I'm really really scared that one day someone who likes my stories finds this blog and thinks the wrong thing. So I'm just going to write this to keep the record straight.
Firstly, it's not about the money. I write because I love writing. Maybe at some point, you'll notice that I write a crazy amount of different genres. That's because stories come first with me. Always. But I noticed that I kind of lag when I shouldn't while I have hundreds of stories I want to write before I die.
Secondly, yes, I know the goal is insane. But getting stories done, edited and published will be the only way to achieve it. So the more I work, the closer I'll get. Hopefully, I'll even exceed my expectations.
Thirdly, I will hereby never ever ever never churn out books just for the sake of money. I hate when writers do that. I'm not planning to start emulating them at any time. However, I do want to get into practice of writing/editing six days a week. (But hey, sometimes I'll take holidays.) If I keep going, things will get done. And my $7500 goal is my measurement of how I'm doing at getting things finished.
There you have it. It's not about the money. It's about measuring my success in a way that everyone understands.
Thanks for reading this!
Also, feel free to leave (nice) comments. I'll try to answer any questions you might have.
I think it's fantastic you're putting the goal out there for the world to see. Deadlines and accountability to your fans are great motivators. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteGoals are goals... let your readers be inspired by them! :)
ReplyDeleteI see nothing wrong with having a monetary goal for yourself. Most entrepreneurs I know do this. From what I've read, if you consistently write and turn out a book once a year for self-publishing, you might very well make that goal. I wish you all the best in reaching it. I've been looking around your blog. It looks interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have goals that are measurable.
ReplyDeleteOh yes being specific with your goals will send out a clear message to the universe (my belief which I blog about) so well done you! I'd love to earn that kind of income from writing too! Fab! Ps, found you via Dymanti writes as a guest blogger - might have to try that for my site, guest blogs :O)
ReplyDeleteZeroing in your goals precisely is the first step towards attaining them. Appreciate that you've clearly stated them on your blog. I think its a great way to motivate yourself to work towards your goals and to inspire others as well.
ReplyDeleteKeep practising your craft, keep the motivation, excitement and buzz alive. I believe in you Misha.
ReplyDeleteLove your War of six crowns series, I am hooked :)
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work, but remember that deadlines are set so you can miss them by a year or two. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from a traveller on the same road.
Hi Misha,
ReplyDeleteThe problem with your money comment (or "churn" them out comment) is that it implies that those of us who DO get a lot of books out don't care about quality. For many of us, that's not the case. I know that for my genre I have to get books out quickly to keep ravenous romance readers happy. That's just the way it is in the romance field - like it or not. Furthermore, because I'm a short story author and not a novel author, I have to be even faster with my books.
Speed doesn't necessarily mean lack of quality, and even if it did, readers are the ultimate decision makers. If lots of readers are buying an author's books, it doesn't matter if other authors think that author's books are not of quality. In fact, that author should ignore such authors.
Yes, I do want to make money. My goal is $5,000 a month, which, compared to some romance authors I know, is nothing. But $5,000 a month is fine for me. And I'm doing what I need to do to get there within five years.
Good luck with your goals. The best thing an author can do is focus on their own goals and not on what other people are doing or what other people think - at least that's what *I* do. I have a LOT of content to publish over this year. Plus, I have a multi-author romance boxed set I'm putting together.
Let's both have a great 2016!
Piper Presley
I didn't refer to productive writers who can write fast. I refer to people who just write and publish without taking care of the quality for their writing, all in the attempt to make money faster.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, I have a bigger goal than yours, and I'm currently assuming I'll have at least 15 books in various genres coming out in the next three years. But it doesn't mean that I'm just going to produce a ton of low quality stuff just for the sake of it.
If that slows me down and I produce fewer books as a result, so be it. But I won't compromise quality for speed. The way I see it, it's a balance thing.
But hey, anyone who can be fast and high quality producers gets kudos from me.
I think this is a great goal. I want to make a living writing my novels, as well as doing my blog. My reason for that is journalism was always a passion of mine when I was little. It was what I wanted to do when I grew up. However, now when I think of journalism, I see paparazzi and people just trying to make a buck by sharing someone's worst day of their life with the world. Blogging is my way to satisfy that journalism itch while still keeping my ethics intact. That's me :) I love your answer! Good luck :)
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