I Thought I Would Be Further Ahead
By this point in my writing adventure, I expected modest profits and 10+ published books. What happened? My first two books had major issues, and I had to put writing new books on hold to fix them. Another problem is that, despite having more experience, self-editing takes more time than ever. I think this is because I am better at spotting flaws, and finding a new flaw made me paranoid that additional flaws are present.
Sales remain elusive. Part of the problem is that I am not putting in enough marketing effort or building a strong social media presence. Yet, that is not the core issue.
I must admit that I am under a big delusion about how modern self-publishing works. Subconsciously, I have this crazy idea that putting my books on sale will magically succeed. All a reader has to do is search the internet for a “good book,” and mine will be first in the results. Clearly, I am living in dreamland.
Plus, I do not think marketing is my job. If I ran an eBook site and a bunch of authors sent me their books, I would promote the heck out of them. That is how commerce sites work. It is certainly how ecommerce sites like B&H Photo work. Right? No, the attitude of eBook sites is a resounding: “Jump into the self-publishing pool if you dare. You can sink or swim. Doesn’t matter to me. If you float, I am happy to cash the reader’s checks, and maybe I’ll throw you a few bucks.”
What books do eBook sites promote? One would think that excellent reviews and a powerful story would be the key factor, or that they had a “chief editor” who would read the books and promote the best ones. Wow, I’m deep in the fantasy pool. Unfortunately, eBook sites only promote books with great sales, which is a challenging club to join.
My other delusion is that I will get “discovered.” Someday, somebody will read my book and become a huge fan. Then they will do everything they can to let the world know. Perhaps Oprah Winfrey will get a copy and tell all her fans? Wow, my fantasy world is enormous.
It was a tough battle getting to this point, and I now understand that success will take time. The good news is that, despite being under an illusion, I know what is going on. This means I am not giving up and will keep putting maximum effort into writing, editing, and yes, promoting.
And my writing adventure has had several positives. I have learned a lot, met many great people, had a lot of fun, and feel I have made worthy accomplishments. So, I am not complaining. And there is more good news. My struggle will provide lots of article material.
You’re the best -Bill
June 08, 2022 Updated September 19, 2026
Sales remain elusive. Part of the problem is that I am not putting in enough marketing effort or building a strong social media presence. Yet, that is not the core issue.
I must admit that I am under a big delusion about how modern self-publishing works. Subconsciously, I have this crazy idea that putting my books on sale will magically succeed. All a reader has to do is search the internet for a “good book,” and mine will be first in the results. Clearly, I am living in dreamland.
Plus, I do not think marketing is my job. If I ran an eBook site and a bunch of authors sent me their books, I would promote the heck out of them. That is how commerce sites work. It is certainly how ecommerce sites like B&H Photo work. Right? No, the attitude of eBook sites is a resounding: “Jump into the self-publishing pool if you dare. You can sink or swim. Doesn’t matter to me. If you float, I am happy to cash the reader’s checks, and maybe I’ll throw you a few bucks.”
What books do eBook sites promote? One would think that excellent reviews and a powerful story would be the key factor, or that they had a “chief editor” who would read the books and promote the best ones. Wow, I’m deep in the fantasy pool. Unfortunately, eBook sites only promote books with great sales, which is a challenging club to join.
My other delusion is that I will get “discovered.” Someday, somebody will read my book and become a huge fan. Then they will do everything they can to let the world know. Perhaps Oprah Winfrey will get a copy and tell all her fans? Wow, my fantasy world is enormous.
It was a tough battle getting to this point, and I now understand that success will take time. The good news is that, despite being under an illusion, I know what is going on. This means I am not giving up and will keep putting maximum effort into writing, editing, and yes, promoting.
And my writing adventure has had several positives. I have learned a lot, met many great people, had a lot of fun, and feel I have made worthy accomplishments. So, I am not complaining. And there is more good news. My struggle will provide lots of article material.
You’re the best -Bill
June 08, 2022 Updated September 19, 2026
