You can always tell when the economic tide turns - whether it be in the short or long term.
There's an easy barometer:
Online entrepreneurs and their companies go into overdrive.
It's easy enough to understand.
When money gets tight, the bills still have to be paid and salesmen still need to sell their wares, if only to survive.
So it is with writers.
Writers are salespeople too. We have to get our work out there - and seen by the people who can help us - and by readers who might want to buy our books.
You can't afford to give up on the goal just because it seems too hard.
That's the point.
In times of hardship, you need to push harder.
You need to create your best work - and more of it - and submit it - and publish it yourself on Amazon - with even greater gusto.
Because, as any businessperson will tell you, if you can't make it through the lean times, you're not really equipped to live off the fat.
Fighters Fight, Writers Write
Publishing success doesn't happen just because you want it.
There are a few writers out there who believe that all you have to do is write a book and it will be published and sell heaps.
I wish it were that simple.
The fact is, getting published, selling books, and becoming successful as a writer requires persistence.
I've spoken to publishers and magazine editors that have a habit of ALWAYS rejecting an author's first manuscript - as a matter of policy.
Why?
Because it makes sense to only take seriously those writers that keep coming back.
They're the ones they want to work with!
Rejection is part of the process. It's a step on the way. And each rejection brings you closer to an acceptance. That's how it works.
The same mentality works on Amazon. Readers are reluctant to buy a book by an author of just one or two books.
Readers trust prolific authors.
Continuously submitting, improving your craft, coming up with new ideas and angles is your job.
Self-publishing regularly is what good writers do: blogs, posts, tweets AND books!
And rather than whinge about the state of the economy or the fact that apparently book sales are down again, you need to fight with renewed vigor - and show everyone you can compete - and want to win!
Life is Like a Box o' Chocolates...
The old line from Forrest Gump is a myth.
When was the last time you bought a box of chocolates that didn't have a description of what each one was?
You know what to expect - of course you know what you're getting because that's why you picked it!
Writing life is like that too.
You can get a pretty good idea of what to expect by simply doing research, studying the market, being interested in writing, writers, and our craft.
Originality is not always something that comes out of nowhere.
Often, perceived originality in writing is just a new twist on an old idea. A modern perspective, a new way of looking at something classic.
And the way to be original yourself is to know your art, to know your place within it - and most importantly, never be afraid to be yourself.
Keep writing!
Rob Parnell
Your Success is My Concern
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