Above the Clouds Photo Credit: Bruce Rolff, Dreasmstime.com
For the past two years, I used a post close to the new year to measure my progress against my goals. Not this year – it’s far too exciting to look ahead. I’m learning publishing in the same way I learned writing – step by step. The business of publishing is in the midst of change. It’s like studying from a textbook as the pages are being written rewritten.
I’m about to say something heretical, especially for an author who only has an ebook: print books are still – and will always be – a preferred way of getting a story into readers’ hands. Ebooks yield a quicker path to market, which also means there is a glut of them. After writing a unique and compelling story, an author has to figure out how to position it to rise above the clouds crowd. That’s what I’m doing with Sparks, and validation is building – reviews are positive. It will soon be time to extend electronic distribution beyond Amazon.
In the meantime, I’ve emersed myself in the new story and the challenges it presents. Leaving Gabrielle and Jarin behind is difficult. Their story may still go on in novels to come, but not as the central characters. I have a community of stories involving the San Chapelle family, each of which begs to be told, each of which involves a different couple who surmount their obstacles and find each other. And yes, the story of Xavier and Netta is part of that community. It is a thrill to get the stories out of my head and share them with you.
