Can I do it?

Welcome to my new blog. It will be interesting (to me) to see if I can maintain a flow of worthy writing over a long term. It may be that I find it detracts from my novel writing and my painting. But it may add balance too, so we will see.

I recently published my first and second novels as ebooks on Amazon and Smashwords. I also have print versions published, but I need to check out the published drafts to make sure they are right side up and all that.

My goal here is to document the process of writing, publishing, and marketing. It is a tough nut to crack for an artist to move to the marketing side of things. Most of us can't do it, and don't, or at least don't do it very well. And it helps to be a political animal, and know where to lay down the strokes that count without compromising integrity. I don't even know if that is possible. Most artists have a keen sense of honesty in their work, and refuse to compromise or bow to public opinion. (They may cry over rejection, but they won't change!) Of course there are a lot of great artists who never sell anything, and there are terrible ones who sell for outrageous millions.

I will include the process of marketing and selling original art work. Similar problem, but different market, and it requires hands-on retail in the difficult arenas of galleries, shows, and street fairs.

I was thrilled to see that my first ebook submission to Amazon actually sold a few copies in the UK, Holland, and Canada as well as the USA. Not a lot, but for me, just starting out, it was fun! And I just got a notice that I sold through Smashwords too.

My Amazon Author page is https://www.amazon.com/author/timruggenberg and my Smashwords interview page is https://www.smashwords.com/interview/timrugg

Next thing I need is to have my friends and family read the books! Problem is they are busy with young families, work, and all the typical diversions of young adults finding their own space and time. Then it would be nice to see a few comments and ratings. But I won't get pushy. Many of my family and friends are readers, but their chosen interests are not exactly in line with my writing. My books are adventure, fantasy, thriller, combinations, perhaps most suited for young adults. But I don't even know for sure. I await comments to find out.

But right now I must leave. I have two loaves of sourdough bread ready to pop in the oven. And I just finished some vegan cookies for that part of the family's Easter celebration. My wife puts on a great egg hunt for kids and adults. Money eggs too! She raided my wallet yesterday.