Where we're at

I never realized it could pass so quick. I've been at this just over 2 years now and with the latest release - Last Man Standing (Matt Drake 8) on Kindle in July - have published twelve full length novels and 2 short stories. In that time I've sold over 250,000 copies, quit work to be a full-time author, and worked harder than at any other time in my life to sustain my dream.

I started writing when I was 15; gained success at 46. That's a long time to wait so whilst it's here I intend to fight hard. With that in mind I have another novel - Chosen 2 Guardians - due September 3rd and am currently writing the new Drake spin-off for an early December release. After that it's straight into Drake 9 and 10, both of which will be available before June next year. A lot of work but it's good, fulfilling work.

The Kindle world sometimes seems to change weekly. No sooner do you think you know what you're doing than everything changes around you. A book performing well for say six straight weeks in a row or, in the case of America, a series performing well for 8 months in a row, can suddenly plummet thousands of places and lose all visibility overnight. New incentives are introduced. Old ones are devalued. It's all about moving with the changes, I guess. And Marketing, branding, advertising. And professionalism in everything you do - nothing beats that.

In particular, it's all about maintaining your visibility. This becomes harder every day as new books are published and new ideas implemented. But the fight is worthwhile and necessarily tough - if you have the will and the drive and work damn hard to rise to the top end of the pile you will.

I've set myself more milestones, harder achievements, tough deadlines. The future for my readers will be a rollercoaster driven by our collective imagination. If we all survive who know's where we'll be next year, or in another two years time?
www.david leadbeater.com