Just because you’re a published author, does not mean you’re quitting your day job and moving to warmer climates. It just doesn’t work that way. Actually, it can be quite the opposite, and if you aren’t strong-willed, this business probably isn’t for you.

Everyone wants their baby to do well. You don’t want to watch it fall on its face and be forgotten; you don’t want people to make nasty remarks or point fingers. At the end of the day, you see that baby as an extension of yourself, and when it fails to achieve, you often take it personally.

You can’t do this!

As a self-published author, you’re in for a hell of a ride, and it’s going to be bumpy and generally unpleasant. Your day is full of advertising schemes, plots to attract readers, comparing numbers, praying for reviews…all while trying to write the next book so that you don’t become a one-hit-wonder. You sacrifice time with family and friends so that you can accomplish your daily writing goals, and often you turn into an ogre when your plans don’t reach fruition.

I’m new to this game, so I didn’t have any real expectations walking into this. I wanted to write a book, I wrote a book, I published a book. It’s more than most people can say, and I’m very proud of that achievement regardless of how well it does in the ranks. I won’t lie and say I don’t get upset when I see a day with little response to the novel, but at the same time, I’m a small fish with no track record, and I find ways to move beyond the aggravation. Only time and continued work will build a following, especially in the digital age of Kindles and NOOKs. There are a million books at the touch of a button, and the chance of YOU being that choice are very slim.

Writing is the easy part – getting people to read your writing is the challenge, but it’s only in your hands. No one is going to give you a magic button to push to make your book more visible. You are in control of how people see your book and where they see it. Write – release – repeat just doesn’t work anymore. Visibility is the name of the game.

So, I better get on that…

Don’t stop writing! You’re goal is NOT to be a millionaire, your goal is to hold your book in your hands and breathe a sigh of contentment that you were able to complete that journey. If you wrote a good story, people will find it and enjoy it as well.