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| Tom Hilpert |
As new
writers we may have preconceived ideas of what the job involves. For many of
us, we learn that some of them are right, but some of them are wrong.
Experience can often be the best teacher. Author Tom Hilpert shares four things he’s
learned on his personal journey to publication. ~ Dawn
Four
Things I’ve Learned About Writing
From time to time, I get questions from writers who are just
starting out. I recognize my less-experienced self in some of these questions.
The following are some thoughts that come from the conversations I’ve had with
newer writers.
1. Writers
write. It’s an old saying, but still useful. Writing truly is hard
work. We all have moments of wonderful inspiration, when the words seem to leap
from our fingertips to the page, and we are moved to tears at the creative
union between our imagination, God and the written word. However, those moments
are few. Mostly we have to sit still and put one word in front of another. It
takes mental discipline. If you rely entirely, or even mostly, on inspiration
you will not finish a book. If do not write, you are not a writer.
2. No one
will ever care as much about your book as you do. That
means that it will be primarily up to you to market it and sell it. This is
true even if you are “traditionally published.” Most of us don’t want to hear
that. We are not salespeople, we are writers. The two appear to be two
different gifts. Even so, until you take the responsibility for marketing your
own work, it is unlikely that you will have any success. I am an extreme
introvert, the opposite of a salesman. However, I have found a way to succeed,
in spite of my limitations. So can you.
3. You can
have success as an independent. It is a different world than it
was 15 years ago. You do need to be very careful with editing, and you must pay
a legitimate graphic designer for cover design, but it can be done. My books
greatly exceed the sales requirements of the American Christian Fiction Writers
Association for Qualified Independently Published authors (QIP). They have
hundreds of Amazon reviews, a majority of them five-stars. I’ve sold more units
than many of my “traditionally published” friends. In fact, I worked it out
once that one out of every 2,000 people in America has downloaded at least one
of my books.
Now, to tell the truth, I would still love to have a publisher
swoop in, cut me a big advance check, and take over everything. But if I had
waited for that, I would still be an unknown, likely unpaid, wanna-be. Go back
to item #2 on this list. Shortcuts are very rare in this business and are
usually reserved for people who are already celebrities.
4. Learn to
celebrate and fully enjoy every milestone, even the small ones. Don’t
say “Yes, but…” Engage in the joy of each special moment. That first time you
hold the final product – your book – in your hands. Even after seven books, I still
pause to soak it in when I hold a new one. The first royalty check. The first
time you know that those checks are going to keep on coming, even if they are
small. The first fan email. Every fan email afterwards.
There is so much more I want to do. Yet, the advice I just
gave is important for me, too, and I do keep it myself. On the other hand, if
what I’ve written does not help you, please, feel no guilt in disregarding it.
Everyone is different.
One thing, however, is universal to all of us: Writers write.
So, go do it!
FREE on
Kindle TODAY!
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| Superior Justice |
THE
CONFESSION THAT COULD KILL HIM...
Jonah
Borden is not your typical Lutheran pastor, and he takes pains to make sure
everyone knows it. He's a tough-guy, thinks-he's-funny, rock-music-playing,
gourmet-cooking, painfully-moderate-drinking, hard-boiled man of the cloth. He
is even available for a bit of romance, under the right circumstances.
Doug
Norstad, a member of Jonah Borden's church, is arrested for a vigilante
killing. Norstad shares his true alibi with Borden, under the privileged status
of religious confession. Knowing now that the man is innocent, Borden must
prove it somehow, without divulging his secret. Along the way he uncovers a
twisted series of murders and cover ups. Before it is all over, Borden himself
has been bribed, beaten, shot, and arrested for murder. Even worse, he may be
falling in love.
Set in the midst of the striking beauty of Minnesota's Lake
Superior Coastline, Superior Justice will draw you in with its unique and
quirky characters, and keep you guessing until the end.
Tom Hilpert grew up
in the tropical paradise of Papua New Guinea. When he was ten years old, he
knew he wanted to write books. In fact, he began writing several novels at that
age. Thankfully, they are lost forever.
However, his more recent works are available in print and
e-book formats. His fiction features strong, memorable, quirky characters who
face mysteries and adventures with humor and persistence.
Hilpert has visited more than 17 countries and has lived in
three of them. In the U.S., he has lived in six different states, including
Minnesota, the setting for the Lake Superior Mysteries. Currently, he lives in
Tennessee with his wife, children, and far too many pets and farm animals.
Connect and learn more about Tom and his work here:
Author website: www.TomHilpert.com
Facebook: www.TomHilpert.com
