Chess Book Published!
I finished the book and used Amazon’s CreateSpace to publish the paperback in early August, 2010. I had done it! I had published a book. Whoo hoo! I published my first book at age 58!
I really didn’t do any marketing and I sold a few books a month for some time. I contacted the United States Chess Federation (USCF), which has a great online store (www.uscfsales.com) for all things chess, and they agreed to buy six books on consignment. If they sold, then they would reorder. I’m happy to say I get orders from them every year.
Operation Devil’s Fire Published!
Meanwhile back at the ranch . . . I figured if I couldn’t land an agent for Operation Devil’s Fire, why not publish it myself? I finally did that for the paperback in July the next year, on 7/11/11. Again I sold a few a month, sometimes only one. Sometimes only zero. I also figured out how to publish for Kindle and did that a few weeks later (7/23/11). I did absolutely no research on Kindle pricing for WWII books, so I just picked $4.95, thinking that was an okay price. It sold just as many as the paperback, sometimes zero.
This disheartening lack of sales continued into January, 2012, when it finally occurred to me that maybe I should see how much other Kindle WWII novels were actually selling for. Well, that turned out to be both a smart thing to do and an embarrassing thing (that I hadn’t done it back in July!). Almost all of the WWII novels were selling for $0.99. Less than a dollar. I didn’t even have to think about it, I mean what did I have to lose? Zero x $4.95 was still zero. So I changed the price and let it go.
It sold a few in February and March, and a few more in April (remember, this is 2012). Then in May it sold more than a few. I got excited, but figured it was due to Memorial Day coming up. But sales kept climbing into June. Then July shot through the roof. Then August through November all doubled July. The book was in two categories. All the series’ books are in the same ones including War and Military. Operation Devil’s Fire’s ranking peaked at #7 in the War category, and somewhere around #1,300 in Paid in Kindle Store! (Note: book number 18, Grim Measures, hit #18 in War Fiction this past December.)
I could hardly believe my good fortune. A book turned down by 50 agents was selling! I was getting good reviews and very kind emails from readers, some of whom shared their personal stories about their family members who served during WWII.
During June 2012, when the numbers per day were really climbing, my wife and I started a nightly tradition: just before bedtime, I would check the total sales for the day (and yes, I used Excel, and still do, to track these numbers) and give her the number. We’d stare at each other in disbelief and then grin. I felt then, and still do now, very humbled by the success of the books and am so grateful for readers’ support.
Charged up!
In July 2012, I decided to shelve a modern-day thriller I’d been working on because of what was happening with Operation Devil’s Fire. I still really like that story, and may someday finish and publish it. Anyway, I started writing Behind German Lines in August 2012, which I finished on June 23, 2013, so a little less than a year. It was published on October 25th.
So that’s my writing story. Not all glorious, but I learned what to do, when to do it, became a disciplined writer, and wrote books that I loved writing for readers who enjoyed them. I had perhaps tripped and fallen into my niche, WWII novels. And I was thrilled because I love WWII history and I’ve shown you how that came to be in earlier posts in this five-part series.
I’ll be forever grateful to my wife for suggesting I write the chess book. With that one idea, she is responsible for everything that came to pass with the Sgt. Dunn Novels. She also provides me with encouragement for each book, as well as being an editor.
Summary
I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my writing life. If you’re a reader of the Sgt. Dunn Novels, please accept my heartfelt thanks for your support! If you’re a writer, I hope you can draw some inspiration to persevere, and learn from some of the things I did.
The main thing is be disciplined. This means writing every day. This means writing when you don’t feel like it. This means write what you love. Waiting for the muse to show up doesn’t work for most real writers. It’s a grind some days and an exciting trip other days. But you’re making progress and that’s what matters. No need for “perfection” in the first draft. That’s what editing is for. Clarify. Expand. Cut. All of that.
Find a method that works for you, whether it’s plotting like me, or as a pantser (seat of your pants). Pick something you love and write that story. By the way, you may have heard people say, “Write what you know.” Well, I disagree. Yes, if you’re writing non-fiction and you’re an expert on the topic, you are writing what you know. But for novels, no way is it necessary. How would we have science fiction? How would we have the Lord of the Rings? (Yes, I know Tolkien had WWI in mind along the way.) Research is how writers can write about what they love. You can get most answers on your device. I use Google Earth like crazy for locations. So, please, write what you love.
Wishing you all the best.
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