Making It Means a Higher Standard

Making it to a higher level is something I want more than anything.

My goals excite me, and I dream of becoming the man I want to be in the next five years.

Sometimes that means putting plans on hold and making things better with a long-term approach.

I'm also learning about marketing and pre-orders, as well as the proper time to release a novel.

If I've written a romance novel, it needs to release around late spring or summer.

Horror novels? The best time is autumn. I learned that with Lowella. I wanted to release it this coming week, but the novel takes place during hurricane season.

It doesn't quite fit the mood, seeing as this is a cheery time.

That novel is about ancient things, the coast, stormy weather, and macabre elements, with social commentary on the dangers and darker side of streaming.

That doesn't fit the spring. But it does fit shorter days, longer nights, and hurricanes. As well as Halloween.

I'm switching to a distribution network with access to over 40,000 retailers, libraries, and outlets.

That alone pushes me back four to six weeks for each book.

I've created a spreadsheet PDF with all the bookstores in the Four Corners area, as well as contacts and book buyers.

My initial approach was devoid of marketing knowledge. Books, albums, games, and even TV shows always have campaigns far in advance.

It takes hard work to force yourself out there as an artist.

I'm setting up multiple social media accounts and learning a bit of video editing.

I've separated my faith life from my chosen path, not because I'm ashamed of it, but because the world needs more artists who make great art. Not preachy, forceful art.

AI is not copyrightable according to the court system, but that doesn't mean artists can't use it for marketing plans and back-end work.

My artistic sensibilities keep me from unethical uses of AI, such as in a recent article I read where an author used AI to write a novel that won an award.

We're artists, and a machine will never emulate passion and gifting. Using a program to write guitar riffs for you doesn't feel right to me. There are a few DAWs, like Logic or Reason, that give you the tools, but you still have to make the music. That's how I feel about novels written by artificial intelligence.

Believe in your work and create art. Write things that you'd love to read. Inspire others.

Learning marketing and sales is as important as writing, too.

I'm learning to play the long game, and I'll be switching my other novels to this different platform.

It takes a certain standard to succeed.

And if you're not quite there yet, hard work will take you most of the way.

Because of this standard, releasing twelve novels a year isn't feasible. Writing 8,000–10,000 words a day, five days a week, is doable (hard, but doable in three to four hours). But editing these books with proper care and rewriting takes time.

So, my goal is to write three light novels and two normal novels a year. Releasing them at the proper time, and in far more retailers on par with a massive publisher.

I need to be wise about this path and careful. Workaholism isn't a bad thing, but I can't be substandard at the same time.

I'm looking to do audiobooks, re-releases of my first two books, and everything new with a new system.

Someone up above gave me a gift.

But being a good steward of that gift requires the highest level of professionalism.

Now I read books as a craftsman, not a consumer.

I don't watch stories as a mere observer, but as a fellow crafter.

And while I love gaming stories, I put that part of my life behind me to work on my own projects.

I want to stand with those who make great stories.

I want to do for others what they have done for me.

That's real service, to give back to others and take them away from their sorrows, if only for a while.