Getting it right...and making mistakes - - thoughts for every day of the year.

Getting is right almost always starts with getting it wrong.  Unless we put ourselves or someone else into danger, the only bad thing about making mistakes is failing to try again.  And again.  And again.  And as many times as it takes to get it right.

That process, of trying it over and over until it works, has been my mantra in life, and in writing.  How many times have we said, or heard, ‘we learn from our mistakes,’ or perhaps, if we’re lucky, ‘we learn from the mistakes of others.’ 

In life, I've seen many people who claim that they won't try something because they can't do it right. Sadly, they end up not doing something that might have brought them joy, or fulfillment,  or a feeling of achievement, or the belief that they might have made an impact, or, perhaps, a sense of peace. 

As a writer, I often read, to see what others are writing.  I read what is selling and I read what is getting good reviews.  I also read what is new, or does not have good reviews, or what might not be selling, yet.  I read what appeals to me.  This is how I learn from others’ mistakes, and successes.

As I writer, I look at my own work.  I put my work out there.  I see which of my books sell, and which of them earn good reviews.  This is how I learn from my own mistakes, and possibly, from my own successes.

Getting it right, as an author, can be a long process.  It almost certainly very unlikely that the first novel we write is going to be a great success.  Almost any author will tell you that they did a lot of writing before they ended up with a work that they were happy with, or that sold well, or that got good reviews.  But, the key is to keep trying.  That means to keep writing.

In my case, I write because I want to write. I write because I need to write. I write what I want to write.  I write for myself.  But; I share my writing in the hope that some will like it, and perhaps, the hope that I might somehow tell a story that will have an impact.  

But, most importantly, I realize that it’s okay to get it wrong, if I keep trying to get it right.

Wil

Five years, seven YA fiction titles, and tens of thousands of copies

It is truly hard to believe that December marks five years since I published the first of my books at Smashwords. Now I’ve got seven multi-format eBooks available through a number of online retail sales channels, including Barnes & Noble, the Apple iBookstore, Kobo, and others. I was happy to embrace the eBook format to accompany my print books. Like most other indie authors, my eBooks now account for virtually all of my sales.

In the past five years, tens of thousands of copies of my books have found their way into the hands, or devices, of readers. I’m really pleased with those numbers. What makes me even happier is the response I’ve noted in reviews. My books have been called inspiring, and ‘the most emotional’ ever read, and many other positive things.

More importantly, I hope that my books will have an impact, and that’s truly why I write. I write what I’m inspired to write, and I write for myself.

I will take this opportunity to admit that I’ve not published anything new in the last two years. The extra demands of work have left no time for me to fully complete any of my works in progress. I have, however, continued to come up with new story ideas, and I have a number of them in the ‘story outline’ stage. At some point in the near future, still to be determined, I very much want to spend more time writing. In the meantime, I’m very pleased and honored to note that my sales reports indicate that my books continue to find new readers.

So, thanks for reading.

Wil

Getting it Right...almost always starts with Getting it Wrong

Getting is right almost always starts with getting it wrong.  Unless we put ourselves or someone else into danger, the only bad thing about making mistakes is failing to try again.  And again.  And again.  And as many times as it takes to get it right.

That process, of trying it over and over until it works, has been my mantra in life, and in writing.  How many times have we said, or heard, ‘we learn from our mistakes,’ or perhaps, if we’re lucky, ‘we learn from the mistakes of others.’ 

As a writer, I often read, to see what others are writing.  I read what is selling and I read what is getting good reviews.  I also read what is new, or does not have good reviews, or what might not be selling, yet.  I read what appeals to me.  This is how I learn from others’ mistakes, and successes.

As I writer, I look at my own work.  I put my work out there.  I see which of my books sell, and which of them earn good reviews.  This is how I learn from my own mistakes, and possibly, from my own successes.

Getting it right, as an author, can be a long process.  It almost certainly very unlikely that the first novel we write is going to be a great success.  Almost any author will tell you that they did a lot of writing before they ended up with a work that they were happy with, or that sold well, or that got good reviews.  But, the key is to keep trying.  That means to keep writing.

In my case, I write because I want to write. I write because I need to write. I write what I want to write.  I write for myself.  But; I share my writing in the hope that some will like it, and perhaps, the hope that I might somehow tell a story that will have an impact.  

But, most importantly, I realize that it’s okay to get it wrong, if I keep trying to get it right.

Wil

Getting Ready for "Read an e-Book Week"

It's about time for one of my favorite weeks of the year. Read an eBook Week is the one of two times each year when I have a look at a huge number of Free eBooks, and discover new authors, or new books by some authors I may have already found.

You see, in addition to being an author, I'm also a reader, and an opportunity like this week to build up my library of eBooks is too good a chance to miss.

Of course, I also like that a whole bunch of readers are discovering my books this week, as I've priced all of mine free for this Smashwords promotion. So, I hope all of you find some good titles, and build up your own libraries.

Happy Reading, 

Wil

The Authors of Smashwords have now published more than 10 billion words

The main vehicle for me to publish my (so far) seven books is Smashwords, and this week Smashwords authors reached an exciting milestone:  10 Billion Words Published.  The milestone was reached sometime around noon Pacific time, on Monday.

As Smashwords founder Mark Coker says in his blog, "These words come from 87,000 writers from every corner of the globe who have gathered together to change the world of publishing one eBook at a time as manifested through their 288,000 titles at Smashwords."

As Mark goes on to say, "These writers are revolutionaries and saviors of the written word, even if they don't view themselves as such.  They're leading the indie author movement."

It took about 50 months for Smashwords to reach 5 billion words in July, 2012.  It's taken only about 18 months more to add the second 5 Billion.

To put this into personal perspective, when I published my first eBook with Smashwords in December 2009, they had less than 10% of the words and titles they do now. I can also say, with great happiness, that as Smashwords' overall stats have increased by a factor of 10, so have my stats increased, with tens of thousands of my books in the hands of readers.

Wilson James' answer to Why I Write

My books have been called inspiring.  I'd like to think they are also empowering.  But, why do I write them?  I first wrote the words below exactly 2 years ago, and I've come back to revisit that blog post because of a piece in HuffPostBooks about why famous authors write.   

In December 2009, I wrote: "I've had in my mind that I wanted and needed to write about my writing, so now I start. It is almost a year since I first published a book, and it's been an amazing ride. It was a big decision to start to publish, but I’m glad I made the choice. I will never forget the emotion that I felt the first time I held a printed copy of a book that I wrote. Since then, I’ve worked to get a number of my other books published.

In the past year, I have felt an even more astounding range of emotions as I consider that hundreds (now over 16,000 - Dec 2011) people have taken the trouble to purchase or download my stories. I suppose that humbled, excited, nervous, scared, thrilled and apprehensive are all emotions that have crossed my mind.

I got started writing simply because I wanted to get the stories from my head to a more permanent method of storage. Ever since I was a kid, I've had a bunch of story ideas rattling around in my head, but there they stayed. I experimented with writing a bit, and slowly did more and more, but it was about three years ago that I finally started writing in earnest. Sometimes, the ideas just pour out onto the computer screen, and at other times I can go weeks without writing anything new.

However it happens, I really enjoy the writing. I like creating characters and bringing them to life on the page. More importantly, I write for myself. I like Jesse Stuart's quote, “Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it.”

There is one other quote about writing that I like, and by Paul Theroux. “Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us.”

Whether many people will like what I write, I don’t know, but I will continue writing what I want to write, for myself."

In April 2011, I posted these words:  "My books are about empowering youth.  

• “If my stories help young people, by giving examples of kids persevering in difficult situations, then I will be very satisfied. 
• If my stories help young people overcome their own challenges, and perhaps find some inspiration, then I will be happy. 
• If my stories help young people find the tenacity and courage to succeed in their own lives, then I will be very pleased. 
• If my stories help achieve some better understanding among friends and families, then I will consider myself fulfilled.” 

The ultimate reward for writing?  

“If even one young person finds some example in one of my books that he or she can use in their own life, then I will consider that every moment I spent writing those books was the best possible way to spend that time.”

Some of my successes in Young Adult fiction writing are:

• A FAMILY LEGACY: THE WATSON WORKS -  made it into the second round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.  A reviewer called it "Vivid Storytelling, Well Written," and said "I want to read more."  
• PLAYING THE BASEBALL CARD - reviewed as a "Great Book, Very Inspiring" and "Seriously Good Writing," and well into the top 1% at Barnes and Noble for almost a year.

ONE Billion Words for Smashwords - in more than 22,000 eBooks

Smashwords, the leading eBook distributor, has hit 1,000,000,000 words, in more than 22,000 eBooks by almost 10,000 authors. It was just April this year when Smashwords hit 500 million, and the speed at which the Billion word mark has been hit surprised even Smashword's founder Mark Coker, with the originally predicted date near the end of 2010.

My five... soon to be six... books are just a small part of the Smashwords numbers, but all the attention drawn to Smashwords has helped me. Thanks to Smashwords, my YA Book A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS hit the top 1% sales rank at BarnesandNoble.com, but my other titles have also done extremely well. There have been many thousands of downloads and sales of my books, and the numbers continue to increase. Look for my newest book, AIDEN'S ARRIVAL, on Smashwords, late in December.

All in all, I'm very happy with my own success, and very pleased for Smashwords!

Wil