The mistakes you make early in your writing career can lead to high frustration levels as you seek to over come them. I spent most of my working life working in metals but I wrote stories on the side to reduce my stress levels. It was a hobby of mine. Then one day my wife said get published after reading the first book of the Lightning in the Tunnel series; so I did. I looked up publishers in the Writer’s Market and sent out a few letters. not knowing anything about getting published. Somehow, Xliberus got my name and contacted me. I was working full time at that time and could afford to pay them to publish, edit and format my book. So I paid, i even paid extra to get the cover exactly like I wanted it. At least that part came out right, the editing and formatting was crap. I went around selling it to my friends and family. They loved the story but none of them told me about the formatting errors or other problems with the book. The only comments was about the amount of explicit sex scenes. I waited a year after it was published to cancel my contract with them in writing. I finally broke down and read the book. It was so bad, I never finished reading it. I promptly started rewriting it and correctly formatting it where the conversation was separate from the story lines and a reader knew it was conversation not the writer inner mixing them. Then I tackled the story creating real life conditions and relationships. I even like it better now. So do the readers, it has done very well on Amazon Prime. I republished new book on Amazon then went to Createspace publishing it there for those that like to hold an actual book in their hands.
Getting back to the frustration part. When I first published in 2011, I expected it to do well until I read it. I even wrote most of the rest of the series waiting on it to take off but then I learned the horrible truth, there is a glut of writers out there and trying to get noticed is like spitting in the wind.
Any way, I have a great day and week, talk back, I’m listening.
it has been a very bad weekend for me personally. My older brother has passed away, he was only two years older than me. In order to deal with my grief, I write and have a few cocktails. Having to focus on writing keeps me from thinking of the past and events we shared through life. Death s one thing I don’t deal with that well. I guess most do not as well.
lightningbooksbyagmoye 