Attaining Goals and Succeeding
This is a reprint of the column I published online in June 2011, since the column for May 2011 seems to have mysteriously vanished disappeared been deleted.
I’ve been pondering the nature of success lately. Not to get all heady, but this has been an unusual time.
Last December, I published a second novel and saw it become a Kindle bestseller in February. However, this happy event was only the beginning. My first novel not only hit the Kindle bestseller list, but went on to become a New York Times ebook bestseller in March.
Meanwhile, both novels, IDENTITY CRISIS and LEAST WANTED, were creeping up the Kindle rankings on Amazon UK. Before I knew it, both books had hit the Top 100 across the pond! That absolutely blew my mind!
LEAST WANTED in particular is ranking high. It has, to date (and to the best of my knowledge) reached as high as #8 on Amazon UK. Now that’s nothing to sneeze at.
Incidentally, while all this was going on, I was being approached. Agents and editors were seeking me out now. Imagine! Those people who were turning their noses up at my inquiries before were asking to look at my work. I could be an a-hole and put on airs or something. Or I could simply see it as a business opportunity. I prefer to look upon things people do in this business as simply that — doing business. It’s nothing one should take personally.
Therefore, I’ve tried to treat every contact with respect and have remained open to the possibility that I might at some point hire an agent and/or sign a publishing contract or other deal of some sort.
Here’s the thing, however. None of these things are certain and I only have so much control over events. I can set goals and even meet them, but how well my books sell as a result is a whole different thing, isn’t it?
That’s why you can’t discount the role of talent or luck in this business. Because those things are important, too. And I either have those or I don’t, I guess.
Meanwhile, life goes on. And did I mention the audiobook version of IDENTITY CRISIS was released last month? And that the audiobook version of LEAST WANTED is currently in production?
If you haven’t purchased the books, mark your calendars! Wednesday, June 15 is the Amazon book launch for the print edition of LEAST WANTED. If you buy a copy of the book from Amazon.com on that date, you can get a FREE autographed copy of IDENTITY CRISIS, the New York Times bestseller. Two books for the price of one, which will give you both books in the Sam McRae mystery series, so you’ll be all set for when the third book, ALIEN SHORES [which got renamed RIPTIDE, because ALIEN SHORES made it sound too much like a sci-fi story; not there’s anything wrong with sci-fi, but the book is a mystery, so …] is released down the road. Plus a contribution will be made toward a charitable cause to be named, based upon how well the book ranks by the end of the launch date.
PS: This month, I’m happy to report my fiction writing business is finally operating in the black, after all expenses (including conference costs) are taken into account. Now, how many fiction authors can make that claim?
PPS: Yeah, wish I could say the same now! 🙂 You were right, Joe. New York Times bestseller list! Ha!
Oh, and BTW, since I wrote this, I’ve written and published six more novels and a couple of film review collections. Oh, and the Crime Cafe ebooks.
And re-released two of the Sam McRae mysteries and my YA novel as audiobooks. And guess how much money I made from them last year! 🙂
Yeah, that looks about right! 🙂
Originally published at http://randomandsundrythings.wordpress.com on February 4, 2022.
