I read a conversation on a Facebook group the other day. The lady was wanting to know why she wasn't selling books and invited anyone to look at her Amazon page and author page to see if they could work out why this was happening. One person gave a very detailed report and at that point I knew I was unlikely to sell books either. Why? Because I don't stick to branding, and don't publish several books a year.
Branding to me is restrictive. It means books in one genre with similar stories and similar book covers. It also means publishing several books a year, and to stick to a series. This lady, like me, dabbles in several genres - flash fiction, short stories. Inconsistency doesn't grab the reader because they don't know what you really do. Isn't that dumbing down readers? If I like what I'd read by an author I would read whatever else they write. Admittedly, this lady had a couple of series which were left unfinished. She maintained she gave up as they didn't sell.
I kind of understand why the report ended up this way because having attended workshops and writing conferences, this is what you are fed. But I'm not that kind of writer. Am I doomed then? Am I not a 'proper writer'?
It seems like other things in life, writers have to be put in boxes. I've never been one for boxes, and if that means I don't sell many books, so be it. I realise writers want to make a living, but that's never been my focus. I understood a long time ago that I'd never make money out of writing. Getting published is hard. The competition is hard and even if you do grab an agent, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll be published if the agent can't sell your book. And even if they do, don't give up the day job!
My motivation for writing has always been the need to share my stories with others. Stories I like. I've never written for the market, which anyway could change by the time you've finished your book. Trends change, and also trends can be boring. You get umpteen books written in similar fashion, with similar titles (The something or other's daughter) and even a trend on book covers. I've never been drawn to those books. It's like publishers are telling you 'this is what you should be reading.' I buy books from Indie publishers, books you won't find in Waterstones or Smiths. I've read some wonderful books by self-published authors. I recommend them through a Facebook Book Club because these writers deserve to be read.
Maybe it's me, but I don't want to be told what to read. My reading is very eclectic (I've suddenly the urge to read books set in pre-history), and I think my writing is like that. I admire writers like Rose Tremain. Her books are very different, and I like that.
When I read the report on this writer's Amazon page, I felt dispirited. I cannot publish three to five books a year, and I don't want to only write one genre. My only 'sameness' is that I am likely to write novellas rather than novels, but the content will vary. Often when I attend conferences, the publishing side is the bit I find so depressing. By the time they've told you how and why it is so hard, why you will fail, you just want to give up. Only the determined will survive, they say, and if you can't hack it, get out. If you walk away after years of rejection, you are treated as a failure for not persisting. Those who make it, are the ones who never gave up. But if your mental health suffers, if you feel you've reached the end of the line, does that make you a failure? Some of us will never get that publishing contract, but we are still writers.
If I only sell a few books, that's okay. I know I don't market my books well, I know that. I can't keep on banging on about how good my book is on Twitter every week (some do it daily), but if you do read a book of mine, please do leave a review and post something on social media. That's all I ask. Thank you for reading my gripe, and do respond if you have something to say about this, for or against.
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