How To Make An Old Year New Again: Part 1

It’s the wrong way around. Old is not new.

Every year we celebrate the so-called new year. It is not new at all, it is a year older.

We should be celebrating a growth and not a rebirth.

The commonly held idea is that we can make a new start with the beginning of another year.

I am wondering why this is.

Why is it necessary to start all over again?

It’s almost as if we choose to ignore all we achieved over the preceding months.

It’s as if what we have been doing is wrong and we should rethink it or do it differently. That seems counterproductive to me.

Shouldn’t we just be building on what we have been doing over the previous year?

Sure, a new year offers new chances, but so does every new day.

As the year winds down I have to think about what I have achieved.

A year ago I was considering what to do with my writing. I was researching whether I should become an independent publisher or continue searching for a traditional one.

I was thinking about the future and not the past.

Half way through this year I decided I knew enough to make a choice. I decided to set up a company and publish my books myself.

I have to say I don’t regret the decision.

It hasn’t made me financially insolvent but it has given me the freedom to get my work out into the world.

Six months into the process–and two books on the market–I realise I still have a long way to go.

I have been reading in recent days a lot about independent authors lamenting the fact that they can’t earn enough money.

Some of them felt they had been duped into taking this path. Many believed becoming an independent author was a way to earn a quick buck.

They believed that it was a pot of gold.

It isn’t.

I believe it can provide a stable income but not without hard work.

There are no get rich quick schemes. It’s a fallacy.

Nobody gets anywhere without putting a serious amount of effort into what they are doing. And this takes time.

If you look at most successes, they didn’t come overnight. It usually took years and an innumerable number of hours and much difficulty before it paid off.

I am seeing that with authors.

The authors who are successful have stuck at it.

They release new books regularly. They have a club of readers who follow their work. Readers who are taking the trip with them and snapping up everything they produce.

These authors are open about what they are doing. They don’t moan. They give back to the writing community. They are grateful for every reader. Most of all they realise that nothing is handed to them on a platter.

They continue to build their platform and attract new audiences. They treat it as a business.

Most of all, they don’t give up.

It’s a long journey but I am convinced it is a worthwhile one.

Next week I will delve into more of what I have experienced this (old) year.