Writerly thoughts.

I'm reminded every workday why I couldn't write for 25 years.  The job is totally absorbing -- I have no energy or psychic space left to create.  Thankfully, the store is doing well enough that I can take the time off.  Pegasus Books is just packed with cool things, these days, and Cameron and Matt are doing a great job.  

Jeff Barr, the guy whose tweet led me to trying Books of the Dead Press, came in and we had a nice talk about writing.  I really like talking about writing.  Too much, I'm afraid.  I sort of neglect customers, and keep thinking of new things to say, even when the person I'm talking to is giving every hint they need to move on.

I've made a conscious effort not to hype my books over the last couple of weeks.  Not posting pictures of the covers and so on.  As far as I can tell, it has had zero impact on sales. In fact, if anything, sales seem to be slightly higher without me saying anything.  (Or anyone else saying anything.)

What it means, I think, is that just having the books out there, and the covers, and the reviews, and  the general idea of the books, is what sells the books.  All the promotion in the world seems to have little effect.  I mean, I can see how the right trigger happening on the right site could have a huge impact.  But everything I've tried has had minimal results.

By the end of today, I should be about halfway through the rewrite of Faerylander.  So it will probably take only a couple of weeks, maybe a bit longer.  Broke a tooth a couple of days ago, so getting a crown next week. That may throw me off my stride.  But I can feel the quiet settling in that allows me to write.  Should be able to keep that up that quiet for a few more months.

I can tell the Faerylander is better.  It's only taken me four years to create the same level of readability as books that I've spent mere weeks on -- but I hate to give up on anything, once I start.  If the result is a good book, it was worth it, and how long it took won't matter.