Jenn Sadai's Blog - Posts Tagged "truth"
Truth Time!
The truth about being an author and why I'm a shitty salesperson.
This will sound unbelievable, but money does not determine my success. If I viewed the last 5 years of chasing my author dream in terms of dollars and cents, I'd be a failure. In 4-1/2 years, I've profited around $5,000. I don't keep track of the money and reinvest everything I make off of my books into promoting myself. I have a great day job that more than covers my bills, so I can focus on my dream without worrying about profitability.
That's also why I'm a shitty salesperson. I could be more aggressive or at the very least, follow-up with people who've shown interest in buying my books. However, I don't chase sales intentionally. I only want readers who genuinely want to read my books. That's what generates positive reviews and referrals.
The odds of becoming successful enough as an author to live off your books alone is less than 5%. There are millions and millions of authors, approximately 130,000,000 published books in the marketplace and over one million new books released each year. I would need to sell over 50,000 books per year to live off of them. I've sold around 1,400 books in 4-1/2 years.
I'm a realistic dreamer. I went all in at first and was writing from home full time, but quickly realized that I couldn't support myself with this venture. So, I created a long term plan. I worked with an investment expert to figure out what I would need to save, so I could retire at 50 and pursue this full time.
I have a little more than 10 years left to grow my followers, gain worldwide exposure and write many more empowering books for women. In the meantime, I'm motivated by the women who gain value from reading my stories, the positive book reviews I receive and the fact that each year I sell more books than the one prior.
I will be a famous author one day. Take note, it's no joke, I will be part of that elite 5%. I honestly believe I'm good enough to be great and won't stop until my books are in every store in every country. I know this is a marathon not a sprint, and I'm prepared to go the distance.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me better.
This will sound unbelievable, but money does not determine my success. If I viewed the last 5 years of chasing my author dream in terms of dollars and cents, I'd be a failure. In 4-1/2 years, I've profited around $5,000. I don't keep track of the money and reinvest everything I make off of my books into promoting myself. I have a great day job that more than covers my bills, so I can focus on my dream without worrying about profitability.
That's also why I'm a shitty salesperson. I could be more aggressive or at the very least, follow-up with people who've shown interest in buying my books. However, I don't chase sales intentionally. I only want readers who genuinely want to read my books. That's what generates positive reviews and referrals.
The odds of becoming successful enough as an author to live off your books alone is less than 5%. There are millions and millions of authors, approximately 130,000,000 published books in the marketplace and over one million new books released each year. I would need to sell over 50,000 books per year to live off of them. I've sold around 1,400 books in 4-1/2 years.
I'm a realistic dreamer. I went all in at first and was writing from home full time, but quickly realized that I couldn't support myself with this venture. So, I created a long term plan. I worked with an investment expert to figure out what I would need to save, so I could retire at 50 and pursue this full time.
I have a little more than 10 years left to grow my followers, gain worldwide exposure and write many more empowering books for women. In the meantime, I'm motivated by the women who gain value from reading my stories, the positive book reviews I receive and the fact that each year I sell more books than the one prior.
I will be a famous author one day. Take note, it's no joke, I will be part of that elite 5%. I honestly believe I'm good enough to be great and won't stop until my books are in every store in every country. I know this is a marathon not a sprint, and I'm prepared to go the distance.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me better.
Listen to Your Critics!
Ever shutdown during a conversation because the other person is telling you something you DON'T want to hear?
I had that urge while I was talking to a sweet, helpful woman last week. I sent my sixth book to several readers/writers, because I was lacking my usual confidence. Two publishers raved about it, but a trusted friend felt it was a little slow. I was so eager to move forward that I almost signed the contract before getting feedback from the final beta reader, even though I wasn't certain it was the best it could be.
I couldn't squash my doubts despite my best efforts, so it shouldn't have came as a shock when the final reader wasn't as impressed by it. I could tell she was trying to break the news to me gently. I zoned out when she pointed out the lack of emotion in my storytelling and that it was missing essential elements designed to entice the reader. It was hard to hear and I caught myself tuning her out.
That's a natural response to negative feedback, however it's highly unproductive. I forced myself to listen, because I knew she wasn't trying to bring me down. She was trying to bring out the best in me. Her points were not only valid, but incredibly helpful. There were aspects of my book that I could easily improve on, as well as issues with the story structure that needed fixing.
The method I was using to judge the quality of my writing was broken. I relied heavily on encouragers and avoided critics, which was necessary for me to push forward with confidence as a new writer. However, in order to take my writing to the next level, I need to listen to negative feedback.
I truly believe that magic happens when we break from the ordinary. We can't advance ourselves or society by always doing what was always done. Growth starts with uncomfortable conversations that break down our way of thinking in search of a better way.
I spent over 12 hours this past weekend editing and enhancing my book. Thanks to her thorough comments on the areas that were lacking, my sixth book will be my best book so far.
I'm finally ready to move forward with Her Beauty Burns!
I had that urge while I was talking to a sweet, helpful woman last week. I sent my sixth book to several readers/writers, because I was lacking my usual confidence. Two publishers raved about it, but a trusted friend felt it was a little slow. I was so eager to move forward that I almost signed the contract before getting feedback from the final beta reader, even though I wasn't certain it was the best it could be.
I couldn't squash my doubts despite my best efforts, so it shouldn't have came as a shock when the final reader wasn't as impressed by it. I could tell she was trying to break the news to me gently. I zoned out when she pointed out the lack of emotion in my storytelling and that it was missing essential elements designed to entice the reader. It was hard to hear and I caught myself tuning her out.
That's a natural response to negative feedback, however it's highly unproductive. I forced myself to listen, because I knew she wasn't trying to bring me down. She was trying to bring out the best in me. Her points were not only valid, but incredibly helpful. There were aspects of my book that I could easily improve on, as well as issues with the story structure that needed fixing.
The method I was using to judge the quality of my writing was broken. I relied heavily on encouragers and avoided critics, which was necessary for me to push forward with confidence as a new writer. However, in order to take my writing to the next level, I need to listen to negative feedback.
I truly believe that magic happens when we break from the ordinary. We can't advance ourselves or society by always doing what was always done. Growth starts with uncomfortable conversations that break down our way of thinking in search of a better way.
I spent over 12 hours this past weekend editing and enhancing my book. Thanks to her thorough comments on the areas that were lacking, my sixth book will be my best book so far.
I'm finally ready to move forward with Her Beauty Burns!
