Welcome back to the May edition of my newsletter! No promos this time, but read on as I get a little more personal… Why Do I Write?I recently started working with a career coach, which has been interesting. She asked me why I started my side business to self-publish my books, and why I write in the first place. My immediate response was “Well, I love writing.” Duh. She challenged me to introspect further and think about what kind of impact I want to have. I struggled with the question for a while but eventually remembered what it felt like when I started discovering sci-fi and fantasy as a kid. My dad used to travel a lot for work, and everywhere he went, he would stop by the airport bookstore. We had a huge bookshelf in our basement, and my dad filled it with every book he brought home, creating a massive in-home library of sci-fi and fantasy (my dad’s preferred genres). As a kid who hated sports and being forced to play outside, I made it my mission to read through the lot of them. Every time I picked up a new book, I was carried away into fabulous and exciting new worlds. Nothing made me happier. I realized that my real, underlying motive for writing and publishing today is actually to create similar experiences for my readers. I’m interested in lots of genres, but the unifying theme is always being transported to a world unlike the normal, every-day place where I spend the rest of my life. Does that sum up how you feel about reading too? Sleepless in TorontoI had the opportunity to participate in the very first Toronto Independent Author Conference in Toronto last weekend. I had such a blast, learning about the business and meeting other indies. To my delight, even the top-earning veterans among them were extremely approachable and fun!
I may have ended up in an improvised pub crawl, walking up and down Yonge street and drinking until the wee hours. But I’ll deny it… More Reviews! More!!1!I know I keep asking, but the importance of reviews on all the different retail platforms and other sites are so, so important. This is especially true for newer authors, like me. If you haven’t already, please take the time to post one or preferably more (always honest) reviews, anywhere and everywhere! What’s Next?I mentioned last time that I’ve completed first drafts of The Apollo Cup (sci-fi short story) and Contested Souls: Danse Macabre Book One (urban fantasy novel). I’m still deep in editing, but I’m planning to send drafts to my beta reading team ASAP, for feedback. If you’re interested, join the team! After that, I’m debating where to go next. There are a lot of exciting possibilities! Maybe you can help me decide? For more context, let me break down the options I’ve listed in the survey below:
Cheers, Eric P. Caillibot
|
Leave a Reply