20 Days Later

So, I decided a while ago (it was my resolution, done in October) that I would write about all the points on being a new author. The ups and down, the complications and the things that did and didn’t work.

My thoughts, and things that I have seen with what I have done.

 

Like the title says, it’s been 20 days that I have been a published author, two books, one self-published, for free, and the other through a publishing house.

 

I want to take a moment out of my day to talk about the changes that I have seen by both.

 

Let’s start at the beginning.

My Kevin didn’t really get my a great response. In the way of people coming to me blog, and all that such thing, I think, even though it was free, and people downloaded it (more than I ever thought would, and this is round the 300 mark, after 20 days), I’m happy with the amount of people that have downloaded it. and so far, in this time, only 7 people have written a review, so on one side that’s the only amount I can guarantee have read it.

I know it’s probably more, as I don’t write reviews, but I can only say those have, like a woman can only guarantee she’s had sex as many times are there are children, or tapes.

 

Then I created a FB account.

This wasn’t ever something that I wanted to do. But I ended up wanting to follow authors, see what they have to say, and so forth, and so after I became friends with a couple and realised my mistake I have created a new one.

 

I think this happened around the 39^th of December.

Since then I have become friends with a lot of other authors and have had a fair few people want to be my friends.

I have joined the community in a way I didn’t think I was missing out on.

What I didn’t know. (So, advice? Suck it up and join facebook. It’s more informative than twitter, and it makes you feel a part of the community like nothing else has.)

 

So, maybe it’s helped that I have had this part that when my second book got published more people knew about it.

Maybe it helped that I put up 3 chapters before the release—the 3^rd on the day.

And I will again until I don’t need to anymore.

 

I’m not sure if this has helped, if I have joined and so become a part of this community that things have seemed to look up.

 

But here’s the thing, and it’s something I’ve noticed after reading two postings, a fb one and a blog post.

 

I have more traffic on my blog. Since, probably the 10^th I have had more traffic on my blog. I have noticed it and I have gotten happier because of this.

And I know, lead up, but this is the thing, I started this blog back in 2011 when I decided I wanted to write. I hadn’t gotten into this genre yet, and I wasn’t really near the point of submitting anything, but I started my blog.

My traffic back then, was a steady average of 7 visits a day.

Now, I’m happy because for the last couple of days my average has been 10-14 visits a day.

Yep. That’s it. And I’m astatic for it.

I had one post get 10 visits, like 10 people actually clicked on the fucker.

 

The reason I’m telling you, and like this, is because I read a post by Marcy Celeste where she said she was getting a lot more visits to her blog. She randomly noted that she normally gets 200 a day and when she posted this thing she was seeing like triple that.

 

Last month 614 people visited my blog. In total since I’ve been up 9,117 people.

 

Yeah, I wasn’t a reviewer and when I did that, they were random and crap. ‘cause, let’s face it, I’m an author.

When I started about writing not much. Hell, the most views I ever got was when I talked about depression.

 

I’m telling you this because as a new author I look at what others say and the comments they casually throw out and I wish I was getting that.

I understand, because I understand that her first novel came out in 2011, and I’m sure she wasn’t getting all that may hits when it first hit the shelves. But she’s been published, and liked, with a fan group for 3 years.

I have been around for just as long, but I’m a nobody in every sense.

 

I’m saying this because you can’t honestly look at these authors. High, established, great, authors and give up within a month—hell, year, because you aren’t seeing the same results.

You won’t. You may never see that. all you may ever get is a small following, and that should be good enough for you.

Yeah, you won’t make a shit load of money, and if that’s the reason, you’ve decided to get into publishing you should probably turn the other way and find something else, because it’s an art and everyone know the arts don’t pay, unless you’re great.

 

Anyway that’s sorta what’s knew, I have more to say, like how after this last book published and the response, though small, is quite good (one 2 star out of 3 3stars, pretty good!) has lifted a weight off my chest that’s been sitting there since May

Of, the stupid shit I’ve realised I’ve done, and now it’s too late to change.

 

All those, in the weeks to come. I feel like talking *smiles*