I've been waylaid by pirates. Ironical, since I write about pirates. But these are not sexy pirates like Varian Deverell in The Deverell Series. Oh no, these are the dreaded book thieves. And they are really starting to piss me off.
I've worked really hard so that this shy little granny living on a mountain can gain some presence in Indie Author world. I'm not know for talking, being seen, or being sociable. I am a recluse. Hence life on the mountain. And everything you put into a book business is sweat equity from you. I'm up at 5 am and I usually don't quit until 9 p.m. At this phase in my life, people might ask why. I love to work. I love to write. And I definitely love my readers. It's been one hell of a wonderful ride.
The problem is, as you build your presence the pirates note you and you start ending up everywhere. I mean literally everywhere. The first indication that you've been aggressively pirate is a sharp drop in your sales. It not easy to notice if you sell 300-500 books a month, but at my level you feel the drop and you see it and it hurts. Because that sweat equity in every project I release and promote is me. There is no OZ behind the curtain helping me out here. There's me. Tweeting and posting starting at 5a.m. before I start my regular work day at 9. Then tweeting and posting after 5 before I spend quality time with my family. And doing release parties and blog takeovers and book signings. Which are going to be so tough for me because signing books requires me to be LIVE somewhere.
It isn't just the pirates that make being an Indie a bummer. Somehow I'm on a dinnerware site with a sale promotion coupon for dishes...yikes...not the image I'm crafting and I don't even know how I got there or why my book would be a logical selling tool. Well, at least it isn't a pirate and it links to my Amazon Page. http://www.dinnerwaresetsonsale.info/reviews-The-Girl-of-Tokens-and-Tears-The-Half-Shell-Series-Book-2-B00U5GU4VY.html
Still it gets me down. I give a lot to others in industry and knowing it's someone in Indie world sending out my ARCS to the pirate sites makes me sad. It makes it difficult to be me. I just want to be happy and giving and enthusiastic about what I'm doing. But everything I worked for in 2014 is being whittled away in 2015 by people with no respect for the efforts of others.
Is this what our world has come to? It's alright to hurt someone digitally because it isn't real and the product isn't real and you never see the person you're hurting. It's very real to me. It's hours spent away from my children writing. It's dollars spent to start up my business. It's the risk and investment I've put into myself. So today I started my day with a release party takeover. Didn't want to do it. But I didn't want to do it for the wrong reasons. I didn't want to do it because I'm angry at these small people who hurt others without thinking. So I made myself do the takeover. I had my usual giveaways. And so I go on as me another day.
As ever, I wish you Peace.
PLEASE DON'T DOWNLOAD MY BOOKS FROM A PIRATE SITE.
I've worked really hard so that this shy little granny living on a mountain can gain some presence in Indie Author world. I'm not know for talking, being seen, or being sociable. I am a recluse. Hence life on the mountain. And everything you put into a book business is sweat equity from you. I'm up at 5 am and I usually don't quit until 9 p.m. At this phase in my life, people might ask why. I love to work. I love to write. And I definitely love my readers. It's been one hell of a wonderful ride.
The problem is, as you build your presence the pirates note you and you start ending up everywhere. I mean literally everywhere. The first indication that you've been aggressively pirate is a sharp drop in your sales. It not easy to notice if you sell 300-500 books a month, but at my level you feel the drop and you see it and it hurts. Because that sweat equity in every project I release and promote is me. There is no OZ behind the curtain helping me out here. There's me. Tweeting and posting starting at 5a.m. before I start my regular work day at 9. Then tweeting and posting after 5 before I spend quality time with my family. And doing release parties and blog takeovers and book signings. Which are going to be so tough for me because signing books requires me to be LIVE somewhere.
It isn't just the pirates that make being an Indie a bummer. Somehow I'm on a dinnerware site with a sale promotion coupon for dishes...yikes...not the image I'm crafting and I don't even know how I got there or why my book would be a logical selling tool. Well, at least it isn't a pirate and it links to my Amazon Page. http://www.dinnerwaresetsonsale.info/reviews-The-Girl-of-Tokens-and-Tears-The-Half-Shell-Series-Book-2-B00U5GU4VY.html
Still it gets me down. I give a lot to others in industry and knowing it's someone in Indie world sending out my ARCS to the pirate sites makes me sad. It makes it difficult to be me. I just want to be happy and giving and enthusiastic about what I'm doing. But everything I worked for in 2014 is being whittled away in 2015 by people with no respect for the efforts of others.
Is this what our world has come to? It's alright to hurt someone digitally because it isn't real and the product isn't real and you never see the person you're hurting. It's very real to me. It's hours spent away from my children writing. It's dollars spent to start up my business. It's the risk and investment I've put into myself. So today I started my day with a release party takeover. Didn't want to do it. But I didn't want to do it for the wrong reasons. I didn't want to do it because I'm angry at these small people who hurt others without thinking. So I made myself do the takeover. I had my usual giveaways. And so I go on as me another day.
As ever, I wish you Peace.
PLEASE DON'T DOWNLOAD MY BOOKS FROM A PIRATE SITE.
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