An Impending Conclusion

Image: Kiwi-Wing

My royalty statement for sales of STELLA came in for the last quarter yesterday—nothing—zilch—not a single sale! In the entirety of my writing career this is most definitely a first.

I’m sure it’s not a bad book, though personally I don’t think it’s my best, but is it that bad that sales plummeted to zero in the last three months? Surely not. It came out to a large internet campaign and in the most part received very good independent reviews.

It’s a weird sensation. Whenever I’ve sold fiction it’s always done what I considered to be rather well given the competitiveness and my position on the literary ladder, and STELLA was doing decently up until last month. Admittedly I thought it could do better but that wasn’t through a lack of promoting and becoming more active on the internet to sell it as an e-book, it’s primary market.

A lot of the authors on the same Press have felt the same loss in sales and have put that down to the economic downturn, but I think there’s more to it than that. I think it’s a combination of the e-book market in this genre being heavily subscribed and the fact that Eternal Press went through some heavy changes when it was bought over by Damnation Books in California.

Whatever it is I think it tells me two important things: promotion of a book must be long-term if is to form any solid basis of returns, and it presses home the need for BACCARA BURNING to follow up the story.

I left the house yesterday morning half-minded whether I would go up town or not. It all depended on the weather but it was so bad—biting cold and icy rain—I decided on going no farther than the local shop instead. I put off my business until tomorrow at the earliest (I have the whole week so what’s the hurry?) and settled on a bottle of Irn-Bru, plain digestives, chicken soup and a copy of The Guardian.

Writing wise I got another several thousand words down on BACCARA BURNING and I’m right at the critical point. There was much pacing up and down and then some tweaking, but I think—I *think*—I may be approaching the end. I *think* I may be able to complete the book this week. Now, time will tell as I do have some things on for the rest of this week but I think it is most definitely do-able.

The snow that was meant to arrive was falling all over Edinburgh by the end of the night. None of it, though, was falling in Leith!I was watching photos come in through Twitter from Edinburgh Tweeps, which made it all the more weird when I looked out my window and saw nothing but damp sleet.

This morning it’s a story of much the same, although the news is full of stories of the problems the snow is causing. Whit?! I have to go out soon so that may all change—I’m off into Leith then up town to meet my sister for coffee who is through for work today.

I’ve got another new banner up—see below. And before I go, check out this hilarious video of a sofa inhaling a cat! (Devon, you’ll love this)

Until tomorrow, peace and out!

Reddit

Facebook

Del.icio.us

StumbleUpon

Digg