Even Though Free is IN, Don't Forget to Buy Books Too

I’ve noticed lately that “free” seems to be the new “in.”

Of course, as a reader, I like getting free books because I can try new authors I wouldn't normally consider. And besides, who doesn't like getting something free?

As an author, I think offering free books can be a good marketing technique to a degree. Most publishers and authors try to budget in giveaways for a variety of different purposes.

For example, some publishers give free books to reviewers who agree to post an honest review on their blog and with an online bookstore. This helps spread the word about books and can also generate more reviews (and the more reviews a book has, the more 'popular' it looks, even if that's not necessarily true.)

Publishers (and self-published authors) are also testing the waters for giving away e-books to increase the author's exposure. At the release of The Doctor’s Lady in September, my publisher gave away the e-book of my first book for a limited time. When all was said and done, they gave away thousands upon thousands of e-books of The Preacher’s Bride in the span of that month.

Ultimately, their hope (and that of others who give away free books) is that readers will enjoy the free book enough to go out and purchase additional books by that author. Or at the very least, tell others about the book to increase the word-of-mouth promotion.

The question is—does giving away all those free books really work? Does it help an author’s sales on their current release?

The jury is still out for how it’s helped sales on The Doctor’s Lady. My publisher didn’t see a significant boost—yet. But many factors influence the sales of a book during the critical months surrounding its release, which makes it difficult to isolate what really helps and what doesn’t.

Yes, free books are all over the place. At this point, we just don’t know the long term effects this will have on reader buying habits or whether it truly helps an author to build a readership.

However, in all of the book giveaways, let’s not forget ONE important thing: We can’t stop buying books. Writers and readers alike can’t become so enamored with getting free books—either for reviewing, endorsing, on our e-readers, or just because we can—that we forget to actually purchase books.

Most people don’t understand exactly how underpaid the majority of authors really are. Sure, there are the couple dozen authors who are making millions. But the rest of the masses of talented authors are not even making minimum wages on their books.

If we calculate out the months we spend writing, the weeks editing and rewriting, and then all of the time promoting, most authors end up making very little compared to all of the time and effort they put into the entire process.

So . . . at this time of year, at the beginning of the holiday season, I want to encourage us all to remember to buy books. Not only will we be supporting our favorite authors (who truly appreciate it!), but we’ll also be promoting the love of reading (which is something our modern culture desperately needs!).

Here are a few things we can all consider doing this holiday season:

• When giving someone a new Kindle (or other e-reader), purchase a couple of e-books for the person. Erika Robuck bought her mom a new Kindle and then bought The Preacher’s Bride as one of the first books her mom could read on the Kindle.

• For Christmas parties (either at work, with friends, or at church), consider giving a book for a gift exchange. Catherine Johnson emailed me to ask if I’d be willing to send bookmarks to a Christmas party she’s attending. She’s planning do a short reading from The Doctor’s Lady and then give away a signed copy.

• Put books on your own Christmas wish list, particularly of authors that you might not normally purchase.

• Buy books as gifts for family and friends and then ask the author if they’d be willing to send you a personally addressed and signed bookplate (sticker) that you can put into the book. (I know most authors would be as happy to do this as I am.)

• Buy and donate books to a charity of your choice. I recently donated a copy of each of my books to Judith’s Reading Room (as a result of Brigette Booth’s blog tour stop). Check out Bridgette's blog post for a list of other places you can donate books along with a description of each place.

If you love a book and an author, then one of the best ways to support them—so they can continue to write the stories you love—is to BUY their books!

What do you think? Are there too many free books? Is that inhibiting authors or helping? And have you made a point of buying books to support authors?

Why We Might Need to Go on a Diet

Most of the people reading this blog are probably among the population of the world that has WAY more than we need. In fact, if you’re like me, you have SO much stuff that you have a hard time coming up with a Christmas wish list.

Every year, I struggle to write a list and usually it ends up looking something like this: chocolate, coffee, slippers, fuzzy socks, pj’s, clothes, and pretty kitchen oven mitts.

There’s absolutely nothing on my list I NEED.

Quite frankly, my kids don't need anything on their wish lists either. My eight-year-old son certainly does not need a General Grievous Transformer since he already has plenty of Star Wars action figures. And my youngest daughter doesn’t need the pink Webkinz Pompom Kitty since the end of her bed is already piled high with stuffed animals.

Of course, my children have had their wish lists put together since last Christmas. Well, maybe not quite. But they always have ideas of what they’d like. Thus, I’m continually reminding them that while it's exciting to get gifts, the newness never lasts. Our things quickly lose their shine and importance. Pretty soon they end up in the corner taking up space. And we’re on to wanting the next new thing.

Yet, even armed with knowledge that THINGS ultimately don’t fulfill us, I find my kids (and myself!) still craving more. The pulse of the modern culture beats through us, pounding with the steady insatiable rhythm of gimme, gimme, gimme.

I can’t help but stop on this U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving and ask myself, what are we teaching ourselves and our children by constantly feeding our appetite for things?

We’ve become overweight with our possessions. And as you know, obesity is often the cause of other problems. What are the long-term effects of our over-indulging going to be, especially upon the next generation?

Is it time to put ourselves on a diet?

Perhaps.

I think at the very least we can start cultivating an attitude of restraint within ourselves. Teach ourselves to say “no” to getting everything we think we need. Give ourselves permission not to have to keep up with our neighbors. Stop believing that having more is going to make us happy. Tell ourselves it’s okay to live simply and not to have the latest and greatest items that come out.

Then I think we can begin to retrain ourselves with a healthier lifestyle, primarily in taking large doses of gratefulness on a daily basis. Slow down, find contentment in the possessions we already have. Notice the things we take for granted and let gratitude whisper through our hearts for them. Remember what really matters in life—the intangibles like laughter, and hugs, and deep conversations. Relationships. Family. People. Love.

Thankfulness may not be the complete antidote to our over-indulgent lifestyles. But it’s a start.

So what about you? What are you most thankful for? And how are you cultivating a healthy lifestyle of gratefulness?

How to Build a Blog Following From the Ground Up

If you’re a blogger, do you want to build your following?

I’m guessing that 99.9% of bloggers would answer that question with a resounding YES. Most of us check our stat counter and visitor statistics religiously. We keep track of every new follower and throw parties when we reach milestones (like 100 followers or 1000). And we have good or bad days depending upon the number of comments we get.

Okay, so maybe we’re not that bonkers over building our followings. But the fact is, whether we're a writer or not, we crave genuine connections on our blogs. We’re relational people. And so when we put ourselves out there, we long for a response, for someone to take notice, to care, to communicate back.

Recently I had a couple of emails asking me how I built my blog following, questions like:

“I hold your blog as one of the best examples out there. How do you do it? I find it extremely hard to generate content for my own blog. Do you have any advice for starting down the long road of building an online presence?”

“I hear people mention you and your success and how you had a built-in audience when you finally published your books. I was wondering if you had any tips for building a blog readership? How long had you been blogging before you got an agent and published your first books?”

So how did I do it? How did I build my blog following?

Of course, everyone’s blogging journey will be different (just like our writing journeys will be unique). But I think there are some basic principles that can help any blogger connect with other bloggers (and subsequently find more fulfillment in the blogging experience).

Here’s what I did early in my blogging career:

1. Start blogging well before publication. I began blogging months before I had an agent or book contract. Thus I had plenty of time to build genuine relationships. My followers didn’t have to worry that I was blogging to sell them anything.

2. Actively seek others out and mingle. I didn’t sit back and wait for people to come to me. I made a point of sticking out the hand of friendship to others. I followed the links of bloggers in comments of more popular blogs I was reading (especially people whose comments indicated they might be someone I’d like to get to know). I went to their sites, started reading their posts, and took the initiative.

3. Comment regularly. Whenever I visited a blog, I tried to leave a thoughtful comment that would let the person know I was genuinely interested in what they had to say. Over time, they would get to know me and often would come visit my blog in return.

4. Follow others generously. Most blogs I visited, I signed up to follow. I figured it was supportive to that blogger. And even if they didn’t follow me back, I still was getting my name and avatar into a variety of places where others might see me and follow the link back to my blog.

5. Schedule time for visiting other blogs. During my early blogging days, I’d allot 30 minutes to an hour for reading and commenting on other blogs. After I got busier, I’d usually try to reciprocate visits to those who regularly visited me, or new visitors, or hard core followers. The important thing was that I scheduled blog-hopping and made a point of keeping in contact with followers on a regular basis.

6. Post on your own blog consistently. I also tried to post interesting, thought-provoking, or helpful posts to my readers. I made sure people knew my schedule and I stayed consistent. I also have always kept my name, author photo, and contact information clearly visible. In other words, I’ve tried to maintain a professional but warm appeal to my blog.

So that’s my story for building my blog following. Of course, now that I’ve been blogging for a number of years and have built a solid foundation, the techniques I currently employ in my blogging are very different from when I first started (but that’s the making of a future post!).

How about you? What’s been the most difficult aspect for you as you’ve tried to build your blog following?

Why Every Story Needs a Zombie

As you may remember, earlier in the year Amanda Hocking made news in the literary world when she became a millionaire through her self-published e-books and then signed a 7-figure book deal with St. Martin’s Press.

With all of the hype, I was curious about Hocking’s books. So when Hollowland became available for free on the Kindle, I decided to give it a try even though I’m not normally a dystopian genre reader.

Normally a book that has zombies who hunt down and eat the flesh of living human beings isn’t my idea of a cozy evening read. I prefer to stick with lovely bygone eras where the Black Plague, thumbscrew torture, and maggoty food are everyday problems.

Nevertheless, I read Hocking’s book. And I ended up going to bed petrified that a virus would overtake the world while I slept and that I’d wake up to Zombies pounding on my door trying to break in.

After my nightmares, I’m thoroughly convinced I will never write dystopian. But in thinking about Hocking’s heart-pounding, blood-curdling book, I realized every book needs a zombie, particularly if we want the kind of story that will hold our reader’s attention and keep them turning the pages late into the night.

Our books can also benefit from having a virus, creepiness, a struggle for survival, and the need for a cure.

Let me explain:

The Zombie Factor: (the Antagonist)

I like the idea of thinking of our antagonist (or the enemy/bad guy) as a zombie. The more threatening, bigger-than-real-life, scary, and dangerous we make the antagonist, then obviously the more heart-pounding we’ll make the adventure for our readers.

I fully realize that not every antagonist will be a living being. In fact, in the latter part of The Doctor’s Lady, the antagonist is a mountain range that the party of travelers must cross before the snow strands them. Even so, I made that mountain range into a zombie. It’s not a nice easy gentle climb for the weary group. Instead it’s steep and jagged, slick and cold with snow, with the added danger of a lurking mountain lion.

An antagonist can come in many shapes and can have positive as well as negative qualities. But to make our antagonists truly threatening to our characters, we need to find ways to turn them into zombies—so that they elicit fear, worry, and tension in the heart’s of our readers.

The Virus Factor: (the Danger)

In addition to the zombie (the antagonist), our stories can benefit from having a danger factor. Maybe it won’t be an infectious virus that threatens our characters at every turn, like the virus in Hollowland that the characters can easily catch from blood or saliva.

But the more danger we can put around our characters, the more shivers we’ll give our readers. In The Doctor’s Lady, during the journey west, the danger comes from the elements—the river crossings, cholera, wild animals, and the warring natives. In every scene, I made sure my characters were facing some kind of new danger.

The Creepiness Factor: (the Suspense)

In any story, we’ll have changes in our pacing. We’ll have higher-octane scenes with more action, and then scenes that are slower with more internal reflection. It’s easy to keep the suspense and tension high during the action scenes where our characters are fighting the “zombies” and battling the “viruses.”

But even during the slower scenes, we can add in the creepiness factor. By setting the mood, leaving questions unanswered, foreshadowing, and never wasting words, we can make our readers sit on the edge of their seats even during the slow scenes. We can keep them thinking that every noise, every knock on the door, and every detail is going to lead to more problems (and they should!).

The Survival Factor: (the Struggle to Survive)

To vamp the tension even more, we can add in the survival factor. We do this when we keep our readers guessing how our characters can possibly survive all of the obstacles (the zombies, virus, and creepiness). In fact, we can make it seem like our characters won’t possibly be able to survive the odds stacked against them.

In The Doctor’s Lady, in addition to all of the outside danger and the antagonists, my characters face the struggle to survive—thirst, hunger, illness, the weariness of traveling, and the emotional strain. Can this band of travelers possibly survive the trip to finally reach the West? This is the question I continually want my readers asking.

The Cure Factor: (the Driving Need)

Another way to keep the reader’s attention is to give our hero/heroine a driving, all-consuming need. In Hollowland, the heroine has an obsessive need to find her brother who is immune to the virus. He represents the “cure” to the zombie problem.

Our characters must have a driving need that pushes them almost obsessively forward so that they’re willing to face danger and even death in the process of getting that “cure” or need met. The stronger the need, the more invested our reader becomes in seeing our character succeed amidst the danger.

So writers, does your story have a zombie? And on a different note, have you read any dystopian lately? And does it creep you out as much as it does me? *grin*

How To Prolong Your Book’s Exposure

In the life of a book, the several months surrounding the release date are critically important. That’s when the largest percentage of sales takes place. We set off fireworks, generate a lot of interest, and try to draw new readers.

But we can't set off fireworks forever. Eventually the newness of our release fades . . .

The average author doesn’t have long—two, maybe three months—until other hot, new releases push ours out of the spotlight and out of the top twenty list. Usually after the initial hype has died down, sales will dip. And we’ll count ourselves fortunate if our book continues to have slow but steady sales after that point (as opposed to none at all).

My second book, The Doctor’s Lady, has been on shelves for approximately three months. So my book has likely hit its peak in terms of sales. If it follows the same pattern as my previous book, The Preacher’s Bride, I’ll continue to have sales and new readers, but the figures won’t come close to those initial release numbers.

As I’ve watched this pattern with both of my books, I’ve realized a couple of things:

1. We need to take advantage of the release time, capitalize on the spotlight, and do all we can to invest in marketing at that point.

2. We also need to look for ways to prolong the exposure of our books so that they don’t fade into oblivion so quickly.

After spending months writing a book, months editing, and then months preparing for the release (blog tours, book giveaways, contests, etc.), I think every author would like to see his or her books have a much longer exposure than 2 or 3 months. That amount seems so insignificant compared to all of the time and effort we put into the book.

So what can we do to fan the flame of love for our book, to keep it burning so that it doesn’t extinguish altogether? In other words, what are some practical ways that we can prolong the exposure of our books?

Here are a few things I’ve done or am planning to do:

• Do a book giveaway on GoodReads. I like to save this giveaway until after plenty of reviews are posted—then the reviews have the potential to spark even more interest in the giveaway.

• Offer to send signed bookplates to anyone buying your book as a gift for friends or family. This is something I’m doing for anyone purchasing one of my books as Christmas presents for loved ones (or for yourselves!). (Sidenote: a bookplate is a sticker the author has personally signed that you can affix inside a book. If you'd like one from me, please email me via my contact page with your mailing address and the name of the person you would like on the bookplate.)

• Advertise your book on Facebook (which is something my publisher is doing for me). Again, we can wait to do this after we have a lot of great Amazon reviews. Then when people see our FB ad and investigate further, the reviews can help garner interest.

• Occasionally share snippets of praise from reader emails or letters. Recently on Facebook, I shared a sentence from a letter I received from a 92 year old woman who’d read my book.

• Offer to Skype or teleconference with book groups. Last month I Skyped with a couple of different groups about my first book, The Preacher’s Bride. I’ve found Skyping to be one of the enjoyable things I do as an author. (And make sure to get the group’s picture for your website.)

• Schedule interviews, particularly around holidays/themes. Next month I’m doing a couple of radio interviews—one about Christmas traditions. Valentine’s Day is also a great time for romance writers to do giveaways and interviews.

• Enter your book into contests for published authors. Yes, each contest has a fee (usually about $25 and requires several free books). A final can give your book extra exposure, but even if it doesn’t final, you are getting your books into the hands of more readers.

• Offer to speak to local groups. Often such groups will allow you to bring books to sell. I’m giving the keynote speech at a one-day writer’s conference on Saturday. This winter, I’m also scheduled to speak at a library.

As I said, we need to capitalize on the initial hype that surrounds our book’s release. That’s the prime time to attract readers. But, if you’re like me, and you don’t want to see your book stall once you’re past the prime, then we’ll have to continue to look for creative ways to keep the book love going.

How about you? What are some other ways authors can prolong the exposure of their books? What have you seen work well? And does the small window of spotlight at release time disappoint you after all the work you've done?

How to Keep Writing When the Honeymoon is Over

It’s inevitable. At some point, the honeymoon ends. We wake up one morning to find that our spouse left dirty underwear on the floor, used our toothbrush again, or forgot it was the anniversary of our first kiss. We realize that marriage isn’t all candlelight dinners and roses.

And we begin to understand that it takes work to love someone unconditionally.

It’s inevitable with writers too. The honeymoon—the passionate love affair with writing—eventually hits reality. We wake up one morning at 5:30, take a look at the clock, and decide that our pillow needs us more than our characters. Or we sit down in front of our laptops and suddenly cleaning the toilet never looked more appealing.

We begin to understand that writing a book isn’t always fun and bliss—that wow, it takes work.

This month, many writers are taking part in National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). The goal in the month is to complete a book (or as much as possible).

Although I’ve never personally participated, I’ve heard from many writers that it’s an incredible way to jump-start the creative juices and get a great start on a novel.

The day before NaNoWriMo started, I saw tweets like, “I’m so excited. I can’t wait to start!”

The first day, I saw tweets like, “Writing is awesome! I woke up at 3:07 am and got in 5211 words in the first hour!” (I’m slightly exaggerating, but only a tad!)

The whole first week, I saw so much enthusiasm that I was about to throw out all my other responsibilities and start a new novel just so I could join in the fun.

Then this week—the second week—I’ve noticed there are fewer tweets, more feet dragging, and less of the initial excitement.

Because the truth is, we can’t sustain unending hype over our writing long term. It’s just not realistic. Instead, the reality is that there are days when we’ll wake up and we won’t want to write. We’ll think we write like a two year old. And we’ll dream about spilling coffee on our laptops so that we won’t have to work on our story.

What can we do when the honeymoon is over? What can all those NaNo’ers do to keep writing this month after the initial excitement fades? What can any of us do to sustain a long-term relationship with our writing?

1. Realize it takes hard work. Expect it and embrace it.

2. Don’t despair when the feelings of love go away. It’s NOT the sign you’re suppose to give up your writing aspirations.

3. Make a commitment. If you decide to write a book, commit to seeing it through to completion. Ignore the blah feelings and choose to write anyway.

4. Give yourself weekly or daily goals for a number of words, pages, or chapters.

5. Think smaller. Break down the daily goals into more tangible hourly challenges. (I personally challenge myself to a certain number of words per 30 minutes and write it on a sticky note to hold myself accountable.)

6. Stop making excuses. Grab whatever time you can find, and just do the work. Whether it’s thirty minutes here or fifteen there, we can find the time—if we want to.

7. Don’t expect perfection. Expecting perfection in our spouses is sure-fire way to develop problems. And it’s true in our manuscripts too. Take the pressure off. We don’t have to have perfect writing—especially in a first draft.

8. Plan a date or two per week. Give yourself and your writing extended time together, a chance to be alone without all of the distractions and interruptions. I find that the story really starts to flow after several hours of writing.

9. Romance your creativity. Pamper her—give her chocolate, read a well-crafted book, or take a soothing bubble bath. Set the mood—listen to romantic music, light candles, anything to enhance your creativity.

10. Remember what drew you to your writing in the first place. Go back to that first love—writing with abandon, just because.

11. Find an accountability partner. I usually ask a twitter friend who’s in first draft mode if we can hold each other accountable for our weekly goals. There’s nothing better to light the fire than when you know you have to check in with someone at the end of the week.

12. Get counseling—from a reputable freelance editor or a good writing craft book. I always find new inspiration when I read a how-to article or book.

So what about you? What do you do to keep the love affair with your writing going? How do you keep your commitment for the long haul, even when the honeymoon is over? (And if you're doing, NaNoWriMo, how's it going?)

5 Ways to Take the Ickiness Out of Marketing Our Books

My twin daughters joined a synchronized swim team this fall. As part of the process of trying to reduce the fees, the team has several fundraisers throughout the year.

After the first practice, my girls brought home a sheet of pies to sell (similar to the Girl Scout cookie sheet).

At first, the girls were enthusiastic. They made lists of friends and neighbors they wanted to target. They divided the list, deciding which families each of them “got.” Then they headed out together to sell pies.

I wasn’t surprised when they returned a short while later after going to just two neighbors. One of the families bought a couple of pies and the other didn’t. My more dramatic daughter shuddered and said, “I didn’t like having to ask them to buy something. It felt icky.”

The initial gusto had faded, replaced by the reality of what they were doing.

If you’ve been around the industry a while, then you know marketing our books is not optional. It’s necessary for survival in today’s over-saturated market. We’re competing with a million other writers for diminishing shelf space and ultimately the attention of readers.

With two published books out there, I’ve learned from first-hand experience that my books won’t walk around and sell themselves. I have to go out and knock on doors (so-to-speak). And sometimes that marketing leaves me with an icky feeling.

I recently read an article titled Does Marketing Your Writing Feel Like Prostitution? It starts with this: “So there we writers stand, on the virtual street corner with our computers, wearing sexy sweat pants, hawking our books, articles, and ‘content creation services’.”

Nowadays, authors are searching for THE best ways to get their books noticed. We’re striving for the most creative, the most eye-catching, and the most vocal marketing techniques. But after a while it can begin to feel like we’re standing out on the corner hawking ourselves.

How can we market without feeling icky? Is it possible?

Here are a few things we can do to keep the ickiness out of marketing our books (as much as possible):

1. Don’t send new followers the links to your website or Amazon book page. I can’t tell you lately how many new followers (both on twitter and facebook) have asked me to go “check out” their books. I never, ever go to those links. It feels like they followed me only to make a sale (and they likely did), which is a complete turn-off and will only do more harm than good.

2. Don’t ask people to retweet or help you promote your book unless you already have a strong relationship with them. Asking mere acquaintances for that kind of support makes people feel used. However, when we’ve already developed a relationship, often our friends will be the ones asking us how they can help.

3. Make sure you’re showing up on social media on a regular basis—NOT just when you want to talk about your books. I’ve seen several authors continually promote their books through email loops, on twitter, etc. But I don’t know them, simply because they only talk about their books. I’d be more inclined to like them and buy their books if I got to know them personally.

4. When befriending people, don’t have ulterior motives. I quickly lose my respect for people who are really nice to me and not too long afterward ask me for a favor. Of course, there’s always that unspoken realization that all writers have an underlying motivation for using social media. We eventually want it to help us sell books. But even if it starts out that way, social media has to become SO much more than just a marketing tool. We can't forget that real people are behind the avatars, and they deserve to be treated with genuineness and respect.

5. Engage in meaningful relationships with other people without thought of what we gain in return. We shouldn’t have an air of entitlement and expect people to buy our books or follow us back. I’ve found that over time, many people support me because they’ve come to know me in a real way.

My Summary: I wish my books could just stand-alone and market themselves simply because of the quality. But even with well-written, compelling books, we all have to market our books to help give them an advantage. That’s the reality in today’s market. But honestly, I’d rather NOT make a sale, then make one in pushy and icky way.

What about you? What are some other icky marketing techniques you’ve noticed? How can we take the “ick” out of the whole process? Is it possible or will we always have a bit of that icky feeling?

A Writer’s Number One Enemy

Who is a writer’s worst enemy?

In the writing industry we often make agents or traditional publishers out to be the “bad guys” and brand them as narrow-minded, unwilling to take a chance, picky, slow, unable to keep up with the changing times, etc.

But are they really the source of a writer’s angst? With the ease of e-publishing, a writer can bypass agents and editors altogether if they’re frustrated. No longer are agents and editors necessary for everyone seeking publication.

Sometimes we point the finger at the busyness of our lives as our number one enemy. We lament, that if only we had more time to write, we’d finally complete our book, or we’d get around to the manuscript that needs editing.

But we all know that we can make time for the things that are important to us. If we really want to write, if we’re passionate enough about it, we’ll somehow squeeze in the time somewhere. Right?

So what really is a writer’s number one enemy?

I believe WE are our own worst enemies. Yes, I am my worst enemy. And you are yours.

In a recent post, Encouragement for Aspiring Authors, numerous writers mentioned just how much they struggle with their own discouraging thoughts. Here are a few comments:

“I discourage myself all on my own . . . me, myself, and I can really do a number on my ego when it comes to my writing.”

“No one else but myself has been a discouraging voice. I have been my own worst enemy, and I need to squelch all the negative self-talk about never 'amounting to anything, so why waste my time' has just got to stop.”

“I've been wondering after reading the writing blogs lately if I should even try to write at all anymore.”

When I thought about WHO or WHAT discourages me the most, I realized (like these commenters) that I am my own biggest discourager. I send myself negative messages all too frequently. Even as an award-winning author I say things like, “What’s wrong with me that my sales aren’t higher” or “With so many other authors out there, who am I?”

The messages we send ourselves can have a paralyzing effect. We can discourage ourselves so much that we reach a point where we don’t want to keep going. Maybe we feel like giving up our writing career altogether. Or maybe the negative messages get in the way every time we sit down to write so that the story is stuck and the words won’t flow.

How do we battle our own discouragement and keep it from defeating us? I don’t have the perfect answer, but here are some things that keep me going:

• I surround myself with people who believe in me, who are there to encourage me when I’m especially down, who remind me of the positives in my writing and in my career.

• I write every day, no matter what my mood, even if I’m absolutely down in the dumps. Even when I feel like I’m writing the worst crap the world has ever seen, I get words on the page—every day without fail.

• I make sure that I’m constantly learning new things. I pick up a new writing craft book or re-read an old one. There’s something about the process of learning that gives us fresh excitement and renewed confidence that we’re moving forward.

• I go back to the reason why I’m writing—because ultimately I love telling stories. I love stringing words together. And I love being able to encourage others through my writing.

What about you? What messages have you been sending yourself lately? Are you letting the discouragement beat you down too much? How do you fight against your own negativity?

Are There More Writers Than Readers?

No doubt about it. There are a LOT of writers these days.

Of course, we have no way to count exactly how many people have taken up writing. But it seems like I continually meet people who are either in the process of writing a book or are interested in doing so. I realize that since I’m an author, people are more likely to confide in me their writing aspirations so that it may only seem like more people are writing.

But still, I’m amazed at the numbers of writers I meet in real life and around cyberland. In part, the growth of the internet has made the writing industry more visible and accessible. People who may have once only considered the idea of writing a book, now find that they have all the information they need for every step of the process.

Additionally, with the growth of e-books and self-publishing, anyone anywhere can publish a book about anything. As the news spreads of the ease of e-publishing and the successful self-publishing stories are circulated, even more writers step forward to enter the brave new world of publishing.

In the meantime, while the numbers of writers is increasing, the numbers of readers is at a steady decline. We don’t need NEA reports to prove that reading is at risk and continues to lose the battle to other forms of entertainment and activities. We only have to look around us at our own diminishing reading habits and those of our family to see the trend. In the digital age, electronic devices (internet, DVDs, video games, etc.) entice would-be readers more than ever before.

In the November issue of RWR (Romance Writers Report), a 2010 report cited various statistics about reader buying habits. Here a just a couple quotes:

• “Over 100 million adults did not buy a single solitary book in 2010.”

• “Domestic net sales of adult mass-market books were down 6.3% in 2010.”

• “While the e-book segment has experienced large growth in the past few years, analysts claim that few new readers have been created—the segment’s growth is due to 'siphoning' off print book readers, and the gains on the digital side are not making up for losses on the print side.”

With the ever-increasing number of writers publishing books (or hoping to) and the ever-decreasing number of readers, what’s the outlook? It appears to me that the supply of books will soon surpass the demand of readers—if it hasn’t already.

So what’s a writer to do in the face of such an outlook?

1. Make sure we know what we’re up against.

While more opportunities are opening up for writers, that also means the publishing pie is being cut into smaller pieces. More of us will get a slice and taste of publication, but our share of profits will likely be less. With all of the competition, we’ll have to accept that even with our best marketing efforts we may hit a ceiling. Even traditionally published authors like myself are facing new challenges with sales.

My agent, Rachelle Gardner, posed a question on her blog, “What if there were no money in writing?” She mentioned that it’s becoming harder for writers to make money as readers are moving toward an attitude of being unwilling to pay much. Therefore, we must indeed ask ourselves how much effort we’re willing to expend on our writing careers if we’re unable to eventually receive the compensation we long for.

2. Don’t discount writers as future readers.

As the writing population grows, a portion of writers will also become our readers. Over the past couple of years, many writers have let me know they’ve read my books as a direct result of getting to know me through social media. Writer Lindsay Harrel said this last week: “Because of your great blog tour, I am currently reading my copy of The Doctor's Lady (and loving it!)! So it at least worked to hook one reader, and I'm sure many more!”

Another writer, Karrie Myton, sent me an email saying this: “Your blog has helped me in countless ways. I like hearing your voice in your writing, but I was afraid to read your fiction. I worried that I wouldn't like it, and that I would lose faith in your writing expertise. I needn't have worried. I started reading The Preacher's Bride last night and struggled to put it down to take care of my kids.”

3. Writers can take the lead in purchasing books.

We need to be careful lest we fall into the trap of thinking that all those readers out there will take care of buying our writing friends’ books, and we won’t need to. The fact is, writers, more than any other group should know how important it is to actually purchase books (as opposed to waiting to get a free copy).

We obviously can’t buy every book of every writer we know. But we can make a point of supporting (aka buying books) as generously as we can—if not for ourselves, then as gifts for people we know.

So what’s your opinion? Do you think we’re moving toward a day when there will be more writers than readers, when the supply will outweigh the demand? What do you think writers can do to weather the changes?