"What
is success? To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent
people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of
honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate
beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social
condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have
lived; That is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Does success as a writer mean finally getting that publishing contract and selling thousands of units? Or is the success actually in the quality of the product itself? I say yes to both of those legitimate questions. There are many very well written books that have not sold well, but that doesn't mean the author was not successful. To be successful requires bravery and courage. I mean you have to be willing to put yourself out there. If you have managed to convince a group of professional publishers and editors that your book is worthy of printing at all is a great success. Selling and marketing your book requires convincing a whole lot of other people of how valuable your book would be for them, people you have never met.
Some of you are saying, but that's the job of the publisher. Yes, the publisher has some responsibility to market your book, but your book is not the only one they are marketing. You are the ultimate tool that will keep the momentum going in book sales by creating a strong web presence for one thing and by working towards building your platform beyond your immediate friends and family. This will require more study on marketing than many of us are aware of. Not that we have to be experts, but we need to keep current on book marketing trends and how others are doing it. Take tips from those who are successful. It's easy for me to see these current successful authors and think to myself, oh well - they are already on the inside, of course they've got the advantage. Nonetheless, many of these already well-known authors have struggled for years to get to where they are. They are a vast resource of knowledge that can help us along. I feel fortunate that they are willing to share learning experiences.
I have one book that is self-published that I was inspired to create for a fundraising effort. I offer it on blurb.com - you can view it on the biography page of my site. My sales are minimal if any at all, but at least I know I have sold a few. Mind you, this was my first attempt at publishing anything - it was painstaking to put this book together using the blurb template system as well, but the book itself is quite beautiful and I am very proud of my efforts. It has offered a valuable learning experience as well. As yet, I have not gotten an ISPN # for this book, so I am limited in my sales and marketing efforts. Eventually though, I hope to obtain the ISPN and will make the book available through many other venues. By telling you all this, I mean to say - if you have a pet project you really desire to see successful - move ahead with it. You will not hurt yourself in doing so, instead you will learn through the process of doing. In that respect, you will be successful.