I have written a really Good Book. I am not tooting my own horn, it is so good that a professor who has read it is calling me to please write a sequel!!! Other people are raving and also wanting more.
I am an unknown. I won an International prize for a play a few years ago and it had a few play readings...but who cares about that. No one really. It did not turn me into a famous writer.
Please do not think, "Oh she just wants fame." Actually that is the last thing that I want I just want people to read my book and to enjoy it.
Being an unknown though has such draw backs. No publisher will even look at your book; so you go the way of millions of us do. Self Publishing.
I do not have money that the self publishing companies want one to spend to advertise my book and I am wondering if that would just be throwing more cash their way.
This is where my anger comes in. Anyone will these days, publish anyone's book and there are a lot of very badly written books out there. The Moon and the earth is promised but I have sold about 6 copies and given away about twenty. Family see it as their right that you buy copies and give to them as gifts.
This is a nice site to browse on but authorsden. com takes big money from us so that we will hopefully buy each others books. I do not have the money to buy hundreds of books in the hopes that ten of you will buy mine back as a courtesy. I feel scammed, that is the word, scammed! All because I wrote "Tom Ugly" which I know is a good read and all I have done is spend money that I don't really have.
Fortune without fame would be nice. LOL...No not even that just to know that people are enjoying my book is what I would really love. Tom deserves to have his story read and we authors don't deserve to be exploited as we so obviously are!
Properly channeled, anger can be good for a writer, Helen. Feeling victimized in any sense is hardly ever productive. Having said that, please accept my sympathies. Such as we (writers/dreamers/optimists) are easily 'deceived' by those who take advantage of our expectations. That is the nature of the 'sales' game - business. If you want to create money ('make' it, as they say) then writing is not the right business for you. Writing is not a business at all. It is an art. Finding patrons for the arts is the business, but the art itself is a passion, a need, a thing we do. Woody Guthrie probably made more money putting words on signs than he did making music, but who ever heard of Woody Sign Painter. Perhaps you'll find an audience here on AD, even a successful promoter, but probably not. The odds are that you will find those who encourage you, commiserate with you are offer you reviews of one sort or another. You can spend a lot more money somewhere else, and get a lot less. Best, Jan
I have often heard this complaint. I'm a retired professor and I've read some very good books by authors here at AD and reviewed them. I've also edited a few very good books for hard-working and well-meaning authors that have not sold. I have written seven books that haven't sold even though many people have told me that they are very good.
So what is wrong? Well, several things. First, people don't read books like they used to. Before television, a good book was required for evening reading before going to bed. Since television there have been more and more things that take people away from reading. Second, you are right about everybody and his brother getting books published, some spending a lot of money on promotion, that are not very good or very well written. This gives self published books a bad name, because the screening process of traditional books and the careful editing before publishing made those books much better than the flood of books on the market today by authors both new and old.
The key to a book's success is that it reaches the public in some way that catches on until everyone wants to read it for one reason or another. I use the expression, "Who do I have to kill to get someone to notice my book!" What I'm saying is, if you have your 15 minutes of fame for almost anything, people will notice your book and buy it by association. There are those that claim by marketing heavily on the Internet that they are able to sell their books. It's a lot of work and expense for the payoff. In almost any field of endeavor to be noticed, especially in the arts, is very difficult. There have always been starving artists, that's why I advocate a program in the US like happened in the Great Depression where artists and authors were paid to do creative work so that they didn't lose their skills or starve. There's a whole lot of luck and/or perspiration in being noticed. Many famous authors have written that they worked for 10 years or more before any of their work was even noticed.
I am quite happy with the mere writing and acknowledgment of my books and short stories from those few that have read them. Fortunately, I have other income to support me and I find that giving away my books, even to strangers, makes them feel wonderful to have a signed book from an author because most people don't get to buy books from authors in those famous book signings.
AD is a social network. Membership was initially free. I got a life membership when they were offered for a short time a long time ago. As a result of being here, I have had some collaboration with some very good authors and have helped the work of others.
Good luck with your writing. I understand why you would be angry. There are a lot of scams out there bleeding wannabe authors of their hard-earned money.
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So what is wrong? Well, several things. First, people don't read books like they used to. Before television, a good book was required for evening reading before going to bed. Since television there have been more and more things that take people away from reading. Second, you are right about everybody and his brother getting books published, some spending a lot of money on promotion, that are not very good or very well written. This gives self published books a bad name, because the screening process of traditional books and the careful editing before publishing made those books much better than the flood of books on the market today by authors both new and old.
The key to a book's success is that it reaches the public in some way that catches on until everyone wants to read it for one reason or another. I use the expression, "Who do I have to kill to get someone to notice my book!" What I'm saying is, if you have your 15 minutes of fame for almost anything, people will notice your book and buy it by association. There are those that claim by marketing heavily on the Internet that they are able to sell their books. It's a lot of work and expense for the payoff. In almost any field of endeavor to be noticed, especially in the arts, is very difficult. There have always been starving artists, that's why I advocate a program in the US like happened in the Great Depression where artists and authors were paid to do creative work so that they didn't lose their skills or starve. There's a whole lot of luck and/or perspiration in being noticed. Many famous authors have written that they worked for 10 years or more before any of their work was even noticed.
I am quite happy with the mere writing and acknowledgment of my books and short stories from those few that have read them. Fortunately, I have other income to support me and I find that giving away my books, even to strangers, makes them feel wonderful to have a signed book from an author because most people don't get to buy books from authors in those famous book signings.
AD is a social network. Membership was initially free. I got a life membership when they were offered for a short time a long time ago. As a result of being here, I have had some collaboration with some very good authors and have helped the work of others.
Good luck with your writing. I understand why you would be angry. There are a lot of scams out there bleeding wannabe authors of their hard-earned money.
Ron
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