I have a confession to make. A reason why I don’t blog as often as I should, and not just because my brain farts of cleverly written prose only seem to come in random intervals. No, I’m a sloth, a slacker, a wastrel, a dreamer.
Why?
Because I’m too busy wasting time on other crap. Like, checking my Amazon sales reports. And my Nook sales reports. And my Smashwords sales reports.
Then there’s going to everyone else’s blogs. Of course, my waste of a day would not be complete without popping in on the KindleBoards, checking my email, Twitter and FaceBook accounts. Oh, and did I mention checking my Amazon sales reports? And then checking them again?
Let’s not forget Googling myself to see if readers have written any new reviews. Then there’s liking, tagging and reviewing all my writer friends. Of course, I’ve got to read. And choosing my next book takes time, since I’ve got this unstoppable habit of downloading new books whenever I check my Amazon reviews. All those pretty blurbs. All those pretty covers. I just can’t help myself.
And then, of course, I’ve got to check my Amazon sales reports. Haven’t I already checked them three times today, you ask? Why, I don’t remember. Have I? Perhaps I should just go check again.
Oh, yes, and there’s that other thing I do. Writing books. I’ve got to fit at least an hour of writing into my busy day as a time waster….er writer.
So there you have it, my confession. Please forgive me. I’m going to make it a point to blog more .I promise. After I check my Amazon sales reports.
LOL, awesome post. I know exactly what you mean about checking your sales report. I do the same thing.
ReplyDeleteIt's sickening. I'm hoping that after I sell enough I won't check as often. Hoping. LOL!
ReplyDeleteLMAO! Um, yeah. Sounds like may day. Only maybe with one or two more sales report checks.
ReplyDeleteToo true for too many of us. It would be great if the marketing fairy would just take over so we could focus on writing. Confess that you like the human interaction (digital interaction?) that some of this provides and the pill goes down more easily.
ReplyDeleteHa! I wish I had my own marketing fairy. Where do you get one? I'd prefer a male, tall, blue-eyed with raven hair and bulging biceps.
ReplyDeleteShea, you DO have a problem. I keep hoping that if I stare long enough, the numbers will go up.
ReplyDeleteI take a long walk every day at lunchtime, but luckily I found an app for my phone that allows me to check my amazon sales rank because 45 minutes is apparently WAY TOO LONG FOR ME TO BE WITHOUT THAT VITAL INFORMATION.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's a sickness. My sales slowed down for a couple of months and it kind of broke me of the habit, but then they started to pick up again and I'm back to checking compulsively. As addictions go, though, I figure it's less unhealthy than crack.
Matt, didn't you know that Amazon Sales Reports is crack for writers?
ReplyDeleteI don't know how those poor authors managed in the dead tree days.
The most powerful type of reinforcement is: random. Which is why gambling and checking your sales numbers is addictive.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Mike. Call me a junkie.
ReplyDeleteHa, Alan! You know, I've been hearing a lot about those free reads. Mine has over 400 downloads since Sunday. Writers are telling me they have awesome sales after their free reads went up on Amazon. You should try it. Schnitzel was only 3.4 K.
ReplyDeleteToo freakin' true! I check mine all day every day, starting when I wake up (thank the gods for Android and all the other smart phones), upload KDP on my laptop and check while I am writing, chatting on Facebook, writing emails, watching the latest episode of a show, et cetera. It has gotten so bad that it's actually starting to interfere with my life. I should be happy I'm selling but can I help it if I still think it is a dream?
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky. My phone's not very smart, so I'm checking on my slowwww computer.
ReplyDeleteLOL! And having commenters is awesome, not just followers. #don'tworryaboutit
ReplyDelete