Quote:
Originally Posted by Deskisamess
There was no convincing him that his goal was unrealistic. If I remember correctly, the thread was on the lengthy side, with him defending his work, and actual users trying to convince him he was living in a dream world.
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That sort of unreality is common and wide spread. Back in the earlier days of the PC, the concept of "shareware" software arose - you could download it and try it, and if it met your needs, pay for a full licensed copy. (The shareware version had limitations, like X days of usage before it stopped working. The intent was to let you confirm it worked and did what it claimed to do.)
I moderated a forum on shareware at one point, and had a chap posting his sales figures and complaining that "shareware didn't work". I pointed him at the vast majority of shareware that never
got sales, and that most authors I dealt with would be
delighted with his level of success. To my astonishment, he listened, and agreed to rethink his assumptions.
I've been active elsewhere in forums populated by aspiring self-published authors, and getting reality across is an uphill slog. With something like a thousand new self-published/indie-published works appearing every day, standing out from the crowd is a challenge. You must write and publish a superior book, and you must work your butt off reaching your intended market to let them know you and your work exist. But most of all, you need $DEITY to work a miracle to order, and grant you a giant economy sized helping of
luck, so that you
do reach your market and sell books. The vast majority of self-published authors
won't be lucky.
I tell folks "Write because you must, and can't imagine not writing. Write because you love to do it, and would continue to do so even if you were the only person to ever see your work. Self-publish because you
can.
Don't do it because you expect to gain fame and fortune, and make your living at it. You
won't. If you are lucky you will sell enough to cover your costs and buy a beer now and again. If you can'rt deal with that, find another hobby."
Of course, no one wants to hear that and have their bubble busted, so it's usually a waste of time and I've largely given up trying.
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Dennis