The Series So Far

The world of publishing is going through a sea change at the moment. The internet has picked up the industry, eaten it, digested it, and then crapped it out. This is a terrible analogy as it now requires me to explain why you should be happy about the internet’s bowel movement. Let’s move on and pretend this didn’t happen…

I recently self published my first novella, Deadlocked, and have since gone on to release a couple short stories and the second part of the Deadlocked series (of which there will be 4 total.) My first foray into this maelstrom was on November 9th, 2011, and in just a couple months I’ve experienced the most exciting transformation in myself and my life that I could have possibly hoped for. No, no, I’m not making anything close to a living off the sales of my books as of right now, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. Follow along as I explain myself.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. For as long as I can remember, I’ve plied away in front of typewriters, word processors, and computer screens in the hopes that one day I could share my stories with the world. It was a lovely, jejune dream that never materialized for me. I let the world sneak in and corrupt me with paychecks, benefit packages, and bonus structures. I went from an idealistic boy to a chagrined adult in too short a time, and my dreams of authorship kept getting pushed off into that Neverland of “One Day…”

Part of the reason I was so resistant to chase my dream was because of the perils that so many others had warned of. The hurdles that a writer needed to jump over to reach their goal seemed insurmountable. It was heartbreaking to hear that the greatest authors in the world faced hundreds if not thousands of rejections before making it. If these tremendous talents had trouble breaking into the industry, what hope did I have? It’s a depressing tale of self-defeat to be sure, but I’d wager I’m one among many that have succumbed to that demon.

“What about self publishing?” Well, five years ago, I (and most others) would have laughed at the idea of self publishing. What a ridiculous, lame, foolish, idiotic, and pathetic thing to do! To publish your own work was the grandest of pitiful exercises. Certainly, I wasn’t that pathetic. Was I?

That was then, and this – well, this is a whole new day. The sudden burst in popularity in eReaders has changed the publishing landscape. Some of the more enterprising forerunners in the industry have staked a claim on the success that this change ushered in, and they have profited tremendously for it. The foresight of authors such as JA Konrath and Amanda Hocking has helped make them millionaires, and the publishing world has taken note. It is estimated that eReaders now make up 20% of the publishing industry’s profit, and that number isn’t likely to plateau any time soon. Add to this the fact that the publishing industry is utterly clueless as to how to properly price their offerings (I’ve seen fiction ebooks from major publishers range in price from $1.99 up to $17.99) and you can see that this shifting marketplace is open to new talent.

I am barely more than a virgin when it comes to self publishing, and there are far better people to research to learn how to make this work for you ( JA Konrath ), but I am more than happy to share my limited knowledge so far. The very first thing I’ll say is this: If you’ve ever wanted to be a writer, you have ZERO excuses not to give it a go.

That’s the most important piece of advice I can give you. You’re out of excuses as to why you haven’t published something now. Believe me, I know your pain! I had a billion excuses for why I’d never chased my dream, not the least of which was that I had a full time job and a family. But now, with the overwhelming surge of self-publishing taking over the industry, there is nothing holding you back from putting your work out there. Nothing other than YOU, anyhow.

Putting my work out has been the most rewarding experience of my life (SAVE FACE: except for the birth of my daughters and marrying my lovely wife!) and I urge you to jump into the same pool with me. Sure, there be sharks in that water, but don’t you dare get scared away. If you are so terrified of critics that you’re unwilling to put your work out there, then there’s no hope for you. Get over that fear and dip your feet in. Every single author in history has been scared to death of bad reviews and snarky critics, but to not attempt to jump in is the worst form of dream-suicide you could fall prey to.

Deadlocked at #16

Deadlocked hit the internet on November 9th, and as of today, January 8th, it’s been downloaded by almost 2,000 people. It’s currently sitting at the #38 spot on Kindle’s Best Selling Free Horror novels and was, a couple days ago, as high as #16. I am being interviewed for a Colorado based magazine next week and will be featured in an upcoming issue. I’ve received several fan letters from people that loved the book. Within the next few months, multiple book bloggers will be posting reviews and interviews with me on their sites. I have no doubt that the added interest in Deadlocked from this activity will help it rise even higher on Amazon’s best seller list and that thousands more folks will get a chance to read my work. All of this happened because I took a chance and put my work out there.

I’m not trying to boast or make my middling success sound better than it is. My novella is free, so it’s easy for someone to dismiss the heights it has enjoyed so far. I’m leagues away from being a “successful” writer in the common definition of that term. But I don’t define success as having loads of money pouring in from my writing. I define my  success as having pushed past the fear of rejection and putting the very essence of my soul, my writing, out there for others to critique. To me, it doesn’t matter if someone chooses to roll their eyes at my accomplishment and attempt to degrade it as Philistine. In my mind, I’ve already won. I say this with tears in my eyes and a swelling of pride that wants to burst out of my chest: “I’m a writer.”

And the childish asshole in me follows that up with: “Fuck the haters.”