From time to time on social media, I’ve seen authors displaying on their bio that they’re a ‘best-selling author’. In truth, anyone could label themselves with such a title. After some research about what constitutes being a ‘best-selling author’, I thought I’d share my thoughts on how it seems to be defined. I’ll talk about my own brush with the best-seller charts, what I learned from this, and what I think an author has to do to merit the coveted status of best-selling author.
Hurray! I’m well ahead of my reading schedule for 2023. With 44 books read on my Kindle, I’m on track with my Goodreads challenge. As I’d mentioned in an earlier blog post, I’ve spread my reading goals across my two accounts: with 7 reviewed on my author page and 30 reviewed on my anonymous reader page.
Why do I post reviews of books I read?
For a few reasons. A) I enjoy reviewing books as it’s a log of what I read that I can look back on to jog my memory, especially if/when I re-read a book and; B) I like supporting authors and I know that sharing my thoughts helps steer readers like me to that author’s book. As an author myself, I know how important reviews are.
What’s the difference between reviews on my author account and reader account?
None, except that I review big publisher books on my Goodreads author page, whereas I review Indie and small press books on my Goodreads and Amazon reader accounts. This is because I figure big publisher books are less in need of my review; they are already at an advantage through huge marketing budgets, access to netgalley reviews, and publicity, which is why I post my thoughts only on Goodreads. On the other hand, I post Indie and small-press reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones and anywhere else where those books appear and I hold a reader account. This is because those books most likely don’t have access to a huge marketing budget, and so I feel my review counts much more towards boosting those books – and their authors.
Is reading important to writing?
Yes. I’m also a firm believer that writers should read widely outside of the primary genres that they write, and should read a variety of fiction and nonfiction. I’m happy to say that there are no genres I won’t read, even though horror and psychological fiction remain my go-to favourites.
I love being an Indie author, though I didn’t have to tell you that. But you don’t have to take my word for it either. Here are some success stories from two different authors. Pamela Samuels Young started out with her first two books traditionally then switched to self-publishing when her third in the series wasn’t taken by her publisher, according to this article I read on Writer’s Digest. Another author, Graham Elder, found success during the pandemic writing about COVID and using his experience as a surgeon, according to this article in Sault this Week.
Being an Indie author is hard work, and for me it feels very much like a ‘learning on the job’ experience. I’m most definitely no expert, which is why success stories like these give me a bit of a boost. Hope they do the same for you!
I’m a prolific reader. I always have nine or so books on my Kindle Unlimited subscription, along with the numerous paperbacks and hardcovers that I pick up while on a book shopping spree (I really shouldn’t; my bank balance doesn’t thank me, nor does my never-dwindling tbr pile). I try to read a few pages of each one every day, and leave reviews for the majority on Goodreads and Amazon.
After my recent newspaper article in The Belfast Telegraph, I remembered that I’d previously had another article in the same newspaper two decades ago. Being the hoarder that I am, I hoked out (Northern Irish slang = searched for) the previous article, as dog-eared and aging as it now is (a bit like myself, perhaps!)
Since the weather has been gorgeous this week, it made for a lovely photo in the park with both news articles.
My ghost horror novel, The Blue Man appeared in an article in the Belfast Telegraph at the weekend. This was to feature my Chill with a Book Premier Readers’ Award win in February this year, and also to discuss my writing process.
This week, I have reached 100 ratings on Goodreads. Woohoo (happy dance). I am thankful for Goodreads as it collectively gathers all reviews or ratings for a book in one place; unlike Amazon reviews, which can be scattered among the marketplaces. Do I now have a coveted pass into an exclusive club, or have I reached a milestone? Just kidding.
I’ve been chipping away at my current work in progress (novel WIP#6) since January 2022, so it goes without saying that I’m more than ready to see it finished. This one is particularly complicated because it has historical time skips, which is making it especially hard for me to keep the continuity straight between past and present. Why on earth did I do this to myself? Okay, I’m being a bit wry there; it’s a challenge that (I think) I’m up to. I’ll get this final draft finished eventually.
Author branding is something that I’m always mindful of. As a novelist, poet and short story writer, it’s important to have a logo, tagline and header for my website and author social media channels to encompass my work. Since I now have seven currently published books, and with another two more coming later in 2023, displaying all my book covers in one image is becoming quite the squeeze. Instead, I’ve developed a brand header that reflects my website tagline: writing that confronts the nature of self. Here’s the new header:
This way, no matter how many books I have in my ever growing back catalogue, the image above encompasses them all.
What do I mean by ‘writing that confronts the nature of self’? Simply that all my work features a main character who thinks they know themselves, goes through a crisis of identity and creates a new sense of self. Whether it’s a ghost story, psychological literary fiction book, occult horror or collection of poems, an exploration of the innermost psyche occurs. This usually uncovers a Pandora’s Box of the darkest demons for my poor, tormented main characters!
When I first started out as a writer with an aim to getting published, some creative friends and I decided to form a writing circle. We had a name for our group, which I’ve long-since forgotten, and we met once a week in a pub after our day jobs to exchange notes and feedback on each other’s current work-in-progress. It worked well for a few months. Illness, busy day-work schedules or other excuses often got in the way. In the end the group fizzled out, as life got in the way. At that time, none of us had yet been published. We needed each other’s beta-reader feedback as we were all starting out and wanted some reassurance about our work. Was it good enough? Did anyone know of any magazines that were open to submissions? What about writing competitions?
Joining a writing group is a good idea, both for those starting out, but also for more established writers. I think it’s good to assess what you want out of it and then weigh up whether you think a writer’s circle is best for you. To help, I’ve broken it down into the pros and cons as I see it:
Leilanie Stewart 