I’m proud to say my first novÂel, JACK WAKES UP, is availÂable in hunÂdreds of bookÂstores nationwide—Barnes & Nobles, BorÂders, IndeÂpenÂdent BookÂsellers, and most-likeÂly the store closÂest to you. Three Rivers Press (RanÂdom House) has sent out 6,000 copies of the book for peoÂple to buy.
So now what? And how does it feel?
Well, apparÂentÂly, I keep blogÂging, podÂcastÂing, and doing my damnÂdÂest to get the book to sell. That’s fine with me. I’m comÂfortÂable in the social media/Web 2.0 space and I can tweet my head off and FaceÂbook-share with the best of them. But is this the nirÂvana I’ve pined for, worked hard toward and waitÂed to achieve? In a word: No.
My main point is this: as writÂers we betÂter enjoy the climb as we’re going up the mounÂtain; the process has to be enjoyÂable. For me, this hapÂpened when I built an audiÂence by podÂcastÂing my ficÂtion as free, seriÂalÂized audioÂbooks. Once I develÂoped a relaÂtionÂship with fans, I had the feel of being a real writer, a sucÂcess, way before my book ever hit a sinÂgle store or shelf.
Why was that good? Because the old modÂel toward writÂing sucÂcess (getÂting fans by findÂing readÂers in stores, in print) takes a very, very long time. Even for the luckÂiÂest of us—and I now count myself among these (see paraÂgraph one)—this takes mulÂtiÂple books and at least a few years after your first major-marÂket pubÂliÂcaÂtion. I know many of us come to writÂing for what it gives us in our rooms, the litÂtle vacÂuÂums in which we work, but in all honÂesty it just feels betÂter when you know there are peoÂple who actuÂalÂly want to read what you’re workÂing on—especially peoÂple who aren’t relatÂed to you or going to criÂtique you. Let’s just accept that. It doesn’t make us bad writÂers to admit we want readÂers. (more…)
