Publishing Goals

Now that I'm about to publish a new book, and an old book that wasn't ready at the time of release, I've been thinking about about my goals as an author. I have always had a love of writing, which started when I was a little girl and has helped me grow into a woman. I've always kept a journal (which I don't use as much as I used to), and I've always written. Most of my books are set in Louisiana because that's where I'm from and where I currently live. In reality, I would love to sell a million copies of each of my books. I would love to go on book tours, and I would love to meet fans and sign their books. I would love for them to tell me how much they related with my characters, or how a certain passage drew them in. That's my dream, but my goal is just to get my books out there. My goal is to take a chance; to honestly promote my books. Zombie Bite wasn't ready the first time that I unleashed it on the world and I knew that. I didn't promote it, other than a few twitter posts. I was letting my dream pass me by, and I don't plan to do that again. This time I knew I have to work hard and I have to sell my books and myself as an author. I've learned a lot from Zombie Bite, and a lot from the jobs I've worked. During the past few years I've found myself placed in commission based jobs. I know a lot of people don't like to earn commission, or work at a place that can't guarantee them a paycheck at the end of the week, but it was the best thing for me. I'm not saying that because I always earned a massive paycheck. There were some weeks and months when I failed, but I did learn more about building relationships. I honestly think that sometimes that's the most important part of the selling process. People have to take me seriously as an author before they'll spend money on my books. I plan to start by building relationships within my own local area. I'm going to pass out the old business cards that I still have (see, I've done an awful job), and then order new ones that are double sided with one of my book covers on the other side. I'm going to leave copies of my book at the local coffee shop. I have big plans, but this time I'm not going to rush my work.