A Pause…
I’ve been publishing my novels since 2020 and, like all writers, coveted ambitions of a global readership and a little extra money on the side. To a degree I have achieved that, but the word ‘little’ is the most meaningful from that sentence. With a heavy dose of naivety, I approached this malarky with the philosophy ‘build it and they will come’, as coined from the film Field of Dreams. I built a world with words but hardly anyone came. What I’ve learned is you have to go to the readership. Being an indie author is as much about running a business as an art form. As such, you have to invest in the product, the marketing and the long-term. My strategy has been to prove the credibility of the product through editorial reviews and book awards and then promote via social media channels. Five star reviews - tick. Multiple awards won - tick. The products glided through quality control. And so, on to marketing. Now, three problems arose at this stage. Firstly, due to the modern marvels of digital publishing and print-on-demand, the market is saturated. Secondly, indie authors are handicapped because traditional booksellers lump us all in the same pile whatever the quality and, by-and-large, refuse to stock us. And, finally, I’m crap at marketing. To achieve the long-term you need to build a robust following and keep pumping out the products. I’m not a prolific writer; I have a full-time day job (not something that necessary hinders many other writers). No real traction has been achieved in building up followers.
So, the position I find my ‘business’ in today after four years, is out-goings big and income tiny. Just hosting this website costs more than I earn from my books! And that is no way to run a business. About 3000 people have requested and received a free copy of my novels (eBooks); about one hundred have bought a copy. I have accrued just over 30 reviews on Amazon for my two novels (over 60 on GoodReads.com). My last book has won more awards than it has Amazon reviews. When someone asks how my writing is going, I respond, ‘a critical success but a commercial disaster.’ This is the sad truth, and I suspect one shared by a lot of other writers.
It is, of course, a thrill to have seen the positive responses from people both a thousand miles away and closer to home, and I am most grateful to them. Perhaps in time more sales and reviews will trickle in, but I have my doubts. It is as it is. I take a great deal of personal satisfaction in having penned what I consider to be two fine novels; something I never knew I was capable of a decade ago.
What of the future? I am not retiring from writing. Self-publishing is a marathon rather than a sprint. I will finish the Liberty Trilogy. But I will be taking things slow, writing when the mood takes me, posting the odd blog, avoiding marketing and expenditure, taking a rest from the ‘game’. You may see the odd announcement here and there, as existing commitments come to fruition, but the curtains are drawn, the Horlicks brewing and slippers on.
Nathaniel M Wrey