Dirty Truth for a Dirty Subject.

It may sound crazy because it is. There is a little-known thing called a platform on the internet, and everyone is fighting to build one. The biggest statistic publishers look at are subscribers and social media followers to a website. Does this person who has submitted this idea for a book already have a following?

Do you know how much of an authors success of being published is up to their readers?

A. Lot.

It seems unfair.

It seems left field.

It seems like there are probably a LOT of really good books out there getting self-published, costing authors a lot of extra money and with very little return. It seems there may be some who are not getting published at all, based on these vital statistics, their following or lack thereof.

I have to admit, though I am willing to play the game, are the readers and clickers on my page also willing? Are you willing to support an up and coming writer in their adventure to write a book, be published and have their voice heard?  I can answer that for you- NOPE, you are not willing.

Last week I had a book I was supposed to give away on my page, for a well-known author of a very amazing book. The only criteria~ to subscribe and leave a comment so I knew to look for your name.

Guess what?

NONE of my friends, family, readers subscribed to my blog. NOT ONE. Not that day, and not ever. Completely stunned, I sat at my computer and cried. I almost shut my blog down all the way.  If a girl can’t get her friends or family to subscribe, then why would anyone else do it?

Even my writer friends I subscribe to don’t return the favor. There is no reciprocation. Yet, they expect it. It is so dang frustrating. It is also very hurtful coming from them, because hello?! We are all in the same place here. It tells me I am not good enough for weekly reading. It tells me my words don’t matter to them personally. It tells me other people are better at this than I am so why even bother?

I am, at the very least, honest. I know writers who never look for fear of the truth. And now I know.

Then a thought occurred to me. Think about your passion. Your home based business. Your coaching career. Your education or job. Think about all the ways people support your endeavors and what it costs them in money, time and resources. Think about the investment other people make in you that makes a difference in your life accomplishments. Think about what would happen if no one bought your products, shared your frustrations, supported your education or your job change.

Clicks on a page. Seems simple enough. Yet…

You are all going to be clicking somewhere. You will be reading stories, looking at pictures and watching videos.  Is my content too much? Too little? Is it too boring?  And if it is all these things, why not just say so?

The frustrations of not getting reciprocation when I KNOW God calls me to write are immense. The silence of no comments, no participation, and no support boggle me. How much does one give of themselves when receiving so very little?  How long do I spin my wheels giving giving giving, and never accepting because support isn’t offered?

This makes me feel raw. It makes me feel exposed. It makes me feel too human. I know I do not write because of people- I am convicted to write for them. People make things hard sometimes. More complicated than they have to be, actually.