- Joined
- Aug 7, 2009
- Messages
- 1,316
- Reaction score
- 161
- Location
- Australia
- Website
- lastlittlebird.blogspot.com
So... I kept meaning to start one of these, seeing as I've used so many other diary-threads for inspiration, but it's taken me a while.
And now I'm not sure what to say. I guess, start at the beginning?
I was born in 1982 in...
I know, I'm hilarious.
Anyway. I'm an odd duck. I have a tiny fraction of a reputation as a poet (in New Zealand at least) and I've been published a few times (poems and short stories) in pro-paying markets and won/placed in a few competitions.
So I know I can write (either that or I am really good at catching editors when they're desperate).
But it wasn't enough for me. No, I wanted to rake in the big bucks. Possibly an income in the FIVE FIGURES. That's my dream.
So I wrote a rather amateurish young adult adventure/fantasy, slapped a homemade cover on it and got completely demoralized when it failed to sell more than a couple of copies in the first months. I took it down again and sulked for a while. That was two years ago.
Now I'm making another attempt, with some fantasy romance novellas. I decided unicorns were definitely going to be the next big thing so I went with that. Also I like to make jokes about writing "unicorn porn". (I think I might have overemphasized this, however, because my mother just finished reading the first one and told me it needed more sex.)
They have been very fun to write, although my unrealistic hopes of getting one out every month or so have been dashed. The first one, Tempting the Unicorn, was released in April (only on Amazon, because I wanted to take advantage of KDP Select) and so far it sells around 4-6 copies per month.
The second one was released in late September and so far has sold 2 copies, both of which I got quite excited about, because it means (hopefully) that two people liked the first one enough that they wanted to read the second one.
Either that or they were confused.
No reviews or stars as of yet. Hence the excitement over selling even a single copy of the second one. At the moment it feels like I'm singing into a void with no idea if anyone can hear me.
I'm thinking that it'll be easier to get review magic once I've written the third one and can bundle them into a paper copy.
Anyway, so far I've made enough for a steak dinner and I'm rather pathetically pleased with myself.
And now I'm not sure what to say. I guess, start at the beginning?
I was born in 1982 in...
I know, I'm hilarious.
Anyway. I'm an odd duck. I have a tiny fraction of a reputation as a poet (in New Zealand at least) and I've been published a few times (poems and short stories) in pro-paying markets and won/placed in a few competitions.
So I know I can write (either that or I am really good at catching editors when they're desperate).
But it wasn't enough for me. No, I wanted to rake in the big bucks. Possibly an income in the FIVE FIGURES. That's my dream.
So I wrote a rather amateurish young adult adventure/fantasy, slapped a homemade cover on it and got completely demoralized when it failed to sell more than a couple of copies in the first months. I took it down again and sulked for a while. That was two years ago.
Now I'm making another attempt, with some fantasy romance novellas. I decided unicorns were definitely going to be the next big thing so I went with that. Also I like to make jokes about writing "unicorn porn". (I think I might have overemphasized this, however, because my mother just finished reading the first one and told me it needed more sex.)
They have been very fun to write, although my unrealistic hopes of getting one out every month or so have been dashed. The first one, Tempting the Unicorn, was released in April (only on Amazon, because I wanted to take advantage of KDP Select) and so far it sells around 4-6 copies per month.
The second one was released in late September and so far has sold 2 copies, both of which I got quite excited about, because it means (hopefully) that two people liked the first one enough that they wanted to read the second one.
Either that or they were confused.
No reviews or stars as of yet. Hence the excitement over selling even a single copy of the second one. At the moment it feels like I'm singing into a void with no idea if anyone can hear me.
I'm thinking that it'll be easier to get review magic once I've written the third one and can bundle them into a paper copy.
Anyway, so far I've made enough for a steak dinner and I'm rather pathetically pleased with myself.