So like every self-published (author), I have fallen in the hole of dead space after the initial upswing of family orders. It was expected but not any less disheartening. If you’re like me, you’ve probably read several books on increasing royalties via better marketing practices: change the keywords, the cover, the description, advertise on all social media you can, blog, use Bookbub, whatever. But truth is, there are so many millions of books out there now because of us wonderful self-publishers there’s almost no way to be discovered unless you’re widely known already or you have fantastic backing.

And that’s okay. It doesn’t make your achievement any less important or less desired by the customers. They just can’t find your grain of sand in the dunes. So how the heck do we make this happen? Many writing blogs suggest the minimum of four books a year. I don’t know about you but I don’t have money to edit and publish four books a year, though I may write that many. Maybe one, if we’re lucky. But the more flecks of color you place on that dune, the more noticeable you will become. So of course, more books will help your author presence. Just don’t water it down, mute the color with less-vibrant writing because you’re trying to crank them out.

Self-publishers have a stigma of fast throw-away books. They (we) didn’t go the professional route… so I’ve heard. I paid good money for my edits and my efforts and I know I’m not the only one. But we still have to fight this, show our customers we have the quality they’re looking for in a book, and that cheap cheeseburger money ($0.99 for Stellar Fusion) is worth it.

So the key is patience and not losing your drive to write. It is hard. Of the millions of authors, only a handful will skyrocket to the top. Or, as my husband says, “It might just take a few books before you have that one that really sticks and then people will start searching for your others.” And he’s totally right. The majority of us will not become one-book wonders over night. Maybe in the future we will.

Do it because you love it. That’s why you started isn’t it?

Here’s my latest attempt at refining my image. I updated the cover to my first novel, Stellar Fusion. I know blogs always tell you not to design your own cover. Well dam* it, some of us don’t have money. I have some skills from my Interior Design degree from OSU, so I used them, shield and all from scratch. And I’m pretty proud of myself. (Please world, let me have this.)

As for the rest, I’m still revamping the description and a few other things, continually patrolling the social media realm, and honestly just praying someone might see my little star amidst the night’s glittering sea. She’s up there, not half bad, maybe not made of gold, but she’s mine.

Your book(s) is/are yours and you should be proud of yourself for completing it. It’s not an easy task. Hell it’s like a thousand tasks just for the one product.

The silence is not necessarily a bad thing. It could be just before a breaking storm. Storms bring rain, and rain means life.

Good luck,

♥ Elysia

Stellar Fusion is for sale on Amazon (eBook + Print),  Smashwords, Kobo, B & N, iTunes