How much is enough?
What is the magic number?
Is it ever enough?
Yes, I am pondering and observing again…
My commute home is about forty minutes, which allows me a time to unwind,
After a ten hour day that begins when most folks are sleeping, peacefully,
That is my thought time,
Usually I’m listening to Jill Scott, Stormy Cleveland, Jaguar Wright, Anthony Hamilton or a combination of types…
Yesterday I pondered the, ‘When is it Enough?”
I thought back to the days of when one gets their first real job,
How it feels that now, finally, you will be on your own two…
Own apartment, own car, can go out to dinner and dancing with friends,
Happy days are here,
Hold up, wait a minute,
It only takes a couple paychecks to realize that the apartment, car and nights out are going to be a bit different than expected,
Especially after taxes, food, and toothpaste is figured in…
But you go on, get raises, move up the ladder, change jobs a few times,
Then one day you see your pay voucher and think,
“Surely that is enough, that is more than all my ancestors earned rolled up in one,”
However,
It really doesn’t feel like enough,
Because on the real,
The studio apartment is now a McMansion,
The hoopty has become a car that cost more than your parent’s house,
And dinner and dancing takes some Benjamins,
Of course you know I was going to tie this to books,
What is your magic number when it comes to books sold?
How many is enough?
Most have a figure, even if they are reluctant to say,
I read somewhere, a person say they would sell ten grand,
First time out or they wouldn’t get out there,
I thought, they probably shouldn’t get out there,
Because...
Ten grand is certainly possible and has occurred for many, but we,
KNOW,
That rarely does that happen out the gate,
Even with the best laid plans and intentions,
Earlier in the year I was at a festival and one of the authors was very honest,
She was traditionally published, had an agent and a publicist,
She said,
“I continue to write the books because hopefully they will catch on, all of this stuff gets very expensive when you are not even breaking even.” So true…
That will probably explain to some why some authors are so prolific,
They know that one isn’t going to be enough, so they do as many as they can,
Praying that there is strength in numbers,
When I started writing,
I didn’t have a single number in my mind,
Strange but true…
My goal was to write what somebody wanted to read,
Start out locally, work what and who I knew,
Gradually working my way into the consciousness of readers,
Who are the greatest force in bookselling, because people talk about and recommend what they enjoy,
Ultimately, having folks wait with some anticipation for the next effort,
So I was writing, trying to get better with each effort and having some longevity,
In this writing game,
Having always been patient to a fault, that worked, is working for me,
Might not work for others,
Because if you have a finite number in your head,
There is a good chance that you might have to change your figures,
Or you might have to spend an infinite amount of time and money,
Truly pushing books in a way that may work in the short term,
But may leave you too tired or broke to go on in the long run,
Or you may simply have to decide that what ever amount you earn,
Is enough for that book and take what you have learned,
Then go back to the drawing (writing) board and take a different approach,
However if enough is never enough…
I don’t know what to tell you,
But I will keep you in my prayers…
Blessings
angelia
