Congratulations, you wrote your first novel. The fact that you started and finished a complete work of literary art above 40k words is something not everyone can do.
So you wrote
the book, labored over it. Your best friend/spouse/brother … whoever, thinks it
is the greatest thing they ever read. They loved it. “Yes,” you proudly proclaim,
“It’s a masterpiece. Everyone will adore this.”
In the real
world that is not necessarily so. Not everyone likes everything. And while
somewhere in your forefront knowledge, you know this, in your heart, you refuse
to believe this, which is why first time and newbie authors react the way they
do. Every author has done it, I don’t care who you are. The difference is,
today’s Indy authors have more of a chance to experience the backlash of bad
behavior.
What you do
and how you act upon the publishing of your first novel, will indeed reflect on
how you are treated and viewed on the next.
This isn’t ten
or twenty years ago. Getting published back then wasn’t a matter of clicking
and go. It was laboring over queries and rejections. It was being so darned grateful
to be published after desperately trying, that you kept your mouth shut and
were glad someone … anyone bought it.
It comes too
easy for today’s first time authors. With the ease, comes the consequences.
I have
compiled a list of mistakes that first timers make. Hey, like I said, I made
them, we all did. Hopefully, you can read these with an open mind. If you start
feeling defensive about what I write, then pretty much you are a shoe in to
break the first two.
Reviews - Perception
In 1994
getting a review wasn’t easy. If you didn’t like what someone said, you could
complain all you wanted, no one heard you. Today, everyone hears you. No one
likes bad reviews, most established authors don’t bother reading any reviews.
Reviews are for the potential readers not the authors.
Reviews – Responding
Many times new
authors respond to reviews, more so to the negative ones. Even if they are
polite they are still responding. Reviews are opinions. Complain to your
friends, your family, but don’t complain in any written or public forum.
Everything you say and write will be used against you somewhere.
If you
complain in any written form about an established reviewer, and you are trying
to get your book off the ground, I can almost promise, the book will freeze.
Word of mouth is a powerful tool, use it positively and keep away the negative.
Your Book is Golden and Perfect
No it’s not.
Nothing I write is perfect or golden. Learn from the mistakes of one book and fix
them to the next.
Rose Color Glasses Syndrome
So you know a
writer who makes good money at writing. That’s gonna be you. Your book is going
to just blast the charts and you’ll make tons of money. Reality check only 3-5%
of Indy authors make enough money to ‘only write’. Because it was easy to
publish, only means the competition is fierce. Success is work, work is more
books. The trend today is to follow series and the readers are in a ‘want it
now’ phase. They look to see if there is a second book available before they
buy the firat. No one remembers one hit wonders.
Speaking of
one hit wonders.
Your Next Book
Your next book
is not a book until it is finished. It’s a work in progress. A big mistake
first timers make is praising the next incomplete work, talking it up, even pre-selling
it, when most of the general population of readers are still trying to find the
first book.
Spamming
Nothing worse
than having your Facebook page hijacked with a promo of someone’s book. No there is something worse, when a new author
interjects ot of nowhere, ‘I wrote a book, buy it’ in the middle of a Facebook
or forum conversation.
Author versus Writer
You are an
author when you publish your first book. You are a writer when you write more
than two. A writer writes. Period. Whether it’s novels or short stories or
screenplays, a writer is always writing and producing a form of readable work. You
wouldn’t call yourself a baker if you only made one cake.
So my advice …
Listen to
advice. Don’t ask for it and think the person doesn’t know what they are
talking about because you don’t like what they have to say. There are reasons
people are successful, and if you ask a successful person for advice and they
take time to give it to you, listen.
Invest in
advertising. Spamming a forum or Facebook page only gives you a bad rep. If you
are friends with an author who does well, ask their permission before posting
about your book on their page. There are tons of places to advertise for free or
cheap. Start here. Free Advertising
Don’t respond
to reviews. If you feel the need to read them, then learn from them. Look at
the lower rating reviews. Write down the positive things they say and the negative and
look at the possibility that they have a point.
Don’t just
dream it, do it. You can dream of being a bestselling author all you want, but
it doesn’t stop there. You have to stand behind your work and get more work out
there. With the ease of today’s publishing if you don’t show you have lasting
power, then you will easily be forgotten.
Write. Write every
day. If this is what you want to do, then you have to do it.
Be proud of everything
you do. Good or bad. That doesn’t mean publish it as is, it means, you worked
hard, it wasn’t easy, you finished. That’s more than a lot of people can say.
Be proud.
About the Reviewer:Jacqueline Druga is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa and a fulltime author. She has written and published numerous novels in various genres, along with two full length feature films currently available on DVD. More than anything, she prides herself on being a kickbutt grandmother. To read more about Jackie’s work, read The Bookie Monster's review of The Forgottten.>