THE DIRTY TRUTH ABOUT BEING AN AUTHOR
My life as a published author is exceptional. I’m a natural storyteller. Words flow out of me through many means available: hand written, computer keyboard, or voice recognition software. My family loves that I spend hours writing instead of fixing meals for the children or replacing the bathroom’s leaky faucet. Agents call me within days of receiving my digital manuscript to tell me how wonderful my story is. Some fly to my house to beg me to sign a contract with them. A bidding war arises between publishing houses to acquire the U.S. and international rights to my book. Reviewers request pre-released copies of my upcoming book so they’ll be one of the first to sing my praise. And my significant other admits I’m a genius.
Not quite!
To help you appreciate the dirty differences and some surprising experiences and self-satisfactions not listed above, I created this blog. It shares my journey from fledgling author to national award winner, as I strive to become a bestselling writer. By sharing the behind the scenes of what happens before, during, and after publication, I hope to make you laugh while learning about things I wished I had known before I was ran over by the reality truck! Here’s a sample.
Yes, Gold Rush 2000 turned into a collectible!
While I was away from my author career, my website aged in comparison to modern designs and available applications. So, while researching information for an improved website I checked out Amazon’s price for my thrillers versus books by several other authors.
I began grumbling at the discount prices Amazon sells my reused trade-paperbacks for (Gold Lust, Gold Raid, and Gold Fire). Despite those books being the same size as a hardcover they are being sold at the much lower prices than small paperbacks. Then I checked the price Amazon had for my original hardback. Gold Rush 2000. It is selling for a mere . . . $3,000.59, including taxes and shipping. Yahoo! That made my day. I jumped up and did a little dance. Actually, it lasted a while, catching the attention of a friend.
When I told her the price of the hardback that launched my career, she said “You?” in a tone of disbelief as if there was no way that my book was that special. Before she quit repeating “you’re full of crap” I had to show her the truth on the computer. Upon seeing the screen, she went silent. After a few seconds she mumbled, “I wonder how much it would sell for if you were dead?”
As always, there is someone nearby who will ensure this author’s ego doesn’t get out of hand. Humm, I wonder if she knows I have two pristine copies hidden away in a locked cabinet?
Unfortunately, two weeks later the book being offered dropped in price to $1,308.94 + $3.99 shipping. Bummer! I’ll report back to you after I talk to an Amazon rep about whether I will get some payment when Amazon sells a copy of my collectable book for so much money, even though I know I won’t.
At either price, e-mail me if you’d like to buy an autographed copy of the book that launched my career then I’ll sell you one. And for those prices, unlike the collector selling my hardback, I’ll include a bottle of wine and free shipping. But since I’m still alive and copies of my first book are available, you don’t have to buy at scalper prices. Just go to my website and pick up a pristine copy of Gold Rush 2000 at an affordable price.
I learned another thing while doing comparison research between my book site and other author sites. Years ago, I did a super job getting awards, as well as reviews from book buyers. I received hundreds of five-star reviews for the first three books in the series. Unfortunately, they were e-mailed direct to me or told to me when I met a person who had purchased one of my adventure-thrillers. Regrettably, all those reader reviews only went onto my old website but not online on Amazon’s website. I just didn’t ask. So the online visibility of my books is far lower than it could have been if I had just encouraged readers to post a review. Now, I’ve learned. So if you bought, or soon buy, one of my books on Amazon or any other online book distributor, please post a review on Amazon’s site. That will greatly help other avid readers find a good book, and help me revive my writing career. In a later blog, I’ll let you know why I left the book-boy life for awhile.
From: Author Ed Mitchell
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(Also on GoodReads)
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