The online home for writer Benjamin Jones
Find me here!
  • Home
  • About Ben
  • Audio
  • Ben's Blog
  • Connect With Ben
  • Contests
  • Event Calendar
  • Excerpts
  • The Girl In The Red Balloon
  • Head Above Water
  • Hip-Hop Book Project
  • H.U.B. Series
  • People To Know
  • Pics
  • Purchase Ben's Work
  • Reviews for Ben's Work
  • Videos

My worries...and joys.

5/30/2012

1 Comment

 
Maybe it's the plight of all writers, specifically the "independent" ones like myself, who worry about what this writing thing is going to lead to, if anything.

Writing is one of only a handful of things that I KNOW that I'm good at it but I worry that, when it's all said and done, will I just be like many before and after me who will be a great writer that no one has ever heard of. Maybe I'm a bit narcisstic in calling myself a "great" writer but, if I didn't truly believe that I was good at what I did then I wouldn't be doing it.

I worry that people will look at my books as being "run of the mill" or just average when I want them to be so much more than that. Any time I write something I want to give readers something different than what they've read before.  I want them to feel the characters and the soul that I've put in it because any time I write something I put myself into it because what I write, in varying degrees, is me, even in the H.U.B. series.

But, at the same time, I find solace in knowing that total strangers who have read my book have loved it. I find joy in the fact that even one person has spent their money on something that I have created.

It still amazes me that a reader will leave a comment to me on Goodreads.com telling me that I'm a "great writer" and that they wish they could write a book like Head Above Water. Reading that lets me know that I've accomplished what I had hoped to do, even if I may be 999,000 people short of my intended sales goal.

I find joy in myself - in the fact that I'm committed to doing something, no matter the hurdles or setbacks that I face. I love how I keep trying to find reviewers and keep finding festivals, conventions, radio shows, etc... to get my books out. It makes every penny I've spent worthwhile.
1 Comment
Reena Jacobs link
6/14/2012 08:57:23 am

I totally know what you mean. Going indie is kind of like running the rat race.

From time to time I read Dean Wesley Smith's blog. He has some great advice... usable advice (in my mind).

So far, my favorite post is: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=6033

I keep telling myself perseverance. Some writers hit the top with their first book. I didn't know before I started writing, but I know now. The debut success is a rarity.

I would love to have my sales take off, but what I'm realizing is it might take more than a small handful of books to make an actual living.

I think Dean Wesley Smith has the right idea. Consider those early books as practice books. Don't worry so much about the sales. Concentrate on getting that next book out. Slowly you'll build your fan base.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    For those who like it DARK!
    Picture
    For the vampire in all of us!
    Picture
    The site for the upcoming book co-written by Benjamin Jones and Debbie Cunningham.
    Picture
    Click button to email us. Rates for all budgets!

    Benjamin Jones

    Author, wanna-be ninja, lover of hip hop music, the written word and monkeys.

    Archives

    February 2013
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    Categories

    All
    Acknowledgements
    Alcoholism
    Amazon
    Anthem
    Asn
    A Spy At Home
    Benjamin Jones
    Benjamin Rogers
    Better Geek Than Never
    Between
    Bill Jones Jr
    Bitemarks
    Blogtalkradio
    Book
    Book Cover
    Book Review
    Books
    Book Signing
    Boxing
    Camelot
    Campaign
    Characters
    Clan Of The Flying Pens
    Committed
    Contest
    Conventions
    Createspace
    Cyndi Tefft
    Dark Edge
    Dark Matter Heart
    Darkmediacity
    Daughter
    Debut
    Demetrice Prince
    Dmx
    Dmytry Karpov
    Domestic Abuse
    Domestic Violence
    Drama
    Dr. Drew
    Dreams
    Drew Cross
    Drugs
    Ebay
    Epic
    Excerpts
    Experience
    Facebook
    Faith
    Family
    Famous
    Fantasy
    Festival
    Fiction
    Football
    Free
    Friendship
    Frustration
    Fundraiser
    Gangs
    Gay
    Getfanged
    Google+
    Guest Blog
    Guest Post
    Haiku
    Hazardous Choices
    Head Above Water
    Hip-Hop
    Hub
    H.U.B.
    H.U.B. Head Above Water
    I Loved You First
    Independent
    Independent Book Stores
    Indie
    Interview
    Jazmine Sullivan
    Jennifer Simas
    Johnathan Allen
    John Mefford
    Joseph Rinaldo
    Julie Harris
    Kat Zantow
    Kayson Cycle
    Kennedy
    Kickstarter
    Kidnapping
    Kindle
    Letters
    Love
    Madeleine Cook
    Murder
    Music
    Mystery
    Nathan Wrann
    Nook
    Ocd
    Pamela Beason
    Paperback
    Parenting
    Pissedoffgeek
    Poetry
    Poetry Challenge
    Press Release
    Preview
    Princes Of Tangleforest
    Promotion
    Publishing
    Radio
    Radio Interview
    Reaching Discontent
    Reason
    Reena Jacobs
    Release
    Reunion
    Review
    Romance
    Sample
    S.A. Payne
    Shadow Cat
    Shadowing
    Shannon Mayer
    Short Stories
    Short Story
    Smashwords
    Social Media
    South Africa
    Sundered
    Superhero
    Supernatural
    Support
    Survey
    Technology
    The Clan Of The Flying Pens
    The Gift Of Joy
    The Girl In The Red Balloon
    Theme
    The Only Witness
    The Stream
    Thriller
    Tiffanie Minnis
    Trailer
    Twitter
    Undead
    Until Dawn
    Updates
    Urban
    Valerie Maarten
    Vampire
    Vampires
    Varrsity
    Volume 3
    Who Run It
    Writers Movement
    Writing
    Ya
    Zombies

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.