It is official: The month of June 2021 is the most successful I have had to date in my little career as an independent author, mainly because of the new book Full: Rockets Bells & Poetry. To say I am gratified by the reaction is an understatement.
I don’t mean to suggest I can now retire on my proceeds — I have authored 10 books and have never before had a month where I sold in three digits — but this was sort of a Sally Field moment: You like me. Wow!
But, you know? The purpose of writing is not to sell stuff. The purpose of writing is to say stuff.
Yes, it would be nice to make a living by writing, but when you’re writing the focus must be on saying, not selling. The more you think about selling, the less you’ll say.
It’s not an exact science, but it’s been demonstrated often enough: Unleash the creative soul, free it from worrying about market considerations, and just let her rip across the blank page filling it with stuff without a care in the world — that way lies art.
Oh, and if you’d like to check out Full, it’s available in print or digital wherever you find your favorite books. So are the other nine, for that matter.