Google gets to be too much, I will have to start using my Brave browser instead.
As more and more authors realize the odds of readers finding their book among the 7+ million books on Amazon, they are going to start to search for other options, other avenues to get their books in front of potential readers.
And I am right there with them. Amazon hasn’t treated me badly. Quite the contrary. However, when I search for my own books and can’t find them in the first three pages of search results — then I know no one will find them doing a general search.
People don’t like to click and they don’t like to scroll. They want what they’re looking for right there in front of their face without having to bother scrolling or clicking. And if my book isn’t on page 1 of the search results — for all intents and purposes it doesn’t exist.
I am not sure what the new year will bring. I am not going to give up writing. But traditional publishing and the standard indie route (which isn’t all that different from traditional publishing) is simply too crowded. It takes money and savvy marketing to get a break and I have neither the cash nor the skills.
So I will be looking for new avenues to try to get my books before the eyes of potential readers. What they are, I don’t know. At least not yet. NFTs? Maybe. Kickstarter? Maybe. Push hard to collect fans on my mailing list? Maybe. YouTube? Maybe.
If you like my books, please spread the word. Because word-of-mouth is the best advertising. Thanks!
For now, you can find all of my books on Amazon.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!
CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes
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I’m counting on something odd: the ability to 1) fill a particular niche many indies are not writing in (mainstream fiction/big books/epic but not necessarily historical fiction), and 2) discovery by the right influencer – in other words, I need to go viral.
How to achieve this I don’t know; I do the writing, but the marketing is another world. The writing takes me YEARS – but if virality ever hits, I need to be ready. I want to be the Donna Tartt of the indie world, only more read. Or fill the indie Elena Ferrante/Margaret Mitchell/Harper Lee slot. With the publication of the second volume in my mainstream trilogy, I think I’m building the credibility – now I just have to figure out how to go grab the readers I’m convinced will love my fiction if I can just get them to sit down and READ the stuff.
Meanwhile, I keep my ears open and just get the next scene written. Because that’s what I can do; the other, I don’t know when or if I’ll be able to generate it.
But I do know the now ‘normal’ indie route of writing many not-too-long novels and releasing them frequently, giving away free books and increasing newsletter subscribers, conferences and software which help decide how to write to market (and writing to market itself) is not available to me due to illness of decades standing and the absolute impossibility of changing the way I write, so I’ll keep my dreams and everyone else can do what works for them. After all, someone DOES win the lottery – but they need to buy a ticket. Avalanches DO start from a small snowball getting a running start.
Good questions – but the methods such as Kickstarters you are advocating require ENERGY, and many days I don’t have enough to brush my teeth. OTOH, no one can write MY books. Interesting spot to be in.
Good point, Alicia: we are the only ones who can write our books. So writing is the key. Get the book written no matter how long it takes.
Mainstream fiction in the indie world is a tough row to hoe, because the indie reader, by and large, is a genre fiction reader.
There are, though, indie writers self-publishing mainstream fiction.
Networking with those writers would be a first step, IMO, to finding that influencer. Because, as we all know, it is who you know that counts.
The story of how And Ladies of the Club got published is inspirational. The lucky break. Sometimes, though, we need to make our own luck. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet, but when I do I’ll share. 🙂
Keep writing, networking, and searching!
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You may be watching another; I don’t know what I’m going to do after New Year’s, but right now, nothing is coming. Nothing. We have, what, six weeks (almost) to New Year’s? Sometime in that six weeks I have to decide where I am in my journey, and reshape my activities accordingly.
But this is about you. I’ve watched you do a hell of a job in every way you can without the truckloads of cash you need to spend on marketing. I’ve tried to help you out with a promo here and there, and will be pleased to keep doing so, but man, it’s a hard road that indies travel, and it isn’t made easier by the hordes of wannabes that couldn’t write a grocery list. Every time a reader decides to give indies a try and gets hold of one of those, they’re most likely to say, “Won’t make that mistake again!”
I don’t know that there is a solution. Money talks. Even if you win an open contest at a site like Goodreads or Booksie, the best you’re likely to get is a month-long spike in your stats, then you’re right back to obscurity again. My advice? Win the lottery and invest the million dollars in advertising. Then you may just find that you’ve somehow become a big-time writer.
At least enjoy the journey; you can’t put a price on that!
I hear you, Jack, and I was a hair’s breadth away from chucking it all and moving on to something else. But I love telling stories. Always have. So why give up something I love doing?
The problem, I think, lies in expectations. The problem is the expectation of money. Fiction writers expect money for their work. But when I was a poet, money wasn’t even in the picture. There is no money in poetry. A person writes poetry simply for the love of it. So what if I took money out of the equation?
And that’s what I’m doing. I am going back to thinking like a poet. I’ll just write my stories and make them available wherever I can. I will write simply for the love of it.
If my audience is ten or ten thousand, it doesn’t matter. What matters is if I make someone’s day just a little bit better.
So that’s the route I’m taking.
Besides, I am retired. I don’t need the money. I’ve already quit the day job. I’m free to do what I want, and on the top of that list is telling stories.
If I truly want to get money for writing fiction, I know the gimmicks that it takes to get there. It’s just a matter of if I want to jump through those hoops. How important is money to me?
I’ve decided that money isn’t all that important. What is important is getting my stories told, because I am the only one who can tell them and I’m 70 years old and not getting any younger.
So that’s where I’m at. Write my stories, get them out there wherever I can, and hope they make someone’s day just a little bit better. And you’re right: you can’t put a price on the journey!