An Open Letter to Someone

Image by Bruno from Pixabay

Hi there! I wrote the following on Sunday in an attempt to get an interview on a podcast about brain and health. I think I qualify on that score. 🙂

Hi,

I’m a self-published fiction author who made the New York Times bestseller list in 2011.

I also have dystonia that was caused by having a stroke in 2004. It affects my left hand and foot and impairs my ability to type, as well as my balance. To date, no treatment has been adequate. I have had to learn to cope. That’s been interesting.

I have a story to tell about all this. I thought I was doing fine, writing fiction and blogging about it. I was not.

Mine is a cautionary tale. As a lawyer, I’m fully aware of the legal aspects of being exclusive to a platform. When Amazon offered “perks” in exchange for exclusivity, I chose not to participate. That’s resulted in a definite decline in sales since 2011.

This led to a serious case of depression that I’ve managed to turn around a bit. Part of the problem is that I refuse to quit writing, because writing is my life. My calling, if you will.

However, obsessing over my Amazon rank is something I can’t afford to do. I also can’t afford to waste time on activities that don’t sustain me. I’ve had to learn to ignore all the advice out there about “how to…