Why Aren’t I Famous Already

It’s because success takes time, money, blood and so much sweat if you bottled that shit up you could fill an Olympic pool. I know this as facts, they have been told to me by every author that I follow. “Don’t expect instant success” or “Do expect to get rich”

 

In all honesty, I had those thought in my mind already, even before I started writing seriously, I had them before I was told the same advice.

I guess I also happened to come into it when the Silver publishing shit was going down so we had a lot of bitter authors out there, but more so they were angry and when people like this get angry, they tend to make others around them smarter, if those people are willing to listen.

 

So no instant success.

 

What people didn’t tell me, and still don’t is what the first wave is like.

 

Now, this could be just me, I’m not sure, but in the last few months I have published 4 books, and most of the people who are talking about them aren’t saying pleasant things.

They don’t like it, for good reason, reasonable reasons, but they will most likely never become my fan. And it’s those people, those, “it’s new, let’s try it” people are the ones that run you into the ground before you’ve even gotten to the second step.

 

But what are you meant to do with them?

 

Most authors will tell you not to read reviews. It’s utter bullshit, if you’re an author and you haven’t read any review of your book then, well, are you that strong willed that you haven’t been tempted, not once, because people send you there reviews, even when they think your book sucks. Or are you one of those people who thinks they are just that good so it really doesn’t matter what people say because you know they are wrong and you are write.

 

You will look at reviews, there no point thinking that you won’t. If you’re smart, you might stay off goodreads, but when the review links ends up in your inbox, well, you can’t help it you look.

 

I have taken mine in many different ways; it has all depended on what was written. If the first couple of sentences are a bashing then I don’t finish the review. if they are criticism, or just a general here what’s in it, and what I didn’t like, then I read them, try and learn from them.

Because these are the type of people I you write for, these are the things others are thinking, maybe not as strongly, maybe not as openly but it’s unlikely that only one person has seen it that same way and has not liked the same thing.

 

I shouldn’t have written book 1. Or I shouldn’t have left it that way. I shouldn’t have started the series with such colourful characters, not when I didn’t have to. but I love the story and I love how I wrote it, and though, yeah, it could have had this, or that, it also couldn’t have been anything other than what I’ve written.

 

I also have come to the understanding that I write young, or my voice is, and people aren’t going to like that, and so those won’t be my fans. But, I know I’ll get fans. I may not have heaps it may take me time to get there, but people are going to like what I write and they are going to be expecting things to come, and wonting things written, I just aren’t old enough in this career to even see the start of that.

 

And I know this. I know it down to my toes, but it doesn’t stop what these first wave of people are saying. It doesn’t stop the doubts (though only one person has said I shouldn’t be an author, and that was because of a company policy not mine) and so it’s that point I’m taking to heart.

 

I’m not really sure how I should conclude this as I don’t have answers. I simply don’t know how to deal with it, but in my own “chase the silver lining” way maybe you do. maybe you could share with us all. Please.