I began this journey just over two years ago. In a few days it will be the second anniversary of the publishing of my first novel a feat I never knew I wanted to achieve until I did it. With nothing more than a PC and an idea I did something 99% of people say they want but only 1% of them do.

But I found out I couldn’t stop. I liked it, I loved it. I wanted to write more and so I did. I don’t know when I will stop. I don’t know if I can.

But doing it alone comes at a cost. A cost in equipment, time, money and relationships. I didn’t expect to get rich but I hoped that I might at least break even. Perhaps one day I could sell enough to say that it has all been worth it.

But selling is hard and expensive. Between begging my family and friends to “like” a book at an ebook retailer (and getting none) and paying a fortune to marketers and seeing little return I sometimes feel that I am wasting my time. But it just got worse.

Last night I stumbled across a site that was offering my books for sale.They were selling my books that I had spend 100s of hours writing and not paying me a cent. And they had sold so many books that I could have almost have broken even.

Writing is cruel.

9 responses to “Writing is Cruel”

  1. That… sucks. It’s blatant theft and fraud. I’d contact the Dept of Justice or Interpol depending upon where they’re based.

    Worrying about something like this is one of the many things that have held me back from writing.

  2. Holy shit, I’m so sorry…. But, on the bright side, you’re saying there’s evidence that your books are selling and selling well enough to break even. Messed up as it may be that they stole it, that is still something to be proud of. I hope you find a way to recoup that money and continue generating more income.

  3. i am just beginning my journey into self-publishing. It’s one I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I did self-publish more vanilla-type novels (2 of them) and made enough to go out to dinner twice, I think…at fast food.

    Currently, I’ve sold 5 books but I am doing the .99 cent thing for now and also being on KDP. My books at the moment are really just longer short stories, but I saw and read several examples of the same that were doing quite well. I thought “why not?” It seemed to work for them.

    Thank you for your kind attention to my blog earlier today. Of course, I would be thrilled to get your insights into being a better writer but I don’t expect or pressure you at all to do so. I completely get the NEED to write and to keep going.

  4. I recommend looking at Draft 2 Digital for publishing. You can distribute to most sellers from there. You likely have the cover art all covered but Book Cover Zone has been good to me. My hope is that I break even at year 10. Its only been two so far …

  5. Certainly look into competitions. I post opportunities on my blog so keep an eye out there.

  6. Thanks for the help. It was fun to see you on NC.

  7. My first attempt at an image was abysmal. You must have very well developed skills.

  8. Happy to help out if I can. Either you can pick one of mine and I’ll show you the prompt or I can try to make something you’re going for…either way.

Leave a Reply

Trending

Discover more from Shady Places

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading