I subscribe to the blog, Live, Write, Thrive by C.S. Lankin.  It is an excellent blog and would recommend it highly (www.livewritethrive.com).  She posts several times a week and is very open to guest posts.  The topics range from inspirational to craft to grammar.  On July 24th there was a post called ‘Redefining Success in order to Stay Sane.’  The topic is so important to Lankin that she encouraged readers to re-post.

I would like to share some of the material from the post along with my own comments.  First, the desire for success can wear you down (success defined as selling a lot of books).  Defining success only in terms of book sales is limiting.  Writers suffer disappointment, frustration and despair over sales numbers.  The truth is no one has an idea of what sells books.  That’s the simple truth.   If the number of books sold is your measure of success prepare for a rough pot hole filled road.

Lankin offers the following “truths” which she is also working to embrace:

Success is not defined by numbers or money earned.  Writers need to believe in themselves and their work.  You need to believe that what you write is significant and important.

You are not writing to please the masses.  There are some writers who write in a specific genre to attract the masses.  Mystery writing tends to fall into that category; they are often serial books and have the same protagonist in every book.  There is mass appeal to mystery books, it all started with Sherlock Holmes and I admit, growing up I too was a Holmes addict.  For most of us we don’t appeal to the broad commercial market.  My understanding of “commercial fiction” is fiction written with the sole purpose of huge sales.  For example, paranormal especially vampires is now all the rage.  Writers need to know who their audience is and write with passion and sincerity.

Don’t validate yourself based on others’ opinions of you or your writing.  A local bookstore owner had someone read my book for their opinion.  The bookstore owner went from being enthusiastic about scheduling an author presentation/signing to not being willing to schedule an event for me.  The mystery reader didn’t care for my book and thought there were “errors” in it.  I never did find out what that meant.  However, I submitted my book to the annual Milwaukee Irish Fest; they loved my book, offered to sell it for me and offered me two presentations during the four day event in August.  It happens.

Find a few really supportive writer friends to be on the journey with you.  In my case, I have one writer friend on the journey with me.  I asked him to content edit my first novel and the made several stunning recommendations which added depth to my story.  In exchange, I’ve read his behemoth 400 page manuscript and offered my suggestions on plot and especially the ending.  We trust each other and will never be critical.  We respect each other’s talent.  I’m lucky.

Know that traditional publishing is undergoing radical changes.  I had a contract with a traditional publisher and spent 2 ½ years revising manuscript and missing two publication dates.  I terminated the contract in disappointment and anger which lead me to independent publishing.  There are still a few vanity publishers that don’t have standards for either the writing or the quality of the hardcopy book, but they are dinosaurs.  Create Space and Lulu have revolutionized independent publishing.  I learned that independent publishing gives the artist complete control and has shaken the traditional publishing world – as it should.

The key is to NOT accept the worldly definition of success as book sales or money earned.  Take the time to define success for yourself, write the best damn novel you can and believe that you will connect with your readers.  “If you write it, they will find you.” 

Before publishing my first novel all of my energy went into both the art and craft of independent publishing.  I honestly didn’t think about how I would envision success.

Since publishing with Create Space in November 2013 I’ve thought a lot about success.  Initially after publication there is an emotional rush.  I was fortunate because I received tremendous local support.  The coffee shop owner, Jeff Gauger, from Beans n Cream offered both to sell books for me and schedule an author signing.  Jeff bought the first 30 books for sale in the coffee house during the holidays.  His business sense is keen and those books flew off the shelf.

The library director also offered to schedule an author presentation and signing.  However, it was December in Wisconsin and our winters are fickle.  We had a major snow storm the evening of my presentation but 10 brave souls showed up and some bought as many as four books each, a great holiday present.

The Friends of the Sun Prairie Library operate a bookstore to raise funds for special library projects.  The manager of the bookstore also agreed to sell my book for me.  I’ve also been lucky to have three independent bookstores sell my book on consignment.  A local book club bought my book and the invited me to lead their book discussion one evening.    Crystal River Inn Bed & Breakfast also sells my books and hosted an author presentation and signing this spring.

How many books have you sold?  I don’t know.  I could look up a report on Create Space but I don’t.  It’s often said that writers need readers.  The reverse is also true.  Readers need writers.  It’s a symbiotic relationship.  The standard definition of success is the number of books sold or the ability to financially support yourself through writing.

I’ve decided that success is creating a relationship with readers, preferably, face to face.  This is what motivates me to write along with a demanding interest in exploring big themes in writing.  So, there you have it.  Guess I’ve been successful.

How do you define success in your writing life?

As a reader I joined GOODREADS several years ago but admit that I was an infrequent user.  In researching effective marketing tools for independent authors, GOODREADS, was ranked as a MUST DO.  It is the single largest group of readers on line.

In early January this year I began a twofold GOODREADS campaign to market MURPHY’S TROUBLES.  Their service is called Goodreads Author Program and offers options on an ad campaign, a blog, and book giveaway program.  I chose the ad program and book giveaway.

For the ad program a tutorial is provided and you design your own ad.  Their staff review the ad and make recommendations to attract readers.  The ad is viewed but the objective is for people to click on the ad to read more about the book and be given choices on how to buy your book.

In six months 316,120 independent people viewed my ad.  Wow! What a huge number.  However, only 60 of those have clicked the ad.  Goodreads says that an author can expect a click rate of 0.05%, so for every 100,000 views 50 will click the ad.  My click rate is a disappointing 0.02%.  I don’t have a clue why my click rate is less than half the “normal” rate.  Goodreads does review the ad and make suggestions if it isn’t working out and so far I’ve not been contacted with a suggestion to change my ad or target audience.

My book has received seven ratings, three of which are 5 out of 5 stars.  My overall rating is 4.3 – respectable I thought.

My book has received only two reviews with a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

I wanted to draw more attention to the book and have it reviewed by GOODREADS readers.  I offered 5 books to give away.  I don’t have any reason for selecting only five – maybe it’s just being cheap.  I had 501 people request the free book.  GOODREADS chooses the “winners”, I don’t know how.  The rules are strict.  Once I learned who the winners were I’m only given a name and mailing address.  I couldn’t contact the winner or request a review – it was a pure giveaway.

As it turns out, one of my reviewers was a winner of the giveaway, so that worked well and the reviewer gave the book a 4.3 out of 5 stars.

To date, 215 people have put my book on their “to read” list.  I think that’s important for two reasons.  First, if the book is on their list someday they intend to actually buy the book.  Also, their friends will see my book on their list and maybe that will be enough to pique their interest to either buy the book or add it to their “to read” list.

Being a novice, I didn’t have any expectations for my  GOODREADS campaign to its all good to me.  I allocated $100 to spend on the campaign and it will run until the money runs out.  At this rate my campaign will last another 14 months.  Maybe after a year I’ll seek GOODREADS help in sprucing up my ad.

Anyone out there a member of GOODREADS?  Anyone out there seen my ad on GOODREADS?  Anyone out there advertised or had a giveaway campaign on GOODREADS?   

In a previous post I explained how I’ve used setting a weekly word goal to motivate myself and provide structure to THE BIG GOAL of completing the first draft of my second novel this year.  I’ve been humming right along and have found that most weeks I exceed my goal which gives me a wonderful warm, fuzzy feeling.  Most important it’s proven to be a fantastic tool to subdue Editor Man, that pesky super hero that insists on editing as I write.  I’ve found his kryptonite.

When I set my weekly goal I forget one very important fact.  Some weeks I have other activities that render writing next to impossible.  For example, later this month we’re driving to Omaha to spend a week with our son, his wife and our 18 month old granddaughter.  I intend to devote myself that week exclusively to family and will give writing a rest.  The result will be that week I miss my writing goal by a country mile.

This past week having that realization sent me into a panic.  I didn’t sleep for two nights trying to figure out how to squeeze in more writing time before the Omaha trip.  Then I realized I’ve made other commitments and I’ll lose another three days in writing.  For the month, I won’t be able to write for eight days (that’s a quarter of the month!).

So much for my astute planning; this week I bore down for serious writing.  As my Dad used to say, I was in a tizzy.  This week I cranked out over 6700 words, three times my goal and 65% of my goal for the entire month.  At the close of Saturday’s writing session I realized I would attain my word goal for the month – I could relax.

I found myself a slave to the goal I had created.  That isn’t healthy.  The loss of sleep and emotional trauma was too heavy of a price.  I did learn that with enough effort I can be very productive.  In fact, I may have given myself to small of a weekly word goal.

Goals are great but you can’t let them own you.  I’ve learned my lesson.    

Book Review for

 

MURPHY’S TROUBLES

By

Rex Owens

 

Propelled by insatiable grief, patriotism, and youthful naivety into a decades-long double life, a popular Irish author’s secret ties to the Irish Republican Army finally implode in Murphy’s Troubles, Rex Owen’s soulful political thriller.

A Catholic from far southern Ireland, Ian Murphy joins the IRA after the violent death of his childhood friend, an IRA volunteer fighting to liberate Northern Ireland from British rule.

But after thirty years of living as both a best-selling novelist and the secret author of an infamous IRA training manual and other published IRA propaganda, Ian’s dual existence is upended by family tragedy and a lover’s betrayal.

Some of the story’s most wrenching scenes come as Ian’s lover, a married, aggressively professional, award-winning newspaper journalist, stumbles upon his secret and must weigh whether to share it with the world. The couple’s subsequent confrontation, in a dank pub cellar, is rawly emotive. 

Emotions run deep, in fact, throughout the story, as Ian deals with other deaths, the accidental maiming of his young niece in an IRA bombing, the demise of his affair and bitter recognition of the role he has played in the IRA-related deaths of thousands of people. His tortured existence is further complicated by an increasing propensity to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Ian’s struggles, however, lead him to chart a new course, working for peace rather than violent confrontation. Love – and love lost – can cloud our minds but can also clarify, is the message.

The story charts the characters’ motivations for setting their lives on a particular course, the hard choices they must make to stay on that path or divert from it, the courage required to do either, and the repercussions of it all.

Owens does his homework, offering a credibly researched, albeit fictionalized, primer on the IRA and its place in Irish history. Historical context is woven into the novel in a clear, concise way that will appeal to readers in and outside of Ireland, including those only marginally familiar with the country’s politics and past.

The novel could have been improved by clarifying one key point in the plot’s chronology, a scene early on in which Ian, in despair after his niece is injured, crashes his car into a British barricade. Owens places enough importance on this explosive crash to lead the novel with it. But did it occur before or after his lover’s betrayal? That’s never clearly stated, even in careful retracing of the text. Recapping this scene by coming fully back to it, rather than leaving its place in the overall course of events to the reader’s imagination, would have brought the story full circle and might have lent important context to Ian’s mindset.

This omission isn’t fatal, however, to this otherwise excellently researched and well-penned, deeply human story about life-changing decisions, reverberations and the potential for renewal.

-Inkspots Reviews

I’ve always been a person that need a carrot out in front me, like a reluctant horse, to get me to move along.  My wife likes to say I’m goal oriented.  That’s kind but the truth is that without something to grasp for I fall into lethargy.

Earlier this year I gave myself the goal of finishing the first draft of my second novel.  I knew, in general, what I wanted to write but I was plagued by the lack of a writing routine and a concrete idea of what meant in daily work.

I decided that “second novel” was too vague.  I felt comfortable with writing about 80,000 words in MURPHY’S TROUBLES, so I made that my goal for the second novel.  Next, I needed a specific target to aid it, 2014 for completion was too vague too.

For no particular reason, I decided I wanted to finish the very ROUGH draft by November 30th.  My previously shapeless goal was not taking on a real form.  For years I have used a seven day week as my work unit.  I learned a method based on a Stephen Covey book to set a goal that needed to be completed in a week, and then figure out what needed to be done to meet that goal.  The last step was to create blocks of time to work on the tasks that would result in a completed goal.

To write 80,000 words by November 30th would mean slugging out about 1700 words a week. Unfortunately, I had false starts the in January and February and part of March, meaning I now had only 38 weeks to write my 80,000 word novel.  I need to write about 2100 words a week to make my goal.  Now that’s something you can bite your teeth into.

I purchased a big white board calendar and put my week goal in large numbers at the top.   Each day I write on the board how many words I’ve written.  To date, I’ve cranked out over 18,000 words a week, about double my goal!

Shizam!  It’s working.  I’m now confident that I’ll make my goal, I can relax. My creativity and imagination are in high gear and I’m enjoying the writing without stress.  That’s the POWER of a goal.

           

I am working on my second novel and having a bad time of it.  Writing my second novel some days I feel like Sisyphus.  My first novel took fourteen years to write and I worked on in in bits and pieces with UW-Madison Writer's Institute classes; UW-Madison's Weekend with your novel; , UW-Madison's critique groups; and, UW-Madison's Writers by the Lake.  I did it this way because I was still in the work-a-day world and used these special classes to devote myself to writing in short, intense bursts of learning, energy and creativity.  In those days I thought being free from the stardard job would be a panacea for my writing life.

My career ended abruptly one Friday morning when I learned that my managers' salary was dragging the company I worked for into the financial abyss, twelve others got the same news that day.  I am fortunate to have a pension so financial security was ensured and I saw this change as my chance to finally finish my first novel.

Murphy's Troubles was published in November 2013, it had taken four years.  I've finally settled on what to write for my second novel, only because the protagonist, Ian Murphy scolded me in a dream and said he wasn't finished telling his story.  My working title for the second novel is:  There Was Sadness, There was Joy.  As I began to write I discovered I don't have a writing routine.

I have complete control of my time and yet I struggle to develop any sort of writing routine.  The entire book is in my head, of that I am certain.  I found myself obsessing with chapter one, which has been written and re-written at least 25 times.  There is some part of me that has to have the first chapter exactly right before I can move on.  So, I'm accepting that as part of my writing routine.  I've also been indecisive about point of view, that demon that haunts me whenever I splash a work across the screen of my lap top.

Just this week I've settled on first person point of view.  While some consider it limiting, it allows a more personal, in depth story.  I want to see the world only through Ian Murphy's eyes because that's the only way I can convey it on the page - the way Ian wants the story told.

I will be working on having a writing routine for a long time to come.  Who knows, maybe my routine is not have a routine.  I know there's a lot of advice to just sit down at the keyboard every day, same time, and do my thing.  That approach seems to be common among writers.  For me, it doesn't feel right; maybe I'm fighting the self-discipline it takes.

So, a lot of days I feel like Sisyphus, pushing the boulder up the mountain only to watch the boulder roll down and do it again tomorrow.    

Since Murphy's Troubles was launched last November 18th I have been on a marketing roller coaster.  I was astonished at the local support I received.  Both our local coffee shop, Beans n Cream and the Sun Prairie Public Library agreed to host author book signing/reading events.  They also collaborated to design and print a poster advertising the events, I handled the distribution.  Our local newspaper, The Star, agreed to an interview and published an in-depth four column article announcing my book release. 

Yet, my presence in th internet world is almost non-existent.  I've had my website for several years and have been blogging once a week for a year.  I paid a consultant to review my website and made a lot of changes that resulted in about a 25% increase in hits.  It was worth the expense.

In January I took the time to develop a detailed marketing plan for myself.  Right away I learned about myself that my goal wasn't to sell books, my goal was to attract readers.  Really, the motivation to write is to have readers.  I have discovered there are numerous services to help independent writers/publishers but they all cost money.  Of course, the big wad was spent in bringing Murphy's Troubles into the world so there aren't a lot of resources to invest in marketing, which is a class catch 22.

I developed the strategy that the cost of any marketing dollars must be recovered through book sales.  Sounds like a rational policy.  Then I was talking with a consultant I trust and she said I could take that approach butr I had to realize I'm an unknown author and the effort to become known will cost money.  She was right and I knew it.

In my marketing plan my original goal was to devote at least five hours a week on direct marketing activities.  I also have the goal of finishing the first draft of my second novel this year.  In part, these goals were in conflict.  Part of my time devoted to finding readers for the first book while also devoting creative time for my second book.  I kept a calendar to record the hours I spent marketing and soon found myself a slave to that calendar.

By chance I found a blog, The 7 Worst Mistakes of the Indie Author and How to Fix Them by Joanna Penn March 4, 2012.  The seventh mistake is focusing everything into one book.  Her point is that yes, an author needs to market that first book but must remember that we're writers and not lose focus.  "Obsessing over marketing one book isn't as important as getting on with the next."

Eureka!  Now my marketing goal is to focus on one specific marketing activity a week and devote the majority of my time to writing my second novel.  It feels right.  I've found balance.  Thank you, Joanna Penn for blogging about your writing experience.    

I have subscribed to The Writer Magazine since 2001 and it has been published since 1887.  I’ve been fortunate to have two articles published in The Writer (May 2012 and September 2012).  The February 2014 issue has a story by Neil Evans, “For a living”.  One sentence in the article grabbed by attention:  “Writing is an act; being a writer is a state of mind, a lifestyle, a necessity.”  By his definition Evans claims he isn’t a writer but he does earn his income from writing, working as a web content editor.

In an age of e-mails, e-zines, blogs, tweets, and content writing we have stretched what has been traditionally meant to be a writer.  I enjoy writing a weekly blog and a monthly feature in the e-zine Extra Innings; however, my first love is the novel.   In reflecting on the direction I want to take in 2014 Evans’ definition of a writer is critical.

For years I dreamt of being a writer.  At first I thought that if I was paid for my writing, I would be a writer.  I achieved that goal in 2010 but still didn’t view myself as a writer.  Then I decided I would be a writer when I published my first novel.  I achieved that goal in November 2013.  Yet, something was missing; I continued to struggle with the notion that I am a writer.

The missing element is in Evans definition:  “. . . being a writer is a state of mind, a lifestyle, a necessity.” In 2014 I plan to give myself the freedom to explore being a writer with this definition in mind.  Recently, I helped a friend polish his musical comedy, tightening the story, giving color to characters and tying up loose ends in the last act.  His focus was the music, not the story.  He asked me one day how I came up with the changes I suggested.  My response, without thinking was:  “That’s what I do.”    

There is some debate on the meaning of the expression; “cast the die”, some say the origin is Julius Caesar.  I prefer the version deeply rooted in metallurgy when molten metal was poured into a mold or die that would form an object once the metal cooled.  In 2014 I’m casting the die to have the freedom to live a writer’s state of mind, a lifestyle and accept the necessity of writing in my life.   

This Saturday, December 14th I have my first ever public book signing.  I’m nervous, anxious, and uncertain and my self-confidence is hiding somewhere.  I am very lucky that the owner-manager of our local coffee hangout, Jeff Gauger, from Beans n Cream Coffee House wants me to spend several hours Saturday morning signing books.  I am dumbfounded that he believes that I will be an “attraction”.  I’ve never been an “attraction” before and I am doubtful.  His bet is that the good local folks will want to with me well on finally publishing MURPHY’S TROUBLES, and take the time to buy a cup of coffee, maybe a danish or breakfast burrito.

Jeff even created a fantastic poster to advertise my upcoming appearance both at Beans n Cream and the Sun Prairie Library Monday night (December 16th) at 6:30 p.m.  I volunteered to take the posters around town and ask businesses to display them in a prominent place for several weeks.  It was the least I could do.

I wanted to use my “event” Monday night to support the Library so I’ll be donating half of the royalties from each book sale to the Library Foundation.  I didn’t want to advertise this because I was afraid that folks might see it as a gimmick to sell books.  It’s not.  It’s just my way of saying thanks to the Library Director, Tracy Herold, for her support.   There’s simply nothing more natural than a novelist supporting their local library in whatever way possible.

I have been working toward this time in my life for the past sixteen years.  I am ready, it’s the path I’ve chosen or maybe it’s chosen me, most days I’m not sure.  Wish me luck.