[PROGRESS THREAD] ChickenHawk's Self-Published Fiction EBooks

[ChickenHawk]

I have no background like yours and I'm suddenly wondering what I'm thinking? Wow...the ability to give up before I even start. We have to start somewhere but I'm confused I see some people are using ghost writers and I am maybe confused. I want the fastlane..I'd like this to be the vehicle but I may be completely unqualified at best or off my rocker at worst. I don't have 3 books in my head, I don't know if I can even write 2000 words a day. I have a day job. I never thought about writing fiction until this forum. It has opened up something for me and in me. I was all excited, now I'm scared.

I think it's natural to be scared. If nothing else, it's pretty obvious that you have an excellent command of spelling and grammar. I know that sounds minor, but IMO, that's a huge head-start and becoming an increasingly rare skill these days.

Something that I now realize gave me a head start (aside from my writing background) is that I've always been a huge fiction-reader. If you've read a lot of books, and have a certain genre you favor, this can also be a head start for you, too, particularly if your favorite genre is hot. If you're not a huge fiction fan, that's definitely not a deal breaker though. Our very own @Held for Ransom, who started it all, wasn't a big fiction fan, and he's been our trail-blazer and role model.

About the ghost-writing model, I'm honestly not a big fan. And I mean no disrespect to those who are. There are some incredibly smart, nice, and hard-working people right here on this forum who have taken that route, with positive results. When I'm out from under this writing deadline, I might start a thread about it, but in the meantime, I'll say that a big reason I'm not a fan of the ghost-writing model is that every single writer has his/her own unique voice, a certain way of telling a story.

If you use ghost-writers as opposed to doing the writing yourself, it can be very hard to duplicate that experience for the reader, unless you either: use the same exact ghost-writer every time, have a team of incredibly skilled ghost-writers who are following a preset style, or you're one hell of a skilled editor that can make all your books sound like they were written by the same person.

If you're in doubt, though, just dive in! If you can just finish a novel, you'll be way ahead of those who only dream of of it. And if your results aren't what you want (as mine were under my first pen name), you can abandon that pen name and try something else.

Either way, welcome and best of luck to you!

 

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[Magik]

I think it's natural to be scared. If nothing else, it's pretty obvious that you have an excellent command of spelling and grammar. I know that sounds minor, but IMO, that's a huge head-start and becoming an increasingly rare skill these days.

You make an excellent point. I don't think we talk enough about technique around here. We do talk about how to write more, how to self-publish, and how to stay motivated, but we need more discussion about the nuts and bolts that holds the mechanism together. Things like when to use perfect grammar, when to deliberately break grammatical rules, when to use back story, and the pros and cons of writing in third person versus first person are all VERY important aspects of THE PROCESS of writing a great book.

Something that I now realize gave me a head start (aside from my writing background) is that I've always been a huge fiction-reader. If you've read a lot of books, and have a certain genre you favor, this can also be a head start for you, too, particularly if your favorite genre is hot.

Another excellent point. There is a lot to be learned from other writers, not just about story structure, but about technique. I recently read Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell and was impressed at how he wrote the book in third person, yet matched the narrator's voice closely with that of the main character. He did this seamlessly. These days, I'm not only looking to read for pleasure, I'm also looking for new techniques that I don't currently know that can make me a better writer.

 

[LisaK]

I think it's natural to be scared. If nothing else, it's pretty obvious that you have an excellent command of spelling and grammar. I know that sounds minor, but IMO, that's a huge head-start and becoming an increasingly rare skill these days.

Something that I now realize gave me a head start (aside from my writing background) is that I've always been a huge fiction-reader. If you've read a lot of books, and have a certain genre you favor, this can also be a head start for you, too, particularly if your favorite genre is hot. If you're not a huge fiction fan, that's definitely not a deal breaker though. Our very own @Held for Ransom, who started it all, wasn't a big fiction fan, and he's been our trail-blazer and role model.

About the ghost-writing model, I'm honestly not a big fan. And I mean no disrespect to those who are. There are some incredibly smart, nice, and hard-working people right here on this forum who have taken that route, with positive results. When I'm out from under this writing deadline, I might start a thread about it, but in the meantime, I'll say that a big reason I'm not a fan of the ghost-writing model is that every single writer has his/her own unique voice, a certain way of telling a story.

If you use ghost-writers as opposed to doing the writing yourself, it can be very hard to duplicate that experience for the reader, unless you either: use the same exact ghost-writer every time, have a team of incredibly skilled ghost-writers who are following a preset style, or you're one hell of a skilled editor that can make all your books sound like they were written by the same person.

If you're in doubt, though, just dive in! If you can just finish a novel, you'll be way ahead of those who only dream of of it. And if your results aren't what you want (as mine were under my first pen name), you can abandon that pen name and try something else.

Either way, welcome and best of luck to you!

I know you are really busy and I thank you for your advice. I'm going to keep reading the threads and just start some writing. I guess what is the worst that can happen? I mean besides rejection and stuff! ha ha.

 

[COSenior]

I know you are really busy and I thank you for your advice. I'm going to keep reading the threads and just start some writing. I guess what is the worst that can happen? I mean besides rejection and stuff! ha ha.

Rejection won't kill you. We've all experienced it to some extent or another.

Here are the hazards:
1) Loss of self-esteem because of rejection. Cure: reach out here for help. We all experience self-doubt. Those of us who have persisted through it are getting better and making money.
2) Tendency to shut out the real world. (Or maybe that's just me.) Cure: get a timer and pay attention when it tells you to do something else.
3) Sedentary lifestyle risks, plus carpal tunnel syndrome. Cure: same as above
4) Opportunity costs. While you're doing this, you can't be chasing some other path. Be sure this is your best one, and then give it a real shot--write and publish for at least a year.

Still want to do it? Then go for it. There are no qualifications required except your desire, action and persistence.

You can barter or buy everything else you need to succeed if you don't already possess them. Is your grammar poor? Get an editor. No sense of design? Buy a premade cover or get one made on fiverr. Don't know how to start? Read these threads plus any of about a million established writers who blog about their process. Don't know how to craft a story? Buy some of the books you'll see recommended in these threads. While you're doing all that, just keep writing. Don't wait until you're 'ready'. You'll never be ready that way. Just. Keep. Writing.

 

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[LisaK]

Rejection won't kill you. We've all experienced it to some extent or another.

Here are the hazards:
1) Loss of self-esteem because of rejection. Cure: reach out here for help. We all experience self-doubt. Those of us who have persisted through it are getting better and making money.
2) Tendency to shut out the real world. (Or maybe that's just me.) Cure: get a timer and pay attention when it tells you to do something else.
3) Sedentary lifestyle risks, plus carpal tunnel syndrome. Cure: same as above
4) Opportunity costs. While you're doing this, you can't be chasing some other path. Be sure this is your best one, and then give it a real shot--write and publish for at least a year.

Still want to do it? Then go for it. There are no qualifications required except your desire, action and persistence.

You can barter or buy everything else you need to succeed if you don't already possess them. Is your grammar poor? Get an editor. No sense of design? Buy a premade cover or get one made on fiverr. Don't know how to start? Read these threads plus any of about a million established writers who blog about their process. Don't know how to craft a story? Buy some of the books you'll see recommended in these threads. While you're doing all that, just keep writing. Don't wait until you're 'ready'. You'll never be ready that way. Just. Keep. Writing.

Thank you. I'm going to move through it. I appreciate seeing the hazzards. Opportunity cost - I feel I can devote a year to this and see what happens without a huge opportunity cost. I've seen many of your posts and appreciate your direct feedback.

 

[Thriftypreneur]

1) Loss of self-esteem because of rejection. Cure: reach out here for help. We all experience self-doubt. Those of us who have persisted through it are getting better and making money.

Actually, for me, getting a few less-than-glowing reviews helped me. I was kinda dreading it at first, getting dragged over the coals and all and having people say my baby was ugly, but once it's out of the way, unless you quit, you realize it doesn't matter. The fastlane mindset kicks in and it's just back to work trying to put out more and better stories without being nervous/gun shy like with one's first publication.

 

[COSenior]

Actually, for me, getting a few less-than-glowing reviews helped me. I was kinda dreading it at first, getting dragged over the coals and all and having people say my baby was ugly, but once it's out of the way, unless you quit, you realize it doesn't matter. The fastlane mindset kicks in and it's just back to work trying to put out more and better stories without being nervous/gun shy like with one's first publication.

Good point.

 

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[LisaK]

Actually, for me, getting a few less-than-glowing reviews helped me. I was kinda dreading it at first, getting dragged over the coals and all and having people say my baby was ugly, but once it's out of the way, unless you quit, you realize it doesn't matter. The fastlane mindset kicks in and it's just back to work trying to put out more and better stories without being nervous/gun shy like with one's first publication.

There are no ugly babies....right? I'll divert all feelings of rejection to my alter ego pen name ha ha

 

[Rawr]

I'll tell you what's the GOOD stuff that can happen. Suddenly you can find yourself making money while being anywhere in the world.. like at a beach for example. Now think of some scenarios of how else you could get there... isn't this worth it?

 

[COSenior]

I'll tell you what's the GOOD stuff that can happen. Suddenly you can find yourself making money while being anywhere in the world.. like at a beach for example. Now think of some scenarios of how else you could get there... isn't this worth it?

Another good point. For the record, I wasn't trying to discourage the poster...I consider those relatively harmless hazards if you handle them correctly. It's not like it's going to cost you your life savings to get into the game.

 

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[LeftBench]

Wow... this thread is AWESOME!! I just read it and I have goosebumps!!A few questions:

1. How are sales for March so far?
2. How about an update on Book 2? Do you think you'll have it finished by your deadline?
3. Assuming book 2 does very well like book 1, what is your plan going forward?

Thanks for this great thread and keep up the WONDERFUL work. I am so happy for your success.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Wow... this thread is AWESOME!! I just read it and I have goosebumps!!A few questions:

1. How are sales for March so far?
2. How about an update on Book 2? Do you think you'll have it finished by your deadline?
3. Assuming book 2 does very well like book 1, what is your plan going forward?

Thanks for this great thread and keep up the WONDERFUL work. I am so happy for your success.

Thanks so much! And in answer to your questions...

1. March Sales: March sales are good, not like January or February, but so far this month, sales have averaged about 150 a day. Still well beyond my wildest hopes, so I'm incredibly thankful.
2. About Book 2: I do think it will be ready, but this isn't an experience I'm eager to repeat. I'm a veeeery slow writer, and a lot is riding on this book. I wish I'd given myself more time, if only to allow more time for editing (and hair-washing, don't ask...)
3. Future Plans: Regardless of how book 2 does, I'm planning to release another full novel late July in the same genre. I figure if book 2 does well, it's a great reason to move forward. And, heaven forbid, If book 2 tanks, I'll still need to release something fairly quickly to try to recapture the momentum.

Status Update: For book 2, I'm at 72,000 words with a few thousand to go. Must write faster!!!

 

[Rainy_TX]

For book 2, I'm at 72,000 words with a few thousand to go. Must write faster!!!

Yes! Can't wait to read it!

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Suddenly you can find yourself making money while being anywhere in the world..

This is what I call "entrepreneurial heroine" -- once you get a little taste, it becomes an instant addiction: You'll never stop wanting more of it.

 

[MisterBHZ]

Wow! You are literally making more than a lot of peoples salaries in a whole month.

Much respect to your success.

 

[Rawr]

This is what I call "entrepreneurial heroine" -- once you get a little taste, it becomes an instant addiction: You'll never stop wanting more of it.

Dismantle time from work, ay?

CH, very excited for you. 72k words, that's quite a lot of burning time.

 

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[JustKris]

Wow, this thread is so inspiring. Congratulations! It's so cool that authors and content creators can connect directly with the audience these days.

 

[Vigilante]

Write faster

 

[snowbank]

Folks, you win the game on offense

+100

 

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[snowbank]

between the full-time job, planning for Christmas, and trying to be a good Mom & wife, my fitness has been terribly neglected

now i feel really lazy. you were writing multiple novels and doing all this stuff. sheeeeeeeeeeeet

 

[snowbank]

View attachment 6612

A funny pix...I wrote about half of my novel in longhand wherever I was, trying to work around a massive shortage of time between the day-job and family responsibilities. Here's all of that raw material. Almost all of these sheets are two-sided. Funny how all those words add up.

holy shit

 

[snowbank]

I should probably add that this is the seventh book I've written, so I'm building on a long, discouraging history of less-than-glorious results. In short, it definitely hasn't been a case of overnight (potential) success.

this is so epic that you kept grinding.

what made you decide to keep writing? enjoyment, desire to succeed/not fail, not wanting to do other 'make money' endeavors besides writing?

 

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[snowbank]

Well, it's official. I QUIT MY JOB!!!!

• Earnings: Approximately $25,400

Curious, how did your husband react when you told him you were quitting because you made $25k that month?

 

[snowbank]

I'm not a fast writer so this means 12-15 hours a day at the keyboard just to churn out a pathetic 3,000 words, maybe 4,000 on a good day.

This is the same boat I'm in. A lot of my blog posts take me 20-30 hours.

Any tips you've found to allow you to concentrate/write for long periods of time without burnout?

 

[snowbank]

I accidently posted back to back to back to back to back(and maybe more) comments as I was reading through your thread.

Awesome job.

I don't know your niche at all, but assuming your other books you released are the same quality(the ones that never got traction), have you considered pulling them, and re-releasing them under your new pen name?

The alternative to increase your monetization would be to at least recommend that series to your email list, especially since people are rabid for more of your stuff.

If you have six other books that just didn't get traction, and this book built you a name enough so marketing would be taken care of, you may be able to pick up six additional streams of income by leveraging the popular pen name.

 

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[ChickenHawk]

this is so epic that you kept grinding.

what made you decide to keep writing? enjoyment, desire to succeed/not fail, not wanting to do other 'make money' endeavors besides writing?

Thanks so much for your comments and encouragement! To answer the questions...

Why I Kept Going After Discouraging Results: Honest to goodness, this forum is what made me keep going. All the great info and encouragement shared here, not to mention the Millionaire Fastlane book, made me determined to press forward no matter what. Plus, writing is my primary skill, so I figured it was my best shot at financial independence.

About Folding My Previous Books Into My New Pen Name: Here are the books I've written, along with the years.

• Book #1: A romantic mystery novel: Written in 2007, Unpublished
• Book #2: A romantic suspense novel w/paranormal elements: Written in 2008, Unpublished
• Book #3: Kids Book, Self-Pubbed in 2013 - Sells a handful a month
• Book #4: Kids Book, Self-Pubbed in 2013 - Sells a handful a month
• Book #5: Kids Book, Self-Pubbed in 2013 - Sells a couple handfuls a month
• Book #6: Kids Book, Self Pubbed in 2013 - Sells a handful a month
• Book #7: A contemporary romance (My Overnight Success Book) - Has sold about 26,000 copies in its first three months.

The first two books on this list will definitely see the light of day, but first they'll require significant rewriting to fit with my new, edgier style. I definitely plan to tap them though! About the Kids Books, there's probably not much I can do for cross-promotion. My romance books are filled with tons of profanity, and a bit of explicit sex, so no crossover sales potential there, unfortunately.

My Husband's Reaction: He was beyond tickled. He's watched me fail at a lot of things over the years, so to see something succeed like this, we're both just so thankful. He supported my job-quitting decision 100%, and cheered every new milestone. These last couple of weeks, he's also shouldered a ton more of the household responsibilities, even cutting back on his own work, to free up more writing time for me. And he's a naturally awesome story-teller, so he helps me brainstorm ideas when I run into a sticky spot. I'm so thankful for his help. (Funny though, for everyone who's spouses haven't been quite so supportive, I'll mention that his support, while always decent, has really skyrocketed recently. Hah!)

About Concentrating Without Burnout: A really strange thing I discovered, my word counts are higher when I push away from the computer and go on a strenuous walk. It's crazy, because I almost feel like I'm "wasting" time when I leave my computer. But then, my daily word counts are actually higher. Also, for breaks, I'll check into the forum. I lurk a lot, even when I'm not actively posting. Other than that, I pretty much keep my butt in the writing chair. No FaceBook, no TV, etc.

About Writing So Darn Slow: One thing I'm learning to accept is that my daily word counts will likely never be as high as I'd like. I would love to write faster, and still make that my mantra. But part of the reason I'm slow is because I do a lot of editing as I go. For my "breakout" book, I literally released it within a couple days of finishing my first draft. If I'd written it faster, I'm not sure I'd have been able to do that.

Status Update: Current Word Count = 74,800. Should have a finished rough draft within the next couple of days. Whew!

 

[soonrich]

I REALLY need to get into fiction books, you guys are KILLING it. Keep up the good work, you inspire a lot of people (myself included).

Time for me to write up a plan and raise some capital, gonna be fun!

 

[LisaK]

I started my progress thread and am "getting ready" to start writing. (getting ready to start sounds dumb to me but I really am going to write something) I am a little torn on whether to write in first person or third. I have read a lot of John Grisham and he seems to write in First. I know others have asked on these forums, I am curious though about your opinion. Is it easier to write in one then the other as a beginner? Writing in the first person seems to me to give an element of more intimacy but maybe its just what I've gravitated to. Any direction on this would be helpful. I don't want to start one way and realize I should have gone th other way as that would cause a lot of time to be wasted.

I have a meeting Tuesday with a person for some research I'm doing and I'm excited about that.

Also Congratulations on finishing another Novel...I'm in awe. I am inspired and I thank you for your willingness to keep posting while you are so busy.

 

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[LeftBench]

I am just blown away by this thread. I keep coming back to it. It makes me so happy to read this success story. I'm sure your next book will blow everyone's socks off. Keep up the great work, CH.

 

[ChickenHawk]

I am a little torn on whether to write in first person or third. I have read a lot of John Grisham and he seems to write in First. I know others have asked on these forums, I am curious though about your opinion. Is it easier to write in one then the other as a beginner? Writing in the first person seems to me to give an element of more intimacy but maybe its just what I've gravitated to.

If you have no huge preference, it might be a good idea to look at the top sellers in whichever genre you're planning to pursue,and then follow their lead. As for me personally, I absolutely love writing in the first person, and feel like I do a better job in first as opposed to third. Of the eight books I've written, seven were in the first person, and one was in the third. In a happy coincidence of timing, first person seems to be preferred in my genre.

If you find that you have a strong preference in third versus first, you could also make that a factor in which genre you choose to pursue. If my current genre falls out of fashion, and I have to do a switcharoo, I'll probably try pretty hard to find a genre which also favors the first person.

It sounds like you might naturally gravitate toward first person, so if you want, you could just make sure you pick a good genre where first person is preferred, and take it from there. Hope this helps!