Publishing

I published a new book a couple days ago.  Ruins is a modern-day adventure/mystery novel.  I don't write a lot of these types of books, but I do enjoy them when a plot suddenly leaps into my head.  This book was originally available in Holly Lisle's store years ago and I had some nice notes on it back then.

It's been slightly updated, edited, and has a new cover.  I hope the right people find it.  I hope they enjoy it.

Here is the problem all Indie authors face, whatever they write.  Finding your market isn't easy in a world where thousands of books are published every month.  There is an added problem for someone, like me, who writes in divergent genres.  Publishing under several different names is one answer, but not always a good one.  This book came out early in my career and I can't see publishing it under a different name now.

So I will simply continue to be Lazette.  Seems like a good plan.  Besides, there are many readers like me who enjoy several different genres.  I might as well try calling to them.

Ruins is my 37th published novel.  Some are published by other companies, but most of them are in my indie world.  That means I have to yell louder to get attention, but the truth is that I don't like to yell at all.  I have trouble with the whole marketing concept.  I stick a toe or two into the waters and then retreat in haste back to my little writer cave and produce another book that most people won't know exists.

No, it is not the way to be a successful author, at least in respect to sales. 

All of us have problems somewhere along the line when it comes to writing and publishing.  I have no trouble with writing, rewriting, editing, editing again, and again.  I don't even have trouble with the actual publishing part.  However, marketing those books once they're there -- just doesn't happen much at all.

I'm trying to work on this problem.  It's not easy to overcome.  I know a number of writers are this way, and it may be a problem that comes to a lot of artistic people.  Creativity (at least for me) needs to be separate from the part of the brain that lays out what you need to do to make money.  This allows me to go explore without constraints.  I think that's important for a writer.

I know that some people think you need to consider your audience, but I don't believe you should do that in the first draft.  Later, when editing, is soon enough to consider who what you've written will affect people.  There is also the myth of the First Reader.  You are supposed to imagine how this First Reader would react to what you've written and make certain that person is impressed.

But here is the point that most people don't realize.

You are your own First Reader.

If you don't write something that you enjoy, you cannot expect to find others who will enjoy it, too.

And there we are back to marketing, aren't we?

How do you find people who enjoy what you do?  I've stumbled across a few of them.  I know they exist.  I put the books out to lure them in.

Someday I'll figure out how to market to them and not drive myself crazy at the same time.

This is not that day.