Sunday, January 2, 2011

Fame, Fortune and Other Fantasies

We all want to be the next big thing. I think it's coded into us on a genetic level: grow up, get laid, be next big thing, die. Writers are no different than anyone else, we are just as ambitious whether the hope is to make money, get good reviews or just be read.

I waited and waited for my first book to come out, fantasies screaming into overdrive about glittery reviews and big royalty statements and well ... you've all seen the same movies I have and know the drill.

666 Angel Lane sold 7 copies.

I recognize this isn't counting Amazon sales which I won't know the numbers for until next month. Still, there's no way to describe that horrible moment when my ego realized that my fantasies regarding publishing were just as fantastic as my fantasies about Keanu and about as likely to come true.

Not a happy moment at all.

Then my brother called. He got a Kindle for Christmas and he's reading a Tom Clancy on it during the day but every evening while his wife cooks dinner, he sits and reads my story to her. And he called me today to tell me that he didn't know before just how good a writer I am. Now he does and he's proud of me.

I was thrilled. I also told him next time he can buy his own damned copy and give me another sale, the cheap bastard.

I'm looking with great interest to find out what the Amazon sales are going to be. This publishing thing is an interesting journey.

8 comments:

  1. Reality sucks.

    Don't know what to say, except a lot of folks are missing out on a fun read. Truly, they are.

    Make your brother buy it anyway, lol.

    Word verification is ingliss - who let Carlos in the house?

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  2. No ingliss ... there's Carlos for ya.

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  3. So, I am responsible for roughly 14% of your sales.

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  4. Thank you Melisa. You're also 14% of my friends too.

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  5. Reality does suck, which is why we write I think - we can control things better in fantasyland than we can for real. I think...

    Oh, and although I had a copy (thanks Ms Lori mwah!) I just bought a copy too - I"m 14% as well. or is that less... lol Maths was never my best suit.

    I wanted to be able to help keep the dream alive. I'll buy as many copies as it takes for that to happen.

    Hugs

    ps - it was me that let Carlos in - he was driving me nuts and wouldn't sweep the floor. :P

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  6. Lea darling, mwah right back. But silly thing, the dream never dies. It's not about sales at all.

    I love transparency in most things and I want to approach publishing/epub the same. So I intend to report on sales and promo and all things related because quite frankly: Carol and I find it interesting.

    And this wasn't a complaint. Blogger eliminated my smiley.

    And despite knowing that even Piers Anthony was epubbed and got a royalty check of about $50, one still has dreams. It's funny/ironic to compare them to stark reality.

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  7. Fair enough. But I wanted to help all the same. What if I buy every 5th lol Then when Hollywood comes knocking for a script, I can say I knew you when.

    Kidding... :D

    Look forward to reading your sales and promo stuff.

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  8. My copy is downloading as I type. No excuses - just hadn't got around to doing it. But now I have my very own e-copy.

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