A new bit is up on the story page! I hope you're enjoying the series. This part is a bit sexy. =)

The Ambitious Author

The other day, my blog was about authors who want to make money have to have a secondary venture because, especially for new authors, you're not going to make $100,000,000 as a writer. This post is going to be about me putting my money where my mouth is.

This post will also be jazzed up with gifs. =) Merry Christmas.

Yes, I am broke. I have $0. Actually, I have $6 in my bank account, despite all my hard work to sell the books that I currently have out.

I also have some big dreams for my company, SideStreet Cookie Publishing LLC. To make those dreams come true, I either need a LOT of money, or to learn to code. Can you guess which of those things I did?

Yep. I'm learning code. For free. I know what I'm doing! It's so exciting to find that something I didn't think I could ever understand is actually a lot easier than it looks! I know you're thinking "Coding? Are you CRAZY?!" Because one of my bestie asked me the same exact thing. I'm an author, so yes, I'm a wee bit unhinged, but that's okay! It's easy, but very tedious, even the little bit I've learned over the last...5 days. Yes, five days. I've learned how to set up a website. It's pretty simplistic, but it's there. I made it with my hands.

It's fun. I find it FUN! How crazy is that?

Now, what does this have to do with my post from the other day? I think it's obvious.

Not only will it save me money, but I can get a job coding. A JOB! Something I don't currently have. Well, at least not one that is making me money to live on.

It's important to keep learning, even if it's just sticking things on other things to make them pretty. Keep your mind sharp.

What have you learned today?

Why Being An Author Is Bad For Business

I was driving to pick up a friend last night to go to an artist meetup in town. As per usual when I drive, I was talking to myself, working some things that I had on my mind and I'd like to take the time to explain them now.

When I write a book, I spend hours and hours sitting on my arse, creating this world and these characters and falling in love with them. Then, when it's finished, I spend hours and hours editing, making sure everything is right before I release them upon the world.

The problem is that, even after all that work, a book is a one-time-buy. I'm not going to buy more than one copy of a book. There's no point. Unless I put out a new book once a month, my sales will never be consistent.

Of course, that's where new readers come in. But that's where I struggle. I have the hardest time pulling people in and getting them interested in what I have to say. It's easier for me to write a new book every month than to get new people interested.

This is why I don't think it's lucrative for an author to only be an author. We have to become business people if we want to succeed and make a living out of our work. It can't just be writing and publishing and chocolate and coffee and sleep.

This is where I am. Trying to find a way to expand on my work in a way that I can make a decent living without abasing myself and crawling back to the job that made me miserable for six long, loooong, long years, and finding a way to increase readership. Because I love being a full time writer. I would love it even more if I made a little more money. $400 a month would set me straight.

That said, and I promise I'm not begging, if you enjoy this blog and The Blood Scorpions, please leave a donation via the paypal button to the side. I don't make any money from this blog or from posting this story. I would greatly appreciate your support.