The 2013 Status Report

2013 was...weird. For everyone, not just me.

On one hand the acceptance among writers of the indie publishing avenue has never been greater.

On the other, more pressure was applied on indies from corporations including ones we thought were supportive.  Now, that true colors are being shown, we got to watch each others' backs and share information more than ever.

Over the next week or two, I'll talk about my run-ins with Amazon, Apple, Kobo and Smashwords in regards to a third chapter in the Kernel Pornocalypse. I'll also talk about the problems concerning distributors versus uploading your books on your own.

Personally, 2013 had some bright spots and dismal points.

The Pros

- I made more money this year (approximately $4930 because I don't have all my final numbers yet) than I did last year ($4058), but I didn't hit my target of $7500. The multiple reasons are listed below.

- I licensed my first short story to a traditional market. I saw that with a bit of irony because The Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Trust has brought its production in house instead of hiring a small publisher to handle the actual print and e-book publishing.

- GK is back in public school and doing very well ('A' student and on the student council). This frees up more of my schedule to focus on my career.

- I have three novels under my name and three under Alter Ego in various stages of completion. It's just a question of finishing them.

The Cons

- The family move from Texas to Ohio put a major crimp in my productivity this year. As a result, I only released one novel and two short stories under my name, and five novellas under Alter Ego.

- I spent way too much of my precious writing time dealing with the direct effects of the Kernel Pornocalypse to Alter Ego. I'll give more details Part 3 of this disaster.

- Issues with one of my distributors not only took precious time to deal with, but made me look like a total idiot to one retailer.

I don't know what going to happen in 2014 because our personal situation in Ohio has changed again. All I can do is to keep things together as best I can, and keep writing.