I’m Not Afraid

There are a lot of things in the world that scare me. I’m terrified of what happens to my family in a couple of weeks when my job ends if I can’t find another one (another job, not family).  I’m particularly frightened in the fall months of the year as my book sales decrease that they won’t rebound, even though the last couple of years show that they can and do.

That fear is interesting and, I suspect, not isolated to me. I’ve seen a few blog posts recently by people with bigger names and louder mouths than me about the surging tide of books and fear of being lost in the wake. Most of these people have been discussing how it was once believed that in order to succeed and be famous— to sell books— one must write as many books as one can. Now the opinion by these vocal individuals is swaying the other way.

One dispute I read claimed that people churning out as many as six books a year aren’t honing their craft. They aren’t making improvements to their writing style, they’re just churning out more and more crap. Another claimed that the flood of self-published books overwhelms readers and causes everyone to suffer because nothing can be found.

Pardon me while I adopt a British accent and loudly proclaim, “Rubbish!”

I receive mail regularly from readers who tell me how much they enjoyed one of my older books. I’ve been thanked profusely for offering books for free, otherwise they might have missed out on the books and on discovering me (they went on to purchase several more of my books). When I get these emails I’m appreciate and honored, but I also cringe. Those early books were so….early! I’ve learned so much since then and gotten so much better! I’m afraid they’ll judge me on those old books and not my current ones, yet somewhere along the way I seem to have forgotten that they said they loved reading them. Oh. Woops.

Okay, so with every book I learn new things and refine my skill at writing. Maybe even mid book I get better. Hmm, so if I’m getting better is the problem then that I’m cranking out six books a year? No, that’s not right. Oh! I’ve been on a 12 book a year pace for the last couple of years. Guess I’m doing twice as bad then instead of learning twice as much. Pfft.

And to the blogger / writer / whoever it was that thinks nothing can be found – every website of substance I’ve seen allows people to search by genre, title, author, and a host of other options. If you’re on the prowl for something new and there’s a lot of material to pick from, well, that’s a target rich environment.

Sure, maybe some of the new books are crap. Maybe most of them are. Maybe they’ve got excessive numbers of reviews claiming it’s the best thing since mankind figured out how to insert rod P into slot V. Well, if they’re using the lingo “rod V and slot P,” stay away. If the book is just released and it’s got a bunch of reviews? Stay away. If the book is written by Jason Halstead – BUY IT!

Okay, sorry, I got a little excited there. The point is that you’re odds of finding a new book online are as good as they are in a bookstore. I can’t help you there. A good cover is exactly that, a good cover. It has nothing to do with the guts. A blurb is a better gauge but even that can be off. Reading a sample is your best bet, but that can take time. Ultimately I think the absolute best practice for finding a new book is to look for freebies.

That (naturally) leads me to my strategy of having the first book in each of my series either free or available for no more than $.99. Grab it and read it at your leisure, then when you realize you have to know more, come on back for the next book(s) in the series. By that time you know it’s a quality read and you won’t be wasting your time or money.

As for me? I plan to keep on writing and getting as many books out as I can. That’s how I learn and that’s how I keep my readers happy. It’s a win / win situation. Sorry to the writers that feel I’m flooding the market because I write faster than they do and give readers want they want. I suppose I’d be upset if I were in their shoes too – they profited on a dying system that barred talented people from reaching the masses. Now people like me are able to get the word out and distribute our books and take reader’s interest and attention away from the old school.

To that end I’m nearing the completion of Dragonlady, the final book in the setting was started with Child of Fate. It’s a fantasy series spanning 7 books and yes, Child of Fate is available on Amazon and other retailers for free. Try it out – I double dog dare you.

Don’t be afraid of progress and hard work, my friends, be afraid of not being able to pay the bills.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.