Saturday, August 10, 2013

Here's to progress.

Legacy post from my Goodreads blog.

This quick update from December catalogs how I was doing on my goals for attracting an agent.  Since then I have expanced distribution for Shadows of Valor, not The Golden Ship.  It has been published on Smashwords.com, which distributes to popular ebook retailers like kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.   

December 15, 2012

Here's to progress.

My plans for attracting an agent include: 1) writing more books, 2) getting those books published, 3) gaining followers, and 4) writing a blog.

I can say I have made quite a bit of progress since I first thought up my plan to attract an agent.

I've completed one book, drafted another and am working on the draft for a third. All these in addition to The Golden Ship, the book that first made me consider getting an agent. Shadows of Valor is, of course, already published and I've mentioned it in a few posts already. The Zombie Logs is a draft ready for editing and revision. Finally, the as of yet unnamed Shadows of Valor #2 is in progress, perhaps about 80% complete (give or take depending on where the story takes me). So, that's one.

Two, I finally went with self-publishing on Amazon, to which I will probably devote more time in future posts. You can find my books there and read the first few chapters or pages of each. My next foray into self-publishing will be to look into other distribution paths for The Golden Ship. We'll see how that goes.

Three, gaining followers is a work in progress as well. So far I've got about five fans on Facebook (look for Patricia Hamill (author) to join their ranks) and two on Goodreads. I've also managed to earn at least one fan at work and another through her. I don't know whether I should name names, but I want to say that it is absolutely awesome when someone reads your work and tells you how much they enjoy it. It's also a great feeling as a writer when they describe how the story made them feel and what they hoped would happen as they progress through the story. I'm incredibly thankful to everyone who takes the time to give my stories a chance.

Four, writing a blog, well, that's what this is isn't it? I'm enjoying posting my thoughts and am hoping those of you who find this are enjoying them as well. I'm trying to post every four to five days with reviews sprinkled in here and there for good measure. Blogging may also help with number three, but even if it doesn't, it is worth it.

As I work towards completing all four of my goals, I realize that I'll probably never really be done with any of them. Another story will always be waiting to be written. Those that turn out good, I'll get published. As I get better at writing, publishing, and marketing, more people will discover my work (and hopefully become fans), and as that happens more of those may discover my blog.

So here's to progress. Hey, I might even send out a few more query letters.
       
Published on December 15, 2012 14:36Tags: blogging, goals, progress, publishing, self-publishing, writing

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