A TIME FOR REFLECTION.

This summer brought unusual weather conditions.?In the Pacific Northwest, the rain isn’t coming as expected and the temperatures are much higher than what we are used to. Not only are we inconvenienced, but it’s downright dangerous. These beautiful trees of ours can become torches with just a careless spark.

Yet, life goes on. We still need to work, enjoy a day off when possible, and make future plans. Maybe it's time for a little reflection.

Are you booking enough podcast guest appearances? Are you attending to your social media sites? Summer tempts us to “take a break”, but when self-employed writers take a break, the results can be far-reaching and fiscally challenging.

I wish I could calculate which podcast guest appearances sold the most books, but the paperwork doesn’t make it easy, especially if I’ve had multiple episodes in one week. The “views” received by a program is the only way I’ve found to even guess at it. ?

Writers that self-publish, or only have professional help at the beginning of the process, don’t see much usable information in the monthly paperwork they receive from book sellers. It’s nice to see your book sold a few copies in Europe, Japan, and Australia, but the amount of funds I’ve received is disappointing.

Am I alone in frowning when credited $4.95 on a $14.99 book sale or $.98 on a “tape”.

I’ve received over a million “Views” via Podcast Guest appearances, and I am thrilled that my memoir and its message has reached so many people. However, I am getting close to the bottom of the barrel where my original “dedicated funds” for the project are concerned.

Unless a book is picked up by a large publisher or we win some outrageous prize in a writing contest, we are going to be lucky to make back our investment in the book writing process. Is this ok with you?

As I sit here, I must answer difficult questions: Why did I write this book? What was my expectation of a return for my monetary investment? What keeps me motivated to continue marketing it?

I answered: “I wrote this book to share a message I received in a Distressing Near-Death Experience. I hoped to recoup the outlay of my capital in future sales, and some profit, too. I still feel the pull to share my message with others.” What will your answers be?

Part of my journey is to trust in the process. If by sharing my experience and selling my book, I can enrich peoples’ lives, then that’s the purpose of me writing it in the first place. The sales will come, or it will become a movie, or I’ll find a way to fund it. I’ll keep doing this until it doesn’t feel right anymore.

Take the time to look at your sales, the impact of your book, and the value it gives your life to be the author of it. If your book doesn’t feel important enough to stretch yourself for, maybe it’s time to switch gears.

If you decide it is an integral part of your future, then get out there and do the work. I still feel that guesting on a podcast is a wonderful and personal way to advertise, promote, and sell your book. Plus, it’s a fun way to meet new people from all over the globe who value your message and want you to be successful. Your success brings them success, too, after all.

No one said this would be easy!