Sunday, January 15, 2012

Writing a Book Isn’t the Hard Part (Part 2)

In my previous post, I talked about the importance of bloggers in supporting authors. Now I want to focus on family and friends because they make the best fans!  They’re there with you the whole way through your career, from your first launch party to your worst review.

When I finished Fat Assassins, I spent months revising it and wondering if it was good enough. It made me laugh, but could it entertain anyone else. After the release, I held my breath and waited. Within days, sales spiked and words of congratulations filled my inbox.

The launch party and buzz was exciting, but I was still waiting for the reviews and feedback. Was it good enough or did I have an ugly baby?

My future as an author was in your hands.

But, everyone started asking about the sequel and sharing it with their family and friends. This made me smile and exhale, so I wanted to take a moment and give y’all a shout-out. You’re inspiring me to write book 2 and I’ll keep writing until you get tired of hearing about the girls’ adventures.

Over the holidays, I spent some time reading blogs from some of my favorite (and best selling) authors. They were talking about the importance of their fans (and close support system) when things weren’t all rainbows and butterflies.

Charlaine Harris was blasted by one of her favorite magazines. It was bad - the magazine ranked her latest book as the worst of 2011 (between a Kardashin and Snookie). Her fans were quick to jump to her defense in response to the magazine. http://www.charlaineharris.com/bb/bb226.html

Gerry Barlett posted an emotional entry about the folks who surround her with positive writing energy during a low time.http://gerrybartlett.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/

As I finished reading their touching writeups about loving support systems, I sighed and thought....I’ve got the most badass crew of family, friends and fans!

You wouldn’t send me a touching email about a bad review - you’d drive the getaway van while we hunted down the reviewer for ‘a talk’. Some of you would even help me find a place to hide the body...

Can I get an 'amen'?

Marita

2 comments:

  1. True , writing is part of the job. Tours, promos, good reviews, marketing many moe. I am writing a longer novella now. Hope to make the cut.

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  2. I always admire those who can finish writing a book! Good luck for your subsequent novels!
    I'm a new follower, do follow me at: http://mystorywithyouandher.blogspot.com

    I'll stay tuned!

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