- Thou shalt not Google thy name or thy book title
- Thou shalt not check thy Amazon or thy BN.com numbers every hour
- Thou shalt not lurk on message boards where books are discussed
- Thou shalt not read reviews of thy book (Unless first vetted by a trusted friend)
- Thou shalt not call Ingram for sales numbers (At least not more than once a day)
- Thou shalt not compare thy career to that of other writers
- Thou shalt not obsess over that which you have no control
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Commandments for New Authors
Because my publisher buys a lot of new authors, I've seen over and over the pitfalls that new writers fall into. I'm hardly a veteran myself with only three books out, but I've learned a few things with each new release, and I came up with these commandments for new writers. I'm still struggling to follow all of them myself, especially the not obsessing about things which I can't control.
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4 comments:
I think I was fortunate because when I started there wasn't such a thing as Google. Heck, I don't think there was an Internet. I'm now at about 95 books and can honestly say I've lost my Ingram phone number, never read numbers or reviews on Amazon, only read reviews my editor, agent, or friends share with me (which means they're the good ones) and try to stay focused on the Work. Which is the only thing (and then only occasionally) I can control. Which may be why I'm still around -- and reasonably sane -- after 23 years in this business. :)
8. Thou shalt not Technorati search to see if anyone has blogged about your book
9. Thous shalt not check website statistics every day to see if any readers are reading your book excerpts.
Not that I would. I'm just adding to the discussion and yr excellent list, Patti. ;)
These are terrific - and I love Ann's "thou shalts, too"!
Great commandments, Ann!
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