I sold three books recently and received this check for $37.80. I could buy a decent dinner for two or a couple of bottles of whiskey 🙂 I am not getting rich. The book has been out for almost eight years and I’m still working my day job. I’d say 95% of writers need to work their day jobs.
Back when I was working on this book, revising draft after draft, querying agents and editors, getting rejections, wondering if it would EVER be published, if I knew that someday I’d receive a check for $37 I’d be jumping up and down for joy! There was a day when I figured it would never be published. The amount of $37 is $37 more than I ever thought I’d make on this venture.
I wrote it for myself. I don’t think any book will be successful if you don’t write it for yourself first. But you hope that what you have to say will resonate with others and that your story can find a larger audience.
I find myself today in the same situation as several years ago. My current work-in-progress has been through revision after revision and has been out on submission for the past three months. As the rejections stack up, I wonder if it will ever be published. If someone told me that someday I will make $37 on the book, I will jump up and down for joy!
So I’m just going to keep the same faith I had years ago and trust in the process.
Where do you need faith these days?
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I agree–loved your memoir, so I hope your next book is published, too. I just finished yet another memoir class, so maybe someday, I can celebrate a $37 check, too. 🙂
We will celebrate together!
Praying you get the second book published and get more than $37.00.
I really enjoyed your first one.
Thank you so much for the kind words! If you’d like to get news about this new book’s journey, I have a link for subscribing to my newsletter in the post.