September came in like a…
Well it came in great and I had 12 sales on the first, which is also my birthday. If you multiply that out, you get 360 sales for the month. We need $2500 a month income to make this a full time deal. August we did close to $500 so roughly about 600 books a month in sales and I can stop looking for 9 to 5 work and write full time.
But sales did not hold at 12 units a day. By the 11th we had 52 units so not quite 5 units a day. Almost 25% of what we need pacing wise.
In any case we sold 116 units last month. Mostly because of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s Correspondence 
which is what I renamed Colonel Fitzwilliam to. That is twice everything I have sold before. Total units of all my works were at 229 at the end of August. It made me feel the change from tyro to real writer.
I have also joined a second writing group and a third starts up, that I am leading, this weekend. The second has strict rules on what they want to look at, so regency romance just did not fit in. Some brief thoughts on a writing group and my writing occurred to me because of this group here in Hemet. There are writers who work on many different types of projects and some think of the art as a way to elevate ideas and belief structures. Many of who we term the great writers have done this. That they want their writing to reflect their feelings as citizens of their environment and use their writing to elevate all those who have like feelings. Writing leads to revolution. To understanding.
Some of us though are writing to be storytellers. I recall reading a story of Garrison Keillor 
and how he wrote his monologue on the train in a very short time. If you listen to his monologues you quickly hear how he is a very good storyteller. It is the type of writer I strive to be. It does not start with Character for me. I do not want to write a treatise that is a comparison of our failing bicameral government. I don’t want the US overthrown. Though my Science Fiction that would lead us to the stars, possibly is the revolution I want to see in my lifetime. (A vacation at a hotel on the moon would be great.)
No, I write Story first. If has to be a fun idea, which gives me passion. As a story, I do not see agonizing over word placement so pacing becomes an issue. I do not see the need to spend hours in rewrites. I need to make some money at this also, so having written 4 million words, we are not even at 1/20 of a cent a word return yet. My hourly wage would be laughable. If I am generous because now I can type as fast as 2000 words an hour, but in a good day, it is really 1000, I have earned less than $.75 an hour. Or at the lower rate, less than $.35 an hour. And I used to pay myself when we owned Aspen Interiors much more than 100 times that. So rewriting, which is not included in that hourly output calculation, would only slow things down further. I make less and less the more I write about it.
How many rewrites look for the correct use of “She’s dead,” or “She is dead,” must I go through.
No, I write story. And from those of you so kind to read my material and give me feedback, I believe you agree and enjoy it.
So now having written it months ago and then edited and worked for a week on the cover (that takes away from my pennies per hour calculation as well) we have Trolling’s Pass and Present 
available now. It is from our Space Opera Books Imprint. It is 2.99 as are the other Trolling Books. Three released now, and each for $2.99. They are quick light hearted adventures that have gotten good feedback.
Those of you who have been paying attention to our blog from last month will know about Genghis Khan 
and our new project,
Genghis Khan’s Rules for (Warriors) Writers
A look at the techniques to make you prepared for being published
in an age where the world of Publishing is beset
by the Horde of Writers who have learned these rules
I created a new imprint for this, If All the World Were Paper Books and this book is also now available as well. Genghis Khan’s Rules for (Warriors) Writers 
Available for 4.99. As the title piece above suggests a great deal is covered quite quickly and breezily with humor as well as good writing technique for those who also wish to be a part of the Storyteller focus of writing. For those who see that publishing is changing faster than the big publishers understand, these rules are timely. You have to write and start producing your own work. You have to get it out of you, and out to the public.
I now have conversations that start with how this has all changed and how the next generation will be lucky to have libraries. Soon everything will be done electronically. Today the rumor mill had Amazon becoming an ebook library. Coffee table books will be gone and we will use our Surface table instead.
Here are The 10 Rules
1) Read like a writer
2) Have a good story
3) Your work will be Thematic
4) Plot: The seven deadly ones
5) Characters will carry your tale, near and far
6) Words are your warriors
7) Stories are structured
8) All tales building to a Crescendo
9) Genghis edits history, shouldn’t you as well
10) Act like a writer
I think those that take the time with the material will find themselves thinking of writing in this modern age a little differently than most other advice books. But then Genghis would not have it any other way.
Last, I had a new new idea today. It will be covered more next blog as I hope to start work on it fully today and finish soon. With all these books such as P&P and Zombies, it seemed natural that I too dig in.
The Jane Austen and Zombies, Werewolves and Vampires project will be coming soon.
The Things That Catch My Eye 