Focus on mission to get back to grace
CHOW: The internal debate for an indie author weeks before release
I am less than three weeks away from the release of my second novel Lose Yourself. For an indie writer, this is peak time of anxiety. Thoughts regularly going through my head:
All of my typos are fixed?
Will my author copies arrive in time for my release party April 2?
Is my pre-sale marketing too much? too little? How can I reach more people?
Is my launch team ready to post reviews?
Can I get more folks to join my launch team?
Is my Square POS ready to take direct sales?
What kind of email services should I use to get the word out?
Did I start too late?
When should I follow up with all of the media inquiries I’ve made?
Are there ways to scale up my Substack to support my book launch?
For my first book, Friends In Low Places, I was blissfully naive.
If I get enough of my friends and family involved, then bookstores would see the demand and put the book on their shelves.
If I just front-load the marketing, then maybe I can compete with the big boys.
I could be the unicorn.
I wasn’t a unicorn. I wasn’t even a thoroughbred. I was an old mule that is at one point cooperative, other times stubborn and stuck in place. Ultimately, I did better than most debut indie authors. I made a profit. My book was well received, and I learned from my experience. That’s a win.
With book 2, Lose Yourself, I have the benefit of knowledge. I learned the importance of an email list and ways to make your book standout in a crowded marketplace. My niche is more focused. I’ve professionalized my author platform. No longer am I just Vince Wetzel, this dude who wrote a book. I have a website and a newsletter. I have a real business plan. I have been absorbing best practices I hear on podcasts or in writer forums. So now there’s no excuse, right?
Sigh. The problem is I’ve done so much research, there are a thousand things to do, and I don’t have time nor the resources to do them. The regular job is tough. I have put money into the writing business, but is it enough to get the results I need, or do I need to push more chips onto the table? Is it even too late for those strategies to be effective? One resources says this strategy works. Another says this other strateguy works. Each time I turn, a challenge appears.
They say growth happens in discomfort. So, when I’m trying something new and I feel uncomfortable, my drive to succeed says lean into it. Meanwhile, my capacity is saying, you’re at your limit. You can’t do everything. So where do I end up?
Grace
I try to take a step back and account for the success I have already enjoyed even before the book is released.
I wrote another book.
It’s good.
It fulfills a 25-year desire to write an endearing baseball novel.
Part of my legacy includes two novels and I’m working on a third.
Yes, i want Lose Yourself to be successful and I want to do all I can to sell as many copies as I can. But I can only do so much. I want to enjoy this process, not dread it. I got into writing because I love writing fiction, not to make money.
I go back to my OT Press Mission Statement, which I wrote more than a year ago:
The mission of OT Press is to tell stories I find intriguing and to pay for this endeavor.
In other words, I want to support my writing. That’s it. Focus everything on maximizing the enjoyment writing and publishing books bring back to me. Yes, that includes getting into as many readers as possible. But everything in service to that mission.
Extra Mustard: Live to Live
Last weekend, I said goodbye to my cousin, who died of cancer. He was two years younger than me and many of my childhood memories related to family gatherings include him.
He was diagnosed nearly eight years ago, and he outlived his prognosis by far. We were given a gift of that extra time, and I had the opportunity to see him several times. I truly think the secret to his longetivity was the joy he took in living, creating experiences, and maintaining a positive outlook.
I know he had dark times and thoughts, wondering why this had happened to him. However, he didn’t let those thoughts overtake him. He traveled. He continued to make jokes. He was always interested in things happening in others’ lives. Rather than let himself be defined by this diagnosis, he defined his life with cancer in it.
His life was a reminder that we have one life to live. We can’t sleepwalk through it or let circumstances define who we are. We define how those circumstances play into our lives.
Live to Live
Lose Yourself: Out April 2
It’s The Final Game of the Season…
All Star Brett Austen has a chance to secure the first .400 batting average for a season in more than 80 years. But increasing pressure and his own hubris threaten the apex of his career.
Meanwhile…
A sideline reporter wrestles with a choice between career and her mom in crisis.
A retiring usher takes in his final game before moving in with his son’s family.
A lanky 15-year-old can’t understand his future stepdad while pining for a girl from school.
A lemonade vendor agonizes over a big score to settle gambling debts and fulfill his daughter’s dreams.
An adult daughter navigates uncomfortable family dynamics at home while her father lies in hospice.
Will their choices meet the moment?
Character Profile: Derek Nguyen
Derek made appearances in the short story The Donut Shop and the final chapter of The Intern.
Support the Salted Wetzel
This newsletter now is subscriber supported, which means you can sign up for a paid subscription. With a nominal subscription, you can support my writing goals and receive benefits in return.
$5 monthly subscription.
$35 yearly subscription.
$100 founding subscription (I honestly don’t know what that means)
Each paid subscription will get an autographed copy of Lose Yourself at release April 2. (For monthly subscriptions, you will receive after six months paid).