5 Sales don’t make a success

 

Two weeks ago my children’s picture book ‘Snuffles and the Cloud People‘ was released on the Amazon platform.  I was relieved that the culmination of years of work had finally made it to this point.  I was excited to send this infant child of mine out into the world. 

If one swallow doesn’t make a summer, 5 sales certainly don’t make a success.  This is not an easy fact to face but a fact none the less and I find it depressing.  I considered not writing this post.  I almost feel that pronouncing failure after just 2 weeks will somehow rob the future of success, if it is waiting around a corner.  Motivational speakers would accuse me of killing my infant book through negative thinking.  Possibly they would be right.  I feel however that truth and honesty must be a cornerstone. 

I still hope that the book will claim the wings which I dream for it and soar out of obscurity.  It may well end up being a lesson that my dreams still matter even if they are not shared, and that should be OK.

Still it is tough, when I think of the time and passion invested by me and all involved, I am pained. 

I still have plans for the book.  I would love to have it translated into Afrikaans and at least 1 other African language.  I hope that the formatting challenges can be surmounted to get the book onto other digital platforms. 

The problem with publishing through Amazon’s KDP is that you have to work hard at marketing and you have to get reviews.  I can’t irritate my friends into buying the book.  I don’t want to get on their tits and also need to feel that the book has value ‘out there’, it has to stand on it’s own feet.

For now I can only hope that this is not how the story ends with a whimper instead of a bang.