Timber's attempt at E-Pubbing

So a few months ago, before I lost my business and means to support myself, I finished a fifth round of revisions on a horror/thriller manuscript I'd been working on for a year and a half or more and printed it out for copy editing purposes.


Then real life kicked me in the butt and next thing I know I'm living on the streets working at Burger King, redlining a crumbling manuscript on a park bench and thinking to myself 'I don't suppose I can get any lower than this. . .' After that I decided I was going to finally make the dream I've been harboring since leaving the military real. Even if I never go anywhere, I can't stand looking at something I've invested so much of myself into and wondering if it might be something.


Now, it's been about two weeks since I finished the final edits on the manuscript, put a cover together and posted it online. I'm still working at Burger King, still homeless and still wondering what the future's going to hold. But and however! I've started outlining the second book and I'm working on finding better living circumstances (I'll know by friday if I'm going to get a job that doesn't pay peanuts, for example) and while I still haven't really invested any serious time into advertising or promotion, I'm working out a business plan.


So to summarize, I put quite a few carts before quite a few horses and I'm not sure what's going to happen but maybe this will be useful to someone, who knows. I know it's cathartic for me otherwise I wouldn't be posting this.


My efforts so far have consisted of putting together a website, posting links to free copies of my book on appropriate forums to generate interest, I'm putting together a small GoodReads campaign while also working on supplementary works such as short stories and the next book as time allows.


I've also posted samples and a couple of short stories on places like WattPad, Fiction Press and a couple of sites that support anthropmorphic writing. Though, my primary piece isn't anthro/furry in nature (at all), I still figured it would bring people to the website who may then decide to check out my other stuff.


That said, so far my sales figures have been. . . Less than spectacular. It's been two weeks and I've done little in the way of direct or focused advertising, so I don't expect much, nor should I. I know this.


All told, I've sold exactly 2 copies on amazon, one of which was to a friend who bought it when I ran it for 99 cents, and zero on B&N or Smashwords. Perhaps this'll improve, perhaps it won't. I'm going to be doing the things I mentioned as far as getting a plan together and other stuff, but at some level it's still nice to know I actually have something out rather than wondering endlessly.


Still would like to make a go of this but I'm under no illusions that I'm skilled (or confident) enough to do so. Time will tell!

Thanks for the support everyone, it's really humbling. I'll keep an eye on the things mentioned here and be looking for a crit circle (which I think would help considerably, heh!).

For my next trick, I shall pull a short story out of my butt and use it to promote my next (Unwritten) novel in my series. . . After running it through the SYW shredder.