An exciting (not really) day in the life of an author with a full time job...

Wanting to be a full-time author and working at an EDJ full time is not fun. You have to do three jobs at the very least four or five if you have a family at home, which I don't, unless you count the dogs.

7AM or earlier - Wake up to a dog whimpering in my bedroom. Go to the lavatory to you...know. Then put on sneakers or something and walk the dogs, yes, in my PJs because I don't care. lol

7:30AM Give dogs snacks, check emails and social media and put on the news, then shower and get ready for work.

8:20AM - Arrive at the EDJ. Check work email. Open Facebook. Schedule promos for myself and two publishing houses and share for friends on various pages or profiles. Check the status of my ads if any are running to see how they're doing. Check out my Publisher & Writer groups for any new releases or new promos to share. Check novelrank to see if any of my books are selling. If I see a sale, I usually go and post a few extra promos. If I don't see sales, I usually go and post a few extra promos. LOL

9AM Start work.

10:30AM - Take a quick 15 minute break to post some more promos and check social media for any messages. Check novelrank to see if any of my books are selling.

12PM Lunchtime! Ha! Post Lunchtime fun on my page, post a few more promos if I have the time, eat my lunch, check for messages.Check novelrank to see if any of my books are selling.

3PM - Another quick 15 minute break to post some promos. Check novelrank to see if any of my books are selling.

5PM - Head home. Sometimes walk the dogs when I get in, if not, it's straight to the bedroom to put the PJs back on!

5:30PM - Check emails and messages, post some more promos, check and like posts on Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr (every other day) because I don't use these as often as the others. Check novelrank to see if any of my books are selling.

6:30PM - Dinner and the Daily Show (usually) or the News.

7:30PM - Post more promos, check the status of my ads if I'm running any.

8PM Walk the dogs again.

8:30PM - This all depends on the day and if there is any TV shows on. I will usually post more promos, check messages and emails and either settle in for some editing, writing or TV watching.

10:30PM (if I'm writing, this could be 11 or 12 or even 1 if I'm lucky) Get ready for bed, which includes checking novelrank once more, posting promos, checking to see if anyone needs promo shares, then go to bed,

On the weekends I tend to do more promos and writing as well as website updates, searching for more posters for promo, making promos, or book trailers or set up blogs if I have any while also trying to take some time to visit with friends or family or just have some Jenn time. :-)

Exciting, huh?

#Publishing Keeps Getting Tougher

When I first started querying publishers and agents in 2001 about 5% of them accepted email or online submissions.

• Nowadays about 5% of them only accept snail-mail submissions . 

When I sold my first book to a small publisher, you could find a couple dozen of them.

• Now, there are a several hundred.

When I found a publisher for my next book, the thought of even considering self-publishing was the biggest no-no an author could do to their career.

• These days, if you don't have a self-published book or backlist novel, you're in the minority.

When I first began networking with other authors and writers...you know, way back during the mySpace and LiveJournal days I was lucky if I could make a new writer friend once a week.

• Today, every other person is an "author". 

Despite it all seeming easier, because the internet makes most things possible, those of us who have been in the trenches from the earlier days of online publishing and didn't break through to the mass market type audiences, are still struggling. Now we're being hidden on places like Amazon and Facebook because 1. we can't afford to pay for constant promotion and/or 2. are lost in the sea of free and .99c ebooks, a big chunk of which are self-published and...sorry to say this, crap.

I'm not the type to be mean on purpose and crush someone's dream, but when you're writing Sasquatch or DinoPorn romances, those of us who take writing seriously never get seen because 18 of your crap books are hogging up the category ranks and getting all the fancy algorithm recommendations. 

Still, I'm invested enough in myself and my writing to keep plugging away no matter how hard it gets. One of my books will catch one. Someone, somewhere will read Lucky or Tiva or whatever comes next and give me a big huge shout out and help me sell some books. Then, maybe then, I can get rid of the day job and focus on writing full time.

Ah, to dream. 

What are we if we don't?