I am a likeable person and I have loads of friends.
One would think that I am a lucky author for this reason. Friends always support one another.
Well, it's true. If your friends are readers or book lovers.
Mine aren't. I can't blame them. Reading is time-consuming. If you don't like it, it's a torture. So I am not upset with them that they can't support me with action.
They are appreciative of my choice of career though.
Some even bought my books, but (unfortunately), won't read them for a reason or another.
What more can I expect? I feel grateful for this. Realy and deeply. Honestly.
Some say: "Never ask from friends and family. Usually, they couldn't care less." When they ask, I give. I give without being asked. So where does that leave me?! There are many others out there.
I post my work on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, you name it. And I always hope to get a Love from someone. Not a Like which is (usually) a courtesy, but a Love <3. No. It does not come. More often than not, I get "Ignore."
For a person who shares the love actively, this is painful. I wish it wasn't. It consumes me.
"Give and don't expect anything in return," state the holy books. Except I am not a saint. Nope. I am working on it, but I am not there.. yet. One day... one day. The sooner the better. God, please help. I am a mortal in distress.
If you believe that I post every day or even more than once a day, you have to think twice. I post once a week or even fewer, once every two or three weeks usually.
So, no. I don't spam my friends or anyone else for that matter.
Still, I get action from 2-3 of my steady supporters. God bless you all (Martin, Andrei, Luiza, Misu, Martine, Simone, Valentina, and a few others).
You might think the content is poor, offensive, aggressive, shallow, arrogant. I believe it's quite the opposite. Of course, I am biased. Forgive me.
I don't post for vanity. I post out of necessity. My body and soul are in all my stories. I don't write because I don't have anything better to do. I write because I have a lot of great stories to tell.
I need support. Real, tangible, measurable support. Buying a book helps a lot, but leaving a positive review is what counts most. Some people ran out of love, so they spread the opposite instead. In abundance. I need the maximum stars to balance the final outcome.
A poor in stars review, even if with great comments, is not ideal. Not from a business point of view.
I need to build an audience. If I get 3 stars, nobody reads the comments to see why I got 3 stars. They think my story is poor. This ruins all my chances.
I invest absolutely everything in my stories. Money, time, energy. I work every day, continuously. When I am ill, upset, exhausted, etc. I sleep only the necessary. I don't go out, watch TV. I study and write when I am not at work. Because I need to work to pay my bills.
I am at high risk to end up under a bridge because I invest all my savings into pursuing this career.
I don't do it out of vanity. I don't care being called a writer. It doesn't keep me warm at nights. Everyone can write and publish. It's free on Amazon.
I want to make a living from it and I deserve this. I have no life outside the writing. I am nothing, utterly alone and overwhelmed by duties. I can't carry on for long. The pressure is enormous.
I am sorry if any of my friends think I am annoying with all these requests. It's not my intention.
If I can't ask them, who then? Who I invite to my parties?
You, yes, YOU can help me by following me either on Amazon or Goodreads. A purchase without review is such a shame.
By sharing my work on your social networks. - Say two nice words as an endorsement. You spend so much time there sharing everything under the sun.
By rating/reviewing my books. - Goodreads (click here for the direct link) doesn't ask for proof of purchase. I beg you, if you find it in your heart, give the maximum stars. You don't need to write anything if you can't find the words, just click on the stars. I can appreciate that not everybody finds it easy to put words down.
The competition is ferocious. 4 stars are not considered enough. People will always go for books with 5 stars. Which is so tremendously unfair.
So many incredible writers out there struggle or remain anonymous because no one rates their books or are very ungenerous with the stars. Don't ruin the career of anyone with a negative stingy rating. Many writers invest years in a story. A whole life perhaps.
How would you feel if someone spat on your lifetime work?
I just published the sequel of Half my Age Plus Seven. Click here for the direct link. It's worth it.
I hired professionals to build new covers. Without your generous support, I'll sleep on the streets.
Share the Love in a tangible manner. What goes around comes around. Don't ignore my desperate scream for help. It's just one or two clicks away. One click on 5 stars. Another one on Follow.
Is this really too much to ask?
If your answer is "Yes," then... ignore me. You don't have to support me against your will.
But again, if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.
Thank you, human with a heart in your chest. Thank you for buying my books and spreading the love. Every action you take is noticed.
One would think that I am a lucky author for this reason. Friends always support one another.
Well, it's true. If your friends are readers or book lovers.
Mine aren't. I can't blame them. Reading is time-consuming. If you don't like it, it's a torture. So I am not upset with them that they can't support me with action.
They are appreciative of my choice of career though.
Some even bought my books, but (unfortunately), won't read them for a reason or another.
What more can I expect? I feel grateful for this. Realy and deeply. Honestly.
Some say: "Never ask from friends and family. Usually, they couldn't care less." When they ask, I give. I give without being asked. So where does that leave me?! There are many others out there.
I post my work on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, you name it. And I always hope to get a Love from someone. Not a Like which is (usually) a courtesy, but a Love <3. No. It does not come. More often than not, I get "Ignore."
For a person who shares the love actively, this is painful. I wish it wasn't. It consumes me.
"Give and don't expect anything in return," state the holy books. Except I am not a saint. Nope. I am working on it, but I am not there.. yet. One day... one day. The sooner the better. God, please help. I am a mortal in distress.
If you believe that I post every day or even more than once a day, you have to think twice. I post once a week or even fewer, once every two or three weeks usually.
So, no. I don't spam my friends or anyone else for that matter.
Still, I get action from 2-3 of my steady supporters. God bless you all (Martin, Andrei, Luiza, Misu, Martine, Simone, Valentina, and a few others).
You might think the content is poor, offensive, aggressive, shallow, arrogant. I believe it's quite the opposite. Of course, I am biased. Forgive me.
I don't post for vanity. I post out of necessity. My body and soul are in all my stories. I don't write because I don't have anything better to do. I write because I have a lot of great stories to tell.
I need support. Real, tangible, measurable support. Buying a book helps a lot, but leaving a positive review is what counts most. Some people ran out of love, so they spread the opposite instead. In abundance. I need the maximum stars to balance the final outcome.
A poor in stars review, even if with great comments, is not ideal. Not from a business point of view.
I need to build an audience. If I get 3 stars, nobody reads the comments to see why I got 3 stars. They think my story is poor. This ruins all my chances.
I invest absolutely everything in my stories. Money, time, energy. I work every day, continuously. When I am ill, upset, exhausted, etc. I sleep only the necessary. I don't go out, watch TV. I study and write when I am not at work. Because I need to work to pay my bills.
I am at high risk to end up under a bridge because I invest all my savings into pursuing this career.
I don't do it out of vanity. I don't care being called a writer. It doesn't keep me warm at nights. Everyone can write and publish. It's free on Amazon.
I want to make a living from it and I deserve this. I have no life outside the writing. I am nothing, utterly alone and overwhelmed by duties. I can't carry on for long. The pressure is enormous.
I am sorry if any of my friends think I am annoying with all these requests. It's not my intention.
If I can't ask them, who then? Who I invite to my parties?
You, yes, YOU can help me by following me either on Amazon or Goodreads. A purchase without review is such a shame.
By sharing my work on your social networks. - Say two nice words as an endorsement. You spend so much time there sharing everything under the sun.
By rating/reviewing my books. - Goodreads (click here for the direct link) doesn't ask for proof of purchase. I beg you, if you find it in your heart, give the maximum stars. You don't need to write anything if you can't find the words, just click on the stars. I can appreciate that not everybody finds it easy to put words down.
The competition is ferocious. 4 stars are not considered enough. People will always go for books with 5 stars. Which is so tremendously unfair.
So many incredible writers out there struggle or remain anonymous because no one rates their books or are very ungenerous with the stars. Don't ruin the career of anyone with a negative stingy rating. Many writers invest years in a story. A whole life perhaps.
How would you feel if someone spat on your lifetime work?
I just published the sequel of Half my Age Plus Seven. Click here for the direct link. It's worth it.
I hired professionals to build new covers. Without your generous support, I'll sleep on the streets.
Share the Love in a tangible manner. What goes around comes around. Don't ignore my desperate scream for help. It's just one or two clicks away. One click on 5 stars. Another one on Follow.
Is this really too much to ask?
If your answer is "Yes," then... ignore me. You don't have to support me against your will.
But again, if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.
Thank you, human with a heart in your chest. Thank you for buying my books and spreading the love. Every action you take is noticed.
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| Image from Pixabay - They are the best! |