Barnes & Noble

Walked around Barnes and Noble tonight, all the 50% off tables and special tables and books everywhere from little St. Martin's Press Christmas books of under 200 pages to cookbooks I could not lift. On the bottom shelf of the literature/fiction stacks in alpha order is Ghost Orchid, three copies with the cover facing out (which usually is a price factor in shelf placement).

How in the world did I think my little writing experience would be able to reach out to readers when the competition is overwhelming - I mean overwhelming. It is beyond comprehension. This is a little bookstore. There are over eight million books on Amazon.com - and they don't have all of them. Google has almost every book published in digital format. I can pull down all the classics for free in ebook. Why would my little Ghost Orchid have a smidge of a chance to be read by anyone?

It just hit me like that tonight. Wow, are we lucky, those of us with a substantial following and sufficient number of books sold to be considered more than a hobbyist. It's pure amazing. No wonder it takes promotion, promotion, promotion to get our books in the hands of readers. Their choices are infinite!!! The competition is infinite, sophisticated and determined.

I saw so many books I wanted but refused to lift off the shelf or table. I have too many books of today, written by new author colleagues that I must read first. However, they are not calling to me in hard cover from the shelves with "New York Times Best Sellers" "Hot New Releases in Paper back" "Staff Member #1 Pick of the Week"

We often debate what it takes to sell our fiction books (non-fiction is an entirely different program), and I can see that it takes name recognition, shelf placement and lots of promotion. Otherwise, the competition is just daunting. I'm glad tonight's epiphany didn't hit before I started writing, or I might not have two novels an six contributions to six anthologies mixed in that infinite market. I might think, "impossible."

Alas, a writer is compelled to write. An artist is compelled to paint. A pianist is compelled to play. A singer is compelled to sing. A dancer is compelled to dance. Perhaps it might be on a street corner with a hat for coins or at the Philharmonic; perhaps it's a self-published ebook on Smashwords; perhaps the painting is only in grama's parlor; perhaps the singing is in the church choir or Sunday solos or a little nightclub with cd's for sale on the side. We can't stop. We write, sing, dance, paint, sculp, and whatever talent that will come forth just bubbles out. Perhaps that's all that the talent is intended to accomplish, just be born for our enjoyment, the enrichment of our very own existence. In sharing our experience, we may feel a greater fulfillment of self, or not.

DK,
I believe that if what we do is done because we are inspired to do it, it can't be wrong or a waste of time. It often takes time for recognition. Many are programmed to rush, and when they don't see immediate results, become discouraged.
"All I know is in this moment," says much about you.
Doing what feels right can't be wrong. Being on top seems to be a worthwhile goal, once reached, staying there is the problem.
The excitement in life is not in arriving, but being on the way. Enjoy the trip, the journey will end soon enough.

Good post, DK! Just what we need to start the New Year!

DK,

I am so happy for you. Maybe this is you new form of employment. You can be our best-selling author.

I am honored to exchange ideas with you.

I have sufficient sales and following to not be considered a hobbyist, but unless I promote every day, sales drop like a rocket in reverse. Some days, I just don't have the drive to continue promotions.

Then there are the nay sayers. I made the mistake of telling a friend about a paltry royalty check after deductions for advances and that I had donated a large portion of profits from a sale at church to the church. She said, "I don't know why you waste your time with writing if that's all you get from it." She spends her time playing tennis and with little tiles on a table that don't make any sense to me, but they are pretty. I am glad for her enjoyment of these two activities at which she is quite talented. Why should she bother? She doesn't even get a paltry royalty check! (Ooh, I think I see a little irritation showing - shame on me!) I think she was hoping to have a famous friend when I first started - and I'm still me.

DK.

Please stay you! That is the best you.