Well, this is it for 2011, and I have about 2 months left until March. 2011 was the year where I really knuckled down and tried to produce results. I wrote Cauldron Gristle, The Bear That Fell From The Stars, 131 Days, Mountain Man, and soon to arrive White Sands, Red Steel. So the equivalent of say three and a half novels. I’m rounding out the year by working on the sequel to Mountain  Man, so it’s been a very productive year in terms of what I got out there.

Financially, it ain’t so good. Looks like I’ll probably have to get a day job to refill my bank account, and with the day job, I’ll probably go back to writing one book a year. I’m not really up on self-promotion which I kinda find ironic—my dream job needs self-promotion. I’m not the type to put  my face on my books, or write lengthy bios, or anything like that. Sending books out to reviewers—sent some and didn’t even get so much as a thank you in reply–while others state that it could take up to a year to get a review. A year! Getting the word on a new release could potentially take a year. Why is this? It’s because there are so many people self-publishing these days, and they are all looking for that bit of exposure. I banked on my readers getting the word out, if they liked the work… but it’s taking longer than the one year I had prepared for (on top of the years I was writing an submitting to regular publishers).

So what does it mean? Well, I doubt if I’ll do any more promoting other than getting the next book out there. Sorry-you’re talking to a guy that hates the spotlight, who passes out during ceremonies where he’s a focal point, and skips his own going away parties (if he can–damn right).  And now that I’m on the verge of packing things up and getting a day job, it’ll take longer to get a new book out.

But each reader I get is one step closer to doing this full-time. Like really full time, and not just living off of savings.

That’s the reality of it. The shop isn’t shutting down, but it will get a lot slower, going back to pre-2011 production speed.

The positive side is that I saw four reviews in the last  two weeks which were all… glowing. A very grateful thank you to (in order I received each review) David, Terry, Donna, and Sparse. Four reviews for three books and you guys made me a very happy camper. If you’re interested Terry and Sparse, drop me a line and I’ll send you a thank you book (you can choose which one too, if you like).

There were some other things that went on behind the scenes that I won’t/can’t tell you about, but they were very positive to say the least. All of this has told me that there is an audience out there for my stories. It’ll just take a little more time in finding them.

So…2012? More of 2011, except maybe at a reduced speed.

But that’s not a bad thing.