What I do know is that if you're writing to become the next Tom Clancy, you might just want to step back from the curb and take a real look.
Why do you write?
What do you do to connect?
What frightens you when it comes to writing that you'd like to correct?
I find that these three questions give me the answers I really need to know when it comes to writing and promoting my work.
I am constantly asking myself why I write. If it's for the big bucks (maybe I'm discouraged because a promotion on Amazon didn't go so well), I know that I need to re-focus my energy.
Why do I write? I write because I have something good to share. I write to connect. I write because writing brings me joy.
Why do you write?
What do you do to connect? Do you merely offer a few scattered book signings? Or have you gathered new friends; readers on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn? Are you constantly searching for new (maybe even free) ways to get the word out about who you are and what you do?
Not a bestseller...but I keep on keeping on..
Do you speak? If you don't, is it because you feel under-qualified or because the idea of standing up in front of even half a dozen people makes your knees weak?
I'd like to think that most people who speak in front of a group get scared, but that those who do it on a regular basis speak even though their heart is pounding like a jack hammer. Sure, it matters that they're scared, but it matters more that they get up and speak.
When it comes to being a bestseller, you might just hit the jack pot by just getting out there. I often think of Richard Paul Evans and how he started out with The Christmas Box. He got out there himself and sold his book.
And so can you!