I’ve been struggling for a long time with writing (actually lack of), and I’ve tried some of the things that have been suggested. I’ve tried to get enthusiastic about it again. I actually sat down and wrote a little bit on my WIP (it’s been in “P” for a long time now!), the other day, but I didn’t get much done. Every little bit is important, though, right?
Anyway, I’m beginning to realize that the main problem with me is lack of sales. See, here’s the thing. Everyone says to just write for myself. To forget about the publishing part and just write. But here’s why that doesn’t work for me. I’m a businesswoman. My writing is a business. Yes, it’s something I love, but it’s also how I would like to make a living. And that’s not happening anymore. It WAS happening back when I only had a few books out. Now that I have more, and much better ones at that, I can’t sell worth a flip. I’ve had a lot of other authors tell me this same thing the last few years.
So why can’t I just write for fun for awhile? Because I don’t have time. If I can’t make it with writing, then I need to find something else to spend my time doing that I CAN make it with. Editing is a little more profitable, so I’m not giving that up. I love editing. The problem is with editing is I’m not getting enough jobs. If I didn’t have my main client, I would probably give that up, too. One of my other clients decided to stop writing with one of her pen names, so that cut her work in half.
I’ve been trying to follow the Dave Ramsey plan to get out of debt then start saving money. He always says if you aren’t making enough at the job you’re doing, then you need to find something else. This isn’t really feasible for my full time job because I’ve been here 35 years and am just a few years away from retiring. But I need a good part time job that brings in a steady income. I have readers who beg me not to stop writing. But all of these readers aren’t out pimping my books (although I have a few that are so good about that).
Another option I have is to focus almost entirely on my other pen name. I’m actually selling a little more on Amazon with that pen name. And I have some ideas in genres that sell well. Genres I can’t really write under the Lauralynn name since Lauralynn books are too dark.
I’m almost tempted to try NaNoWriMo again. Almost. I said I would never do that again. My husband never wants me to do that again. And, honestly, I just don’t think I have that much time. But I remember the excitement of the two times I did it (and finished it!). I want that excitement back so badly!
So maybe I should just forget this little pity party and just DO IT. Anyone willing to kick me in the behind and tell me to stop whining? 🙂
lauralynnelliott.com 
Girl, I am so sorry you feel discouraged. I, too, have had the same problem and of the same reason. It’s really, really hard to keep writing and to “write for yourself” when you see your sales falling off to nothing–especially if you’ve once had steady sales that led to promise of a long lasting career. (I know you were once at the top of your genre.)
I don’t have the magic words to say to make you feel inspired and I’m sorry for that, but you need to know that you are not alone. There are many of us in that same camp and I think it’s important that we lift each other up and encourage one another to keep going. I need to write a book that I’m not overly inspired to write. Every time I sit down to work on it, I suddenly remember that I have something urgent that needs to be done… Maybe we need to each encourage the other this November to stay the course and hit our word count goals. What do you think?
It doesn’t help when people blame you for the lack of sales because it’s expected that we should be making more money or else we’re doing it wrong. I like the idea of encouragement each other.
I’m glad to hear I’m not alone, although I’m NOT glad it’s happening to anyone else. There are so many authors I know who write good, solid books, and they should be doing well. Then I see some books that AREN’T that great, and those authors are doing well. I don’t get that. I’m sure it’s in the marketing somehow, but I just don’t know what. Yes, I do believe we need to encourage each other. I think that’s better than trying to do NaNo. 🙂
I’m not going to tell you not to worry about sales because every decision I make revolves around whether or not it has the greatest potential to earn me money. I have dropped ideas for several projects because of this. I’d say 50% of the time, I feel like I’m pulling teeth when I write. It is not easy at all. If I waited until I was inspired to write, I wouldn’t get much done. I think people who wait for inspiration to hit have a greater luxury to write as a hobby. But if you’re the one earning the living to support the family, you have to take a look at the hard questions and do what pays back the most money.
I think lack of sales is a valid reason to feel discouraged. It’s nice to say we should write only what we love or for the sake of writing, but it just doesn’t pan out in real life. I say make the decisions that will best help you meet your goals. No one else is going to be paying your bills.
I have to supplement my income from the full time job somehow. Hubby and I make about the same money except when he works overtime. And it’s not much. I use to wonder why I was so broke all the time, then when I started listening to Dave Ramsey, I realized my mortgage was too big of a percentage of my income. Dave says to eat rice and beans until you get most of your debt paid off. My problem is I’m a food lover. LOL.
I’ve wanted to make a living as an author all my life, ever since I was a kid. The funny thing is, the other thing I thought I would like to do was be an editor. 🙂
Let’s all encourage each other next month. We can call November the month of encouragement or some corny thing like that.
Maybe someday, all the people who don’t take writing seriously will find something else to do so readers won’t have to wade through so many books.
One thing I can’t compromise on is the food. Rice and beans don’t make for a nutritious meal. I think it’s more important to concentrate on eating healthy, and those foods are often the most expensive. To help cut down, I try to make meals that require leftovers.
How well does your other pen name do? Do you think that might be a viable avenue?
My other pen name does a bit better, though not a great lot. But after I finish this book on this pen name, I think I’m going to concentrate on the other one. If I can get the cover model I want, I might write a western. I’m not trying to copy you. LOL. I just saw him at a conference I went to for my day job, and I knew I wanted to write some kind of book about him. He’s Hispanic and a real cowboy. And he’s willing if I can ever get his co-worker to take those pictures I asked her to take. 🙂
I’ve been trying to cook more and eat out less. That saves money. It’s just hubby and I have a hard time eating together since he works a different shift. If we can find that time between about 7:00 and 8:00, we can usually eat together. But we also like different things. I like to experiment with different herbs and spices. He likes “normal” food. LOL
I know you aren’t copying me. 🙂 If you write the western, I’d love to beta read it!
Of course!
Hmm. If your goal is to supplement your retirement income, maybe take a non-stressful part-time job when you retire. That will give you the supplemental income you’re looking for. And since you’ll be retired, you’ll have more time to write. The pressure of making income will be off (between the part time job and your editing work) so maybe you’ll be able to start writing again. Then when you build that income from your books you can always quit the part time job.
In the meantime, until you do retire, if NOT being able to write is causing you a lot of stress then just step away from it and put it behind you for a while. Even when you’re writing for income I think you have to derive pleasure from it. If that’s kind of vanished at the moment, you probably need to give yourself some space.
I do hope things work out for you and you find that special groove again. The writing life is not an easy one. I think others are pretty much clueless about what we go through!
Sending you wishes for the very best, LauraLynn!
Thanks for the advice, Mae. Hubby and I have both talked about non-stressful part time jobs when we retire. Honestly, what I would love to do is actively try to market myself as a line editor when I retire. I can only take so many jobs while I’m working, and Ruth has to come first because she’s always stuck with me. 🙂 I’ve been reading a lot of self-published books and can see they really, really need an editor. Some of them have used content editors but not proofreaders. Content editors aren’t always the best proofreaders because that’s not what their main focus is. I see this in traditionally published books, too. Some of these books are by really great authors, but I cringe when I see the errors. No one catches everything, but way too many errors get through. And editing is great because you get to read all kinds of books. I should probably look into some commercial proofreading, too. Man, I wish Huffington Post had a good proofreader. LOL I do want to try to jump back into writing. I need to finish this WIP because I always finish what I start. But as I told Ruth, I think if I focus on the other pen name, I might get some of the excitement back.
Then I would go with the other pen name and see what you can do. It sounds like that’s the one that’s calling you right now. And I hear you about the mistakes that come through in books, especially self-published ones. I think every book should go through content and line editing. When you retire I bet you could dump time in to promoting yourself as a line editor and picking up work.It’s just building the platform and getting started!
If you decide to do NaNoWrimo, best of luck with it. Lots of tea/coffee and chocolate to keep the energy up.
I really can’t as long as I have a full time job. It’s just too time consuming. But I’m trying to challenge myself.