Thursday, December 3, 2009

I want to be a "I'll buy any book with her name on it" author...

Someone asked me the other day if I wanted to make it to the NY Times bestseller list some day. Ah, duh! Of course, that would be great, awesome, amazing and out of this world. A lofty goal to aspire to, but hey, I believe you need to have stretch goals and why not aim for what you want, no matter how 'out there' it may be? But it got me thinking - being on some list is a validation of your accomplishment for sure but I think about it more in terms of the readership I would have and I tried to think about how that could be translated to a tangible goal (cause that's the way I am). I want to build a readership who will buy my books just because they're mine, because they have my name on it, because they know what they'll get with one of my stories. What goals do others have in relation to where you want to go and what you want to accomplish with YOUR books?
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5 comments:

  1. Jackie AshendenDecember 3, 2009 at 8:04 PM

    Kailey, I'm with you. Being an NYT bestseller would be fantastic, but I think being an autobuy author for some people would be just as good. Hey, I'd be happy just to have a book with my name on it even if it didn't sell! :-) Famous last words...

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  2. Cari QuinnDecember 3, 2009 at 8:23 PM

    I'd love that too. The authors I like, I'll try any of their books. The thing with goals is they're always changing. You reach one, then you set the bar higher. Guess that's what keeps us moving forward.

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  3. Wendi Zwaduk and Megan SlayerDecember 3, 2009 at 10:00 PM

    I'm with the three of you. I want to produce stories that stick with people, make them laugh, cry and remember. NYT would be great, but I also want to make those people who were the first on board happy, too.

    So my goal? To get the sequels to my current works done and out to editors. Yup, set the bar and when you reach it, then go higher. (Sounds like mountain climbing...) : )

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  4. Kaily HartDecember 7, 2009 at 11:00 AM

    Jackie - yeah, I'm getting ahead of myself I know. Being able to see a book with your name on it must be such an incredible thing. We'll get there...

    Cari - I tend to picture the big one first and then figure realistic milestones that make sense. I never could understand when someone told me I couldn't do something. It did not compute. I agree about the changing goals. You have to constantly assess because things change and stuff happens.

    Wendi - Hi! Yeah, I'd love it if someone read one of my stories and they thought about it after they were finished. I love reading a book that stays with me afterwards. It might be something about the characters, the emotional depth to the story, the handling of an issue, the heartwrenching HEA - but it lives on after that last page. To be able to produce stories like that... I like the mountain climbing analogy. I have a clear idea of the summit. I just figure out each day which foothold or handhold will get me there the fastest (and still in one piece)!

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  5. Shawna ThomasDecember 7, 2009 at 12:08 PM

    Hi Kaily,

    Oh, me too. I love it when someone reads my book and takes the time to tell me they can't wait for the next. It make me strive harder with each book.

    Wonderful post!

    ~Lynne

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