Well, I'm back. Two full weeks of nothing to do with writing or editing. The first week was hard to resist, the second week not so much. I just buried myself into my current job as the General Manager of a Powersports store which was easy to do with the final completion of remodeling and construction going on, new staff hires, and correspondence with some potential new franchises to add for the future. All that and the return of my youngest daughter Paige back home after NC State decided to send the kids home due to Covid after only moving her in a few weeks prior. Oh well, weird times.
My business is still bustling thanks to Covid. Turns out people realized that Motorcycling and Off-Road vehicles are a good way to safely social distance and spend time with family. Business for us and the manufacturers has been going through the roof since May. Who would have thought eh? That was something no one could have predicted. Boats, Personal Watercraft, RV's and Bicycle sales have also been similarly affected. Breaking records along the way. Now the only trouble is getting inventory with the manufacturers at an all-time low after closing down for 4-8 weeks and then trying to ramp back up all the while the market was exploding. Truly amazing, I have seen the highs and lows in this industry now for over 35 years and even I have never seen anything like this. So it was easy to let my business envelop me for a few weeks. I already average 55-65 hrs per week dedicated to it anyways in normal times.
It was important for me to step away from the writing these last two weeks. I was feeling overwhelmed with the changes needed in rewrites after I paid for a professional Beta Read and had just received back the notes. I should have known a bunch of stuff would pop-up that needed changes, but still, reality can be a bit much at times. Especially when I am pushing hard to be able to go to Query before the winter break for all the agents. Now between finishing my final line edit with my editor, and makes these changes to again have to line edit review those afterward, I am skeptical that I will make my deadline imposed upon myself. This is already way past my original planned date to complete this novel. My desire to write more in my book two and use my creative talents again fully in the flow of creating the next story draws me to it, but this extended edit keeps me from it. I have to admit I am starting to hate editing again. For a while there I was enjoying it, now after all this time and delays, not so much.
I do wish I was already an established and published paid author so then I would have the fund from this source to dedicate to editors to help me finish my development and structure so all I had to do then was tie it all up with my own voice at the end. I read of many established writers who finish there the first draft and just send it off to a grammar and developmental editors to finish it up for them. That would be nice! My creative side wants to move on, but my determined side to succeed knows I have to finish this first novel and make it all it can be so it succeeds to help me forward.
I have still thought about self-publishing, but I still feel going the traditional route is more advantageous for a new author like myself, letting a good agent help me through the process to get a publisher that works with me for the long run. Who knows what the future may bring on that end, but would be nice to have the pros believe in you enough to encourage your passion. I fear going the self-publishing route is more about how much money you spend yourself to market the manuscript to get people's attention hoping it takes off, but in most cases, it fails against the thousands of other competing books trying for the same customer's attention. I know of many writers personally afraid to go the traditional route of seeking out an agent, facing numerous rejections, and then if lucky enough to get hired by an agent to actually get published!
That is why many self-publish trying to avoid that fear of rejection, but shouldn't the same fear be present that you would spend your hard-earned money to promote your book only to see little results? At least the traditional route saves you money! It's just about all the time you spend to get your book in front of the right agents my research and sends. Either way very challenging. I feel would be easier to fall back on self-publishing than the opposite. I have read that those who did go and self-publish, many to early and with not properly finished pieces because of their desire to be "published" drove them to do so were not able to then switch gears and go for an agent. Because the agent sees that your book failed which makes you a weaker choice for a client. Could be no fault of your own. Usually just comes down to insufficient exposure which comes down to how much money you spend. Too many I have read about or known who have spent thousands of dollars to see no return and then become despondent to continue.
I value the high and might dollar too much and would rather see personal rejection than the loss of funds which are so critical right now for all. And isn’t failure in self-publishing by very little consumers purchasing your book also rejection? I often hear of many writers who have had success in self-publishing and make a decent living out of it, but that is what it comes down to isn’t it, what is one’s definition of success? To many, it is just to see their creation in print, so to them self-publishing is great. To others, it is to make a little supplemental income, also a good thing with many self-published authors saying they are getting $5,000-$10,000 additional a year in which that makes them very happy. And some only do it for the love of writing and don’t even care about getting published. I envy those that only do it for the love of doing it or as a hobby. That means they are in a good spot in their life that they are not concerned with monetary success, maybe only peer review.
I am a mix. I started writing as a way to mentally get past some hard times in my life at the time, it was something I always wanted to do but felt the fear in attempting to do it and conquer its overwhelming process was too daunting. Once I was able to have the time to just write and keep writing and I found out I was a pantser writer and writing without an outline or plot was my way, I haven’t looked back. My idea of success is much greater than most I suppose, and maybe it is grandiose thinking putting me in the dreamer realm, but it is my goal. That is to be able to make enough money to not just supplement my current income but to replace my annual income and at least double it at a minimum. Currently, that is a considerable amount to pull me away from a successful and financially strong current employment. Now would I be disappointed if it only did become a supplemental income on my first go-around with my first novel? Nah, that would only spur me on to do better and be more successful going forward. At least some success would let my psyche know that I have a good chance in this new industry for me. One step at a time eh?
Today I installed two more finished chapters into my novel and started to review more of the notes for rewrites. Might do some more tonight before going to bed, but I am off to the market to do a honey-do! Good night to everyone, hope you had a good start to your week. Cheers.