Hello Fellow Readers and Writers–
A lot of you have been asking what it’s like to sell through KDP. Well, here’s my experience.
It’s not an overnight success story, by any means. You’ll have to have more than one book to attract readers’ attention. During my first six months, sales were much lower than I expected. There were times when I asked myself if it was worth the trouble I’d gone through. I’d written my first five books in Microsoft Works, so I had to transfer them into Word, reformat them to go along with what Kindle needed, etc. (There was a lot of hair pulling, cursing, etc. Bless my husband for putting up with me during those times!)
Then a miracle happened. I published the second book in the Two Old Biddies Mini-Mystery Series–Knitting Can Be Murder!—and all of a sudden, sales took off. In that month, I more than doubled what I’d sold in the previous six months. I’d found a niche! People were hungry for books about knitters and crocheters. Who knew? And the rest, as they say, is history.
But I love when people say, “How does it feel to be an overnight success?” What overnight? My first twelve years of writing were spent trying to snag an agent, just like everyone else. Several wanted to see the full manuscript, but then found something they didn’t like, so they’d say the standard line, “Sorry. Not for us.” (I was going to paper my guest bathroom with rejection slips, but then decided it would be too depressing. LOL!)
Then Kindle Direct Publishing came along and writers were no longer relegated to the asylum agents had put us in. Glory be! Writers now had a voice, a place to go and get published–for FREE!–as long as they were willing to put in the work it took to format their books to Kindle specifications. No problem. (I may be in my sixties, but I can learn to do new things too, ya know.)
So, folks, that’s been my personal journey. I credit my success to my dogged determination to not give up. If you want to write and get published or publish yourself, you absolutely must have a stubborn streak. There’s no other way. The wimps give up. Real writers don’t. It’s that simple. So go out there, write the best book you have in you, and learn to publish yourself on KDP. Would I do it all over again? Heck yes! It was worth all the anxious moments. Just tell yourself that YOU CAN DO THIS–even though it’s a little scary at first.
I’ll close with a quote from the woman writer I was named after–Ayn Rand: “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
Good luck with your writing and publishing, and Happy Reading and Writing to you all,
Jill-Ayn
I’ve heard that quote but never knew who said it. Love the connection. As Jill-Ayn’s friend I’ve seen her write because she “had to” (lovingly) and publish because she “wanted to” (pissed off but determined). Thank you, my friend, for the life lesson that goes beyond writing books.
Your post reminded me of a quote, but I couldn’t remember who said it. I had another quote which I was already going to include (on a slightly different topic you’ve posted about before). Then I found a third quote that also seems appropriate here. As it turns out, they are all quotes from W. Somerset Maugham:
“The great American novel has not only already been written, it has already been rejected.”
“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”
and finally …
“The trouble with young writers is that they are all in their sixties.”