You have heard about the horror stories and the fairy tales in Part 1 and Part 2 of this three part series. Now, let’s cover more about the truth and about success.
So… horror stories or fairy tales? Both can be true. Both can be false. Where does the majority of truth fall? I have a tendency to believe that, in most aspects of life, the truth usually falls somewhere between two extremes.
Will you make the bestseller list and sell millions of copies of your book that you have poured your heart and soul into, not to mention your time, and money? Possibly, but, more likely, it will be modest. Some authors might fail to break even.
I want to make sure that this is addressed, so that potential self-publishing authors are not falling for the get-rich-quick, or the instant success talk of those advertising their services. Don’t fall for traps set up for the hopeful. There are many who would prey on hopes and dreams, gorging themselves on the hard-earned money of the creative.
I also want to make sure that these potential self-publishing authors don’t get so discouraged that they don’t try. Proceed, but proceed with caution. We are creative, and the world needs our creativity.
Currently, I have not broken out, but I am self-published and having that book published gave me a great sense of accomplishment. My book is out into the world, even if it is relatively invisible at the moment. Invisibility can be changed, and I am not willing to accept the concept that my book won’t ever be known. It will be known eventually. I am confident of this. I just have to figure out how and have enough tenacity to get that done, because I don’t care who says otherwise, success doesn’t normally fall into our laps. For more on this subject, see part 2 of “Fairy Tales and Horror Stories.”
Now, remember that I am viewing the writing journey from a strong do-it-yourself standpoint. I may have chosen a considerably harder road. For those who would like to be completely or mostly DIY with their books, I say, “Go for it.” If you find you don’t like an aspect of what you are trying to do for your self, you can always change that. You could find somebody to pay to do that for you. If you find that you are not as skilled at one aspect of your self-publishing journey, you can change gears and gain the assistance of someone who is better at it. Just because you attempt to do-it-yourself at first doesn’t mean you are stuck as a lone wolf for the rest of your journey.
I am aware of this. I am working on No-Bo to Lo-Bo. I have a very small budget, so, DIY is the way I must do it. Also, I enjoy the work and the sense of accomplishment. When I succeed, (the degree and type of success is the only thing in question) then I will have the knowledge that I succeeded from my own hard work. If you want to do-it-yourself, grasp that adventure.
Now, that has been covered, I want to address success. What is success? Is it selling those millions of copies and getting the most accredited book reviews, or getting approached by a traditional publisher? If that is the way you view it, then, yes, it is. It just doesn’t have to be.
Let me talk to you about a self-published author I know. They are perfectly content with having a few book sales because the goal was self expression and getting a message out to the world. It wasn’t about the money. That person is successful.
What is success for me? My main purpose is the message. I am a creative person and I like to write. I would write even if I didn’t make money. That is also the purpose of other books that I am working on; self-expression and making the world a better place. Yet, I am going along the path of trying to make some money because… why not? If I can make money doing something I love… wonderful. It is the dream job. So, for me, success is some visibility for the message sake (more is better), and some money. When I get reviews like “This is a great book and I wish this book was available…” or things like that, which show that the book touched people… those are important. That is how I measure my success. I haven’t made much money at this time, but I achieved my goal of getting published and getting a good message out.
This is not a how-to blog, and I am still learning. I just want to make sure that people don’t put their hopes so high that they can only fail unless they are one in a million. I also don’t want people to put their hopes so low that they don’t make the effort. If you love to write; write. If you want to be self-published; self-publish. If you want to do it yourself, then, doggonit, do it yourself. If you want to do it partially yourself; go for it. Don’t hold yourself to other people’s goals. You will view yourself and your results differently.
Keep your hopes up. Don’t despair. Things will get difficult along the way. It is par for the course. I am going through my own period of fighting through the challenges that face a protagonist on their way to their goal. I would like to say that I am going through my “Dark night of the soul” but that does imply that I have come to my final, ultimate battle at the end of which I will have either reached my reward or have fallen because I set myself to a task I was not suited to or it was not the right time for. I don’t think I’m there yet.
Don’t get your hopes so high that you can’t reach them, but don’t get them so low that you bury yourself in doubts. Learn what your own success is. Discover it within yourself. Then, set yourself to the task of reaching it, and most importantly… enjoy the journey.
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