Writers
Writing a report no one cares about.
I have published six books, my seventh will be out in September. It is funny to think that to be considered a success in this profession you have to sell about a thousand copies per book. Yep, that’s it. It doesn’t seem like a lot especially when you consider the really successful names in the industry, Steven King, James North Patterson, Dennis Lehane, Elin Hilderbrand to name a few, move hundred’s thousands to millions of books.
Writing is good to me and I’ve made a little money at it. Not King, Patterson, Lehane, Hilderbrand money. Definitely not, “quit your day job” money. I have no complaints, if you ask most of us if we’re in it for the money, the answer would be, no. Money is nice and trying to live without it is hard, but it isn’t everything. It’s cool to see my name on a check from my agent but not nearly as cool as seeing my name on the cover of the book I wrote. It’s pretty cool when friends send me pictures of my books from book stores. Even cooler than all of that is when my oldest son looks at the book cover and sees his dad’s name on it. I am cool for like 2.5 seconds.
I have advantages that the big names probably don’t. I can interact with fans a little more. I have a few that I regularly correspond with. That’s nice and I hope that never goes away. I don’t want to be so successful that I don’t have time for the people who connect to the stories I write.
One of the cool things about being in this field is the concept that writers help each other out. I have benefitted from it. Other more successful writers who have taken the time to read manuscripts (think Cold Island coming out in September) and call Bullshit on things that need it. Thank you Roberta Gately. Or my friend Tessa Wegert offering advice about improving my social media game and giving me shout outs on her platforms. Or my friend Joe Reid teaching me the convention game and offering general advice about the business. He’s a wartime consiglieri, if ever there was one. They don’t do it because there’s anything in it for them. They do it for the same reason that I read manuscripts for friends and offer advice or promote other writers on my social media platforms. It’s the right thing to do.
I am not saying the big names don’t do those things too. I am sure they do and that they have. I am saying that if I make it to that level I don’t want to stop doing the things I am doing now. Interacting with fans. Helping other writers. Having my sons think I am cool for a 2.5 seconds every now and then. Those sorts of things.