Blog

I started writing as a hobbyist a long time ago. Even then, I desired to make a career of it. This would result in writing in fits and starts for a couple of decades, learning more about other aspects of the craft like perspective, editing, layout, and more.

In 2014, I started, slowly, to self-publish. Then, in 2020, I dove in head-first.

Since 2020, I have published 14 novels spanning 3 different series (the 5 books of Void Incursion, 4 books (so far) of Forgotten Fodder, 3 books of Savagespace) and two standalones (Infamy Ascending and Jay And Char Save The Galaxy). I’m currently on track to publish 3 books a year through 2027.

Enter the question. What is the secret formula? I suppose I should define the concept at its core first.

The isness of the secret formula

What the secret formula is, when all is said and done, is that sweet spot where readers are drawn to my books. Sufficient readers to make this career sustainable.

Ideally, sure, I’d love to become a best-selling author. However, I’m a realist. I mostly write sci-fi, a genre full to overflowing with books both traditionally and independently published. Best-selling is also a subjective term, so what I’m genuinely seeking is sustainability. That is defined, for me, as selling a sufficient number of books to keep at this as my career.

But there is a deeper, underlying isness of the secret formula. Creating a work that draws the attention of a reader is unfathomable.

For example, I’ve read a best-seller or two that was uneven, not terribly well-written overall, and a bit of a head-scratcher (as in, seriously, how did millions of people find this crap worthwhile?) Conversely, I’ve read bestsellers that I utterly understand the magic of (i.e., Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, probably my favorite book).

I tend to read a lot of indie-authors because I AM an indie-author. Here, too, I find the head-scratchers with a ton of reviews and brilliance barely noted side-by-side.

What people like is utterly subjective. Hence, the secret formula tends to be subjective.

Growth and evolution

For most of my writing life, I was a pantser. Sit down at the keyboard, let the ideas flow, and write. With Forgotten Fodder, I tried something new. Planning. Writing as a planner, I discovered stronger plot, less meandering, and better overall story cohesion. This has been applied to all the fiction writing I’ve done since then.

I used to fear that writing from a plan would stifle my creativity. But, no, it certainly does not. In fact, I think it has made me a better writer.

All artists experience growth and evolution as they ply their art. I believe that art in its many forms is a great catalyst for growth and evolution overall. But that’s a different essay. The storyteller I was a decade ago is not the storyteller I am today, and that’s a good thing.

Yet I continue the quest.