The Key to Success
I was thinking today about success and what constitutes being truly successful.
Is it down to the number of hits that your site gets? Or how about the number of people that decide to tune in and listen to your podcasts?
Are the number of books one sells an indication of success or lack thereof? Or is it the little things that mean more than all of the superficiality of making as much money as you can?
For instance, having children and raising them to be the very best that they can could be considered a mark of ones success. Similarly obtaining true, lasting happiness regardless of your financial standing could be considered more important and life affirming than being able to buy all of those things that you may not need but have a desire to own.
So what is real success and more importantly why am I asking this question?
Well those of you who know me will be aware that for the past year or so I have been attempting to enter the world of the author. To be honest writing is something I have always had an interest in, historically however I have lacked the motivation to put pen to paper and bring my ideas to life. Deciding to pull my finger out I actually completed a novella called Loner, it wasn't the novel that I had been toying with for 10 years but it was a start and would allow me to see if my work could find an audience.
Long story short, friends and family enjoyed Loner which inspired me to finally write the novel Legendville which had been gestating in my twisted little mind ever since I first watched Bruce Campbell in the brilliant Bubba Ho-Tep. It too was well received by my nearest and dearest and so I continued my run of good form by penning two further novellas to round out the Loner trilogy. My current writing journey is rounded out with my childrens book the Werewolf Detective Agency which had been requested by my eldest daughter Jessica.
Once a book is written however the real work begins and I soon had a new found appreciation for the role of a proof reader. The trouble I discovered was that no matter how many times I read through my work I always missed things such as issue with the tense I was using or silly spelling mistakes. This coupled with my impatient nature meant that I ended up sending out my manuscripts for Legendville and Loner to publishers before it was really ready (early readers will back me up on this point). This of course screwed me royally and whilst I have rectified my early issues I am still hitting a brick wall when it comes to finding a publisher willing to take a punt on me.
Not that I should be disheartened by tis of course as even JK Rowling was turned down every major publisher before finding a home for Harry Potter which of course went on to make her a multi millionaire, that doesnt detract from the deflation one feels each time a rejection comes your way.
Moving away from the writing I have of course in the last week or so created the World of Stu which is made up of a facebook page, a website and a podcast, the episodes of which can be found on a multitude of platforms such as Youtube, Podomatic and Mixcloud.
So how do you judge success in regards to the world of online multimedia domination? Being new to the game I am not going to have many hits or subscribers at this point. Truth be told I'm not likely to ever get particularly big numbers as the recording quality is not great (just me talking into a Nexus 7, no microphones or editing suites) and is there really an audience for the ramblings of a middle aged fella from the one and only Stroud?
Does this really matter though? It's 16 months till my 40th birthday and if I'm honest I have done more with my life thus far then alot of the people I know. Ive been a radio presenter and producer, spent a summer working in Ibiza, dealt cards and sun roulette as a croupier in a casino and been employed by a theme park. I have written four books (though the world of self publishing is never going to make an author a living) and married the love of my life. We have had three of the most perfect children we could ever have hoped for and who bring humour and light to our lives each and every day.
So back to the question of success. Am I a successful iauthor or entertainment guru? The simple answer is no but with so many other great things going on in my life it is hard to argue that overall Ive been successful in the things that I have done and the choices I have made.
Now then, back to the hunt for a publisher and that elusive fame and fortune :)