Celebrate Every Victory, No Matter How Small
In an industry full of rejection, it is important for writers to celebrate every victory, large or small. Today, I’m celebrating because my novelette, Half Breeds, is available for pre-order.
It may not really be a “book” or full-length novel, it may not even be available in print, but it is a standalone piece. It’s not me and twenty other authors sharing a virtual container. It’s my story, carefully edited, polished, and proof read, by the editorial team at NineStar Press and myself.
It’s the first time one of my stories has ever been for sale by itself, and I am ecstatic! I’m posting it all over social media, emailing my critiques groups and trying very hard not to dance around the tutoring center at work. I’m eating ALL THE COOKIES!
Some people might look at me think, “What’s the big deal, it’s not really much longer than your short stories, and it’s only $.99. You aren’t exactly going to make much money off of it.”
They wouldn’t be wrong. The piece is short. It’s not expensive. I’d have to sell hundreds of copies to make the $.08 or $.10 a word I got for some of my best short story sales. But what if I do sell that many copies? What if, a couple years down the road, when I’ve published more books, people come back and buy this one too?
While I eventually need to make more money of writing if I want it to be my job, not my hobby, right now, its not so much about making quick money as it is about getting my name out there and building up my list of published works.
Publishing is a slow thing.
Writing becomes a career when an author continuously publishes books. It takes time, patience, and persistence.
This little Halloween novelette isn’t going to make or break my career, and it doesn’t have a ton of monetary value, but it is a start. It’s a story that found a good home with a good publisher, and that makes it a success worth celebrating.
Today, I’m not going to worry about the rejections that have come and will come. I’m going to focus on this victory and know that one day, it will be a novel up I’m announcing.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36308341-half-breeds
©2017 Sara Codair