Writing as a hobby or a career
I’m sure that many of the authors we cherish have started with a goal in mind. For most, it would be to become a best-selling author. In today’s publishing world, that goal is achieved differently than it used to be. In the past, one would labor over a story for months or years before sending it out to countless agents and publishing houses, hoping to have their manuscript accepted.
Today, you can write and publish your novel from your electronic device bypassing all the trouble and anxiety associated with waiting to hear that your book is worth it. In just a few clicks, you can present your novel to the world. Depending on the platform you use, it costs next to nothing. Readers can instantly access your story.
When I started my author path, I published directly to Amazon.com using their Kindle Direct Publishing platform. I’ve used the KDP program for over three years, but I always planned that someday I would give up my day job and make a living from writing. While Amazon customers have been good to me about buying my titles, I hadn’t done anything to progress from hobby to career writer. I waited for that one book that went viral, and everyone would know about me and my books. While I do well, I’m not where I could be, which is my fault.
Instead of planning for growth, I hoped for it, thinking that everything would fall into place and be well. It wasn’t until the end of 2020 that I began to see that I was limiting myself. I published through Amazon alone only because it was easy. It didn’t require much work or thought on my part. If I want to grow, I have to be willing to do more, take a chance at being bigger and better, and reaching more people.
To do this, I’ve decided to GO WIDE. Plus One will be the first book of mine to be sold through a distribution network via IngramSpark. This means that I had to remove it from the exclusive deal with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited. It also means that the book is now available through many more eBook sellers. The book in paperback will also be available to retail locations and libraries around the world.
Over the next few months, I will be documenting the process and progress. Next month’s issue will cover the subject of Copyright.
