Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

November 3, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 10 Comments

I don’t know what’s happening lately, but making decisions is like pulling teeth for me. Today, I waffle over the simplest things. The worst, according to my husband, is choosing from the menu whenever we go out. Food doesn’t have the same appeal, it once did, but even I had to laugh last night – when the waitress ordered for me. God love her; I guess she had other patrons waiting (the nerve).

I haven’t always been cursed with indecisiveness, especially when I worked. As a nursing administrator and single mom, with two young children (at the time), I didn’t have the leisure of hemming and hawing. I had to make decisions and make them quickly. Those days are long gone; my children are grown, and I left the workforce a long time ago. However, having to make decisions didn’t disappear or magically become easier. If you’re alive and breathing, you make decisions every day; some minor, others difficult, and a few that has the potential to shake the ground on which we stand.

There are things in this life worth taking our time over deciding – food or what to wear are not those types of decisions and truthfully, neither is my latest quandary. To you, it may seem silly; especially with all, that’s going on in our world. Nevertheless, I hope you’ll humor me and give me your opinion.

As you may recall, I mentioned weeks ago; I was planning to publish a short story collection. Well, it’s ready, but for the love of God, I can’t decide on which cover I want to use. That’s where you come in – I need you to vote in my poll.

Which cover do you like best? If you decide not to participate, I understand and appreciate your reading. It’s always a pleasure to see you here in the pasture. For those who vote, here’s a hint about the story collection:

“It has been said that darkness dwells within even the best of us. In the worst of us, darkness not only dwells but reigns.” ― Dean Koontz. Tweet this.

Vote and tell me what you think. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. I’d love to hear from you.

Short Story Collections – A Good Investment?

September 14, 2016October 22, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 20 Comments

I realize it’s been a few days since my last post, but I’ve been busy working on a short story collection. At present, the collection is out to beta readers which has given me time to toy with cover designs (via Canva) as well as consulting with profession designers.

This is my first foray into self-publishing, and while I’m excited about the prospect, I’ve also discovered the process can be costly, especially when you factor in ISBN’s, Editors, and cover designers (if you choose to go the professional route).

Which brings me to my question – Is it a worthwhile investment?

Short story collections are a huge category on Amazon, ranging from literary, romance, erotica, Christian to crime. You’ll find collections and singles from classic authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway, to name a few and a large selection of Kindle Singles and Kindle Short Reads listed by reading times (from 15 minutes to 2 hours or more). How cool is that?

In doing my research, prices ranged from free to $9.99 for the Kindle version with other formats running as high as $22.47.

Now, I’m no Fitzgerald or Hemingway and probably won’t break even for a long time to come, but it’s not about the money – it’s about sharing my stories.

I’ll tell you more about my short story collection in the coming weeks but in the meantime, here’s a hint.

“Darkness dwells within even the best of us. In the worst of us, darkness not only dwells but reigns.” ― Dean Koontz (Tweet This).

What do you think? Short story collections- are they a good investment?

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Forget About Getting Rich

September 27, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 14 Comments

via The Average Earnings of Authors | A Writer’s Path and Guest post contributed by Sara Wolf at the Blooming Twig. The Blooming Twig is an independent publishing house that also produces writing blog posts. For more information, check out the Blooming Twig and A Writer’s Path.

A big thanks to Ryan Lanz and Sara Wolf for bursting my bubble. I’m no Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, but hey, I have aspirations for my still unfinished novel. I imagined my book on the New York Times bestselling list and after selling the movie rights, visions of rolling in money. But, according to a report by the University of London, it ain’t gonna happen.

Photo Courtesy of toonbarn.com and Google

Here are the highlights of the University’s study (based on 2,500 working writers):

54% of traditionally published authors and 80% of self-published authors earn less than $1,000 a year.
In 2013, 17% of authors made no money writing.
Less than 1% of self-published and more than 5% hybrid writers earn more than $100,000 per year. (Hybrid writer -an author who utilizes both the traditional and self-publishing systems in order to retain control of her own work).
According to award-winning author, Phillip Pullman, over the past ten years, publisher’s earnings have remained steady; writers incomes have decreased an average of 29%.
Fiction authors make more money than non-fiction or academic writers.
Women writers make 80% of what male writers make. (What! Who’s surprised?)
The report summed it nicely, “It appears that writing is a profession where only a handful of successful authors make a very good living while most do not.”

There you have it; not many of us will become rich from writing. Most of us write because we love to; it’s part of who we are.

I published my first article in 1989 and the excitement I felt is hard to describe. It’s an accomplishment of which I am still very proud. That first article happened a long time ago, but each time a story or article of mine is published, I get those same feelings. There’s something special about knowing other people are reading and enjoying the words I have written.

What about you? Do you write for fame and riches? Have you earned income from your writing? Share your success. Want to read the full article? You can find it here.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter @cofcmom, and Contently.

How to Tell Which Self-Publishing Company is Right For You

June 21, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

I’m not ready to make a decision on who or how to publish my novel. However, years ago while looking at publishing a picture book, I investigated some of the SPSCs, including Author House. This information is the kind you want to save, even if you’re not quite ready for publication. Thanks to A Writer’s Path for sharing this valuable guest post by Helen Sedwick.