Un-Published

Well it's done. I just pulled all seven of my titles from Amazon and fell back to the rank of an unpublished wannabe. It was a painful thing to do, but hopefully after working through the process I'll come out on the other side a little more polished and a lot more professional.

If you have read the previous post then you know I made this decision earlier in the week while away from home with my wife on somewhat of a working vacation.

You may recall I shared the fact that my titles were not preforming as well as I thought they should due largely impart to what I called an ugly trinity, or a bad trifecta going in the wrong direction. I said my craft was amateur, my cover art unprofessional and my discipline lacking.

But, what I failed to share with you was the straw the broke this camel's back and the blow that hurt my feelings.

Someone was brave enough to give me an honest review and said the story had potential, but the editing was poor. I have received a couple of negative reviews over the past couple of years, but understood it comes with the territory.

However, this one was different in that she recognized the value of the story, but struggled with my presentation. Though she did not use these words, she was referring to the poor quality in which the story was written.

So what do you do when someone pops your bubble and reality smacks you in the face? You're only left with with three options. (1) Continue swimming in a sea of mediocrity, which at best will only bring  much of the same.(2) Quit. Or, (3) Swallow hard as you take your medicine and fix the problem.

Someone once described mediocrity as being half way up the mountain and that description resonates deeply with me as I recall the words of my late father, "Anything worth doing is worth doing right."

I put effort into the project but stopped short of taking it to the next level  by failing to hire an editor and a cover artist. I stood before the mountain of what it takes to publish and package a story and stopped short of reaching the summit.

And with that I have only myself to blame. In the end... I owe a huge thanks to the negative review. I was embarrassed, humbled and challenged, but with that came the push to get it right.

My reason for posting this confession is an attempt to become more disciplined by making myself accountable to you...my friends and hopefully readers.

The first story I published was called The Note and I've decided to begin with it. I'm rewriting a portion, and then sending it to my copy editor. Then I need to find a cover artist. Hopefully within the month I'll  have it uploaded to Amazon and see what a difference this confession had made.

www.camdockery.com