101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing -- 007: You Are Already a Success

This is for all the writers out there who've finished a book, maybe more than one, but feel like failures because of poor sales, reviews, what-have-you. Remember that no matter what happens after your book is released into the world, you will have succeeded in doing something so many aspiring writers never do. How many people say they want to write a book then spend years mulling over ideas, writing outlines, getting the first fifty pages of a story down then losing interest or moving on to something else? Tens of millions? Hundreds of millions?

But you're not one of them.

And since these are 101 thoughts on self-publishing, not tips, tricks or advice, my thought is that if you've had the passion and the drive to finish your book, revise it, and--if you've been so inclined--have it published, then you are already a success.

Now as much as we might insist that we write for the love of writing, that it is about having a story to tell, we must acknowledge that having a little jingle in our pockets in return for all our effort is definitely desirable. But as I said in my last post, you cannot control sales. You cannot control how your work will be received.

Unfortunately, the world is filled with people who will want to bring you down, criticize you, tell you that you're no good, tell you that you're a failure. But don't let others define your success. You will only be a failure if you see yourself as one.

This is a tough business, and I know that sometimes it seems like all your hard work is producing few results. But play for the endgame. Keep reminding yourself that you've already achieved your primary goal: you are a writer.

And when you do find yourself feeling down about sales, about reviews, remember that the work itself is the reward. Claim that reward and congratulate yourself for that accomplishment. As long as you know you've put your all into your work, no thing and no one will ever be able to take that away from you.

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If you're enjoying the series so far and would like a single page to bookmark, I'll be adding each of my 101 Thoughts on Self-Publishing here. Also be sure to subscribe by email (see the box in the sidebar) to be automatically notified about my new posts.

You might also be interested in my eBook, Building a Promotional Package: How to Prepare for Your Successful Book Launch. Details about it can be found here.

Best,

Michael K. Rose