An Honest Look at Life as an Author

I have been a published author for 7 whole months so I figured now would be a good a time as any to take a brutally honest look at my experience thus far.

Let's start with the positives, shall we?

I am "living my dream". I have wanted to share my stories with the world for as long as I can remember, and now I'm finally doing it. People have read and actually enjoyed my book, and that is something I will always cherish. I also get to share my publishing experience with aspiring authors who are looking to forge their own path into publication as they gather information in their quest to seek the best road for their projects.

And now, to the other side of the coin...the struggle bus.

I never wanted to be famous (heaven help me if fame somehow ever found me), but I'll be honest that I had hoped more people would read my story. I was able to garner a fair amount of "pity sales" (book purchases from people I know being wonderful humans) on the local level, but no amount of marketing from Contrarian or myself seems to have pushed interest beyond that. I'm often on Goodreads for work, and it's hard not to compare my 21 ratings and 14 reviews to the thousands of readers piled up beneath similar titles that are traditionally published. I know this is a fool's errand and a one-way ticket to sadness--comparison is the theft of joy, after all--but I've always been a glutton for punishment.

I attempted to expand my reach by having a "Meet the Author" event at one of the biggest Indigos in the country. Although the staff was extremely helpful and accommodating, and I had friends stop by to offer their support, the event was a colossal failure. I sold 3 books: 1 to a stranger, 1 to a lovely Library patron, and 1 to a friend. Since the store needed double-digit sales to keep extra copies of my book on hand in their Local Author section, I went home with a very heavy box of books.

As that box of books collects dust in my living room, I've found myself extremely unmotivated and disheartened. I've been slacking on the digital marketing front (not that it reached many people anyway), and I've made very little progress on book 2. Although I shouldn't, I've translated my lack of sales into a lack of quality, which manifests as me thinking my writing is utter garbage (but at least it's not AI slop, am I right, folks?!). I'll get past this hiccup, but It's going to take some time and a whole lot of effort.

Am I feeling sorry for myself? Not at all, I'm just in a slump and I'll be standing up straight again before you know it (hopefully).