Advice from the trenches

No, not my advice. I have little to give, except when it comes to proofreading.

The hard hitting advice comes from this little article: http://menwithpens.ca/make-money-writing/. This is where I want to be, the writer who makes a lucrative living from royalties and other payments received for writing content. It's a tough article; the author doesn't mince words. I fall short. It's honest and blunt. I appreciate that.

So, what am I doing about it?

Pending unemployment will open up time to write more, network more, promote more. It would be great to have a mentor who can take me by the hand and say, "Do this, that, and the other," while pointing me in the correction directions. I can do only so much by heeding written advice; having someone walk me through the process once or twice is much more helpful. I suspect I'm not the only person to whom that applies.

I write. I always have multiple manuscripts in progress. In fact, I started another one this week. Yep, it's in the romance genre (contemporary). But then, my mind doesn't hie off into mysteries or military action and adventure. I enjoy them, but I don't write them. I write to my strengths, to where my weird imagination takes me.

But the goal remains out of reach, so I continue to strive. It's a lesson in perseverance. The $10/month royalties can't support me. More books are needed. More (positive) reviews are needed to encourage more book sales. So much depends upon the good will and support of others that I almost wish for the old days of traditional publishing. Almost. Because without today's capacity for independent publishing, I wouldn't have six books out. I'd still be writing, but without the prospect of imminent publication.

So, here's the pitch. The beggar's plea. Please buy my books and refer the to others so they'll be encouraged to buy. Please leave reviews. I want candid reviews as much as I want positive reviews. Contact me if you have suggestions to improve my writing. Your suggestions might sting, but they'll be appreciated all the same. I do want to improve and, yes, I want to sell. The sooner I reach that goal of being able to support myself doing what I love to do, we'll all be a little less disgruntled. Well, I will. And maybe these posts won't be quite so cranky.