When will I be Famous?

I've read a lot of posts recently from my fellow MM Fiction authors about what makes a book succesful - or not. How much marketing an author should do - or not. What are the latest fashions and trends in book sales - or not. How to make sense of it all - and maybe an income, as well.

What's the secret of success? Talent? Luck? Friends in High Places? Persistence? Or should we all give up, accept it's random, and go back to the slot machines of life?! :)

Now this isn't a post about how we should all have faith in ourselves, write what we care passionately about, and one day we'll be Rich and Famous! I think we all know that won't happen, don't we? I mean, not for EVERYONE - or where would be the drive to improve?! Instead, we accept that we're doing a job we love, the desire to write nags at us regardless of wherever else we may work, and that almost all of us have one or two treasured nuggets of feedback, where a reader really enjoyed our work, that help to make it all worthwhile, over and above the royalty cheques. And, of course, some authors WILL make it big! And all power to them, I really mean it.

But... if I'm not going to be Rich and Famous, what's the best I can - and should - aim for?

Is it all about compromise?

If Josh Lanyon doesn't mind, I'd like to link to a very good post he did recently on Artistic Compromise. It's aimed at the Male/Male fiction writing world, where our reader pool is still smaller than that available to the writers of more traditional Romance and Suspense, but many of the points ring true to all. And it supports the route I'm taking myself, in the quest for a better income from my hard work.

Yes, I have a personal stake in this issue because I left work earlier this year, and one of my aims is to make some kind of income from my writing. I already have an author brand, but it's hardly been a big earner over the years :). I don't mind admitting that I'm going to try a year of much higher output, a more concentrated effort on marketing, and a range of books that seem to fit the better-selling profile in my genre.

I mean, I don't need to be Stephanie Meyer or Lee Child. I can live on much less, and to be honest, I'd HATE to be on TV *g*. But at the moment, I'm managing my expectations. I'm thinking about what the publishing world is really like, how readers access and "consume" me, what I can offer them that's mine alone, what I can produce to make both them and me happy. It's thought-provoking!

That said, PLEASE, none of this should distract *you* from reaching for those stars! There are so many of you who deserve to catch them.

Have you made any compromises in your writing career? Are you happy with your balance of work / reward? Do you write in different genres and see different levels of success? Do I sound to you like I'm considering selling out for filthy lucre?! :) I'm interested to hear anything you have to say!


Clare London
www.clarelondon.com