Hello!
Welcome to the monthly
clearing of the minds also known as the Insecure Writer's Support Group!
Writers from near and far
join in on the first Wednesday of the month to share our worries and tales of
writing life.
Join us!https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html
The title of this blog is
from a movie (wanna guess?) but it also sums up a writing career.
Definitely
sums up MY writing career.
I just released my twenty-sixth novel--add three novellas--and this is
#29.
I'm proud of this book and
the series--and SO extremely glad that it's OUT there now!
But I've never had as many
problems with any book as I had with Destruction of Chaos.
1) The book just wasn't working and last fall (when it was supposed to come out) I
stopped and cut out one hundred and fifty pages.
2) That cost me my
preorder privileges from Amazon for a year and blocked the book (didn't know
about the blocking issue until I went to release it--good times).
3) Ended up with a MASSIVE
book for me. Most of my books are in the 120,000-word range--this one was
167,000. Even after a lot of editing.
4) Had to work with Amazon
when I went to put it up--that whole "blocked" issue. The nice person in the chat said
that they fixed it. I asked about the series number since it kept showing the
original failed fall attempt. They promised it would be fine.
5) It's not fine. My
trilogy all says there are four books in the series--one being the invisible
blocked one.
6) I tried to set up the
print version...sigh. Amazon has the ISBN for that one as already being used.
On the blocked version. I might end up losing that ISBN.
7) Goodreads, since it is owned by Amazon, had that book blocked as well and
I'm still fixing it.
BUT...I kept going. This
book was late when I started it, so it's been two years since the prior book.
Then add in all the issues and whatnot.
I could have just left that one hundred and fifty pages in, slapped on some half-assed
ending, and been done.
I'm too stubborn for that. There are a lot of talents that writers need. I'd
say that tenacity is the most important. All you have to do is get back up one more time than you get knocked down ;).
What about you? Where have you stuck with the fight and completed your work?
Happy IWSG day!
I love the title of your post. I've used it in a webinar. Sorry that you're having so many troubles with Amazon.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's a great line ;). Thank you about Amazon as well. Eh, it's part of our business.
DeleteThank you! OOOO-- that's a good one too! Such a fun movie.
ReplyDeleteYup- not giving up-but they do make things far more challanging than they need to be!
Oh wow, that IS frustrating! I had major issue with Ingram on my last book. Nothing more annoying than finally having a book ready to release after all we go through to write and edit it only to be hampered by the distribution overlords.
ReplyDeleteGood for you with putting out a book you're proud of rather than taking the easy way out.
Ouch! Yup Ingram can be it's own special problem. I still have books that I haven't put up there yet (including my trouble child ;)).
DeleteThank you! Knowing that book was the best it could be makes this mess worth it :).
Glad you worked through the issues! Best of luck with the release.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteAll the luck with your new release, Marie. I struggle with technology. Always. And I LOVE Galaxy Quest. Miffie's right. "Never give up. Never surrender."
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteHonestly, I'm slower, but I'm still determined to get there. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
:) See? Never give up!
DeleteBy Grabthar's Hammer, what a post!
ReplyDeleteHappy IWSG day.I look forward to the day when everyone is so fed up with Amazon and Ingram's printing shenanigans that local printers suddenly become viable again.
LOL! Another great line! And ya never know! More people are venturing into direct sales ;). Happy IWSG day!
Delete