Happy anniversary from California to all of us in the Parker Universe !
There are so many readers on my journey with the Parkers/Manzones I kind of feel like it's all our anniversary! We've become like a family, haven't we? My crazy characters, my amazing readers, a whole bunch of love stories, and here we are four years together still going down the road I started without even knowing it 4 years ago. As Jack would say, some of the best roads in life are the ones you least expect!
Yesterday, I saw a review posted on The Girl in the Mirror and it made me smile: "I ask you Susan Ward, how many Different Personalities Live inside You? I do enjoy your writing, I become part of your Story." Laughing. Only one personality. An old woman who's lived an interesting life!
As I reflect on this journey I've been on with all of you, I'm reminded of the good and the bad, but the always hopeful of what I'm doing releasing my stories. So what have I learned? I like how I do what I do, and the indie world around me might be quite different, but I'm too old to get knocked off the road I'm on. And that's what I've learned at the stage in my life. Tune out the noise and enjoy the moments we have on this earth. Don't take the criticism too hard. Don't take the achievements too seriously. Don't engage in things that won't matter in a week, either way. We're only here on this glorious earth a very little while. So be happy. And this isn't idle advice. This is how I do everything!
Recently, Amazon broke ranks and announced sort of a sales report on authors. 1000 authors out of the 10+ million on Amazon achieved a certain sales level in 2017. I'm probably the least known author who made that list. I fly so far under the radar that only my super-fans are ever aware of me. I get it all the time. Who's Susan Ward. I have authors hit me up for newsletter swaps and favors. I always say yes(I'm old, we like to be helpful. Got nothing better to do than be kind at this stage in life) then I get blown off after I say yes, like why do I want a favor from her? She's no one. I smile and just keep being me. I keep saying yes to helping, keep getting sort of dissed( I think), but always happily me.
While I was vacationing recently through Idaho, Wyoming and Montana(Reacquainting myself some of the beautiful spots on this earth that are going to show up in Khloe's book) all hell broke loose in Indie Land regarding trademarks. I got texts from all kinds of authors. A kerfuffle will do that. I read what was going on and went back to my vacation and my note taking for The Last Girl. I don't get involved. Writing the next best book I can and not disappointing my readers with Khloe's story is my priority these days. I don't want to do anything ever than go happily on my way being practically unknown. It's working for me. I've passed in 4 years a major milestone in downloads. Beyond 500K ebooks of mine out there on reader kindle. It doesn't sound like much, but it blows my mind. That's what counts for me. That I'm happy and I have readers who wait for my books and even some readers who enjoy them.
So what have I learned. It's really rather simple. I am who I was when I started this journey. But that's also true for the other authors around me. We bring who we are into this world of Indie Publishing and that determines the type of world it is for us. And my wish to anyone joining in this world of indie publishing, Be kind to each other. Our time on this earth is short.
My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have joined my Parker Saga Family. My gratitude to those of you who've reviewed my books, both positive and not positive(And yes, a harsh review isn't a bad thing. It helps us work harder at our craft so I thank anyone who went to the effort to review good or bad my books.) I hope always to conduct myself in a way that fosters our spirit of love, hope and family we've created with the love stories in the Parker Universe. My readers are part of my family. It's your opinion that matters to me. No one else's. And it has been one of the great highlights of my life that you share your life with me inside my books.
Peace, love and happy reading,
Susan
There are so many readers on my journey with the Parkers/Manzones I kind of feel like it's all our anniversary! We've become like a family, haven't we? My crazy characters, my amazing readers, a whole bunch of love stories, and here we are four years together still going down the road I started without even knowing it 4 years ago. As Jack would say, some of the best roads in life are the ones you least expect!
Yesterday, I saw a review posted on The Girl in the Mirror and it made me smile: "I ask you Susan Ward, how many Different Personalities Live inside You? I do enjoy your writing, I become part of your Story." Laughing. Only one personality. An old woman who's lived an interesting life!
As I reflect on this journey I've been on with all of you, I'm reminded of the good and the bad, but the always hopeful of what I'm doing releasing my stories. So what have I learned? I like how I do what I do, and the indie world around me might be quite different, but I'm too old to get knocked off the road I'm on. And that's what I've learned at the stage in my life. Tune out the noise and enjoy the moments we have on this earth. Don't take the criticism too hard. Don't take the achievements too seriously. Don't engage in things that won't matter in a week, either way. We're only here on this glorious earth a very little while. So be happy. And this isn't idle advice. This is how I do everything!
Recently, Amazon broke ranks and announced sort of a sales report on authors. 1000 authors out of the 10+ million on Amazon achieved a certain sales level in 2017. I'm probably the least known author who made that list. I fly so far under the radar that only my super-fans are ever aware of me. I get it all the time. Who's Susan Ward. I have authors hit me up for newsletter swaps and favors. I always say yes(I'm old, we like to be helpful. Got nothing better to do than be kind at this stage in life) then I get blown off after I say yes, like why do I want a favor from her? She's no one. I smile and just keep being me. I keep saying yes to helping, keep getting sort of dissed( I think), but always happily me.
While I was vacationing recently through Idaho, Wyoming and Montana(Reacquainting myself some of the beautiful spots on this earth that are going to show up in Khloe's book) all hell broke loose in Indie Land regarding trademarks. I got texts from all kinds of authors. A kerfuffle will do that. I read what was going on and went back to my vacation and my note taking for The Last Girl. I don't get involved. Writing the next best book I can and not disappointing my readers with Khloe's story is my priority these days. I don't want to do anything ever than go happily on my way being practically unknown. It's working for me. I've passed in 4 years a major milestone in downloads. Beyond 500K ebooks of mine out there on reader kindle. It doesn't sound like much, but it blows my mind. That's what counts for me. That I'm happy and I have readers who wait for my books and even some readers who enjoy them.
So what have I learned. It's really rather simple. I am who I was when I started this journey. But that's also true for the other authors around me. We bring who we are into this world of Indie Publishing and that determines the type of world it is for us. And my wish to anyone joining in this world of indie publishing, Be kind to each other. Our time on this earth is short.
My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have joined my Parker Saga Family. My gratitude to those of you who've reviewed my books, both positive and not positive(And yes, a harsh review isn't a bad thing. It helps us work harder at our craft so I thank anyone who went to the effort to review good or bad my books.) I hope always to conduct myself in a way that fosters our spirit of love, hope and family we've created with the love stories in the Parker Universe. My readers are part of my family. It's your opinion that matters to me. No one else's. And it has been one of the great highlights of my life that you share your life with me inside my books.
Peace, love and happy reading,
Susan
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