Sold six copies of my first e-book!
Yep. I am excited. I posted the book on Kindle on January 2 and today I sold my sixth one!
Excited yes, but...
A long while back I wrote about buts and how our BIG BUTS often stall us on our journeys (https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/karin13/blog/lets-talk-about...).
Why wouldn't I be excited, you might be asking?
Simple.
I am doubting that my e-book has any value. Sure five people other than me spent the whopping .99 cents (USD) plus tax (if applicable). But does that mean that those other five people saw any value in the book?
That is my self doubting, internal critic nipping at my heels trying to make me feel unworthy. The little ankle biter is good at what critics do—they criticize. They attempt to tear down what we build.
I thought, well, I will look to see if anyone has reviewed the book. This is what I saw:
Not very helpful since there have been no reviews yet.
That is almost worse than seeing a bad review.
My ultra negative critic is whispering that the book was so awful that the folks who bought it are figuring out how to get their money back rather than "wasting their time" writing a review.
WOW!
I realize that I sure do allow that nasty critic to say some really awful things about me!
Setting another SMART goal...
Goal: Beating up and kicking out the Internal Critic!
Specific: Putting an end to negative thinking. When a negative thought comes into mind, vanquish it!
Measurable: Document more and more days without negative comments.
Achievable: Definitely and right soon!
Relevant: If I don't kick this freeloader out, then I will be forever at the mercy of one who is not looking out for my best interests!
Time-Bound: This one is a bit harder because I want to say immediately, but I am not certain that it can be done that quickly. I will give myself one month to see progress.
About that big but...
Is my big but going to stop me from pushing the publish button for my next e-book?
No way!
That BIG BUT has not prevented me from putting those books together and continuing to do so.
It has not stopped me from working on my business websites.
I think the big but has been bothering me because this is something new and new things are scary. Aren't they?
What about you?
Do you let something hold you back? Do you have an internal or even an external critic? Are
you your own worst enemy?
Do you feel led to do something, but let that BIG BUT hold you back? Do you let that nagging little voice of doubt blind you to the fact that you are worthy and have value?
Let's slay that monster!
Best wishes on rising above!
Karin
Recent Comments
73
Hi Karin
Well done with your eBook ... I like what you say here ...
I got rid of BUT many years ago and replaced it with AND ... it took a little practice and I still trip up occasionally.
Mostly I find it difficult to write the word BUT now because I am so used to using AND, which turns most negative connotations into something more positive.
I challenge anyone reading this to try it in their talking and writing for a few days to notice the difference ...
;-)
Richard
Excellent idea, Richard... I am working on implementing the word AND for the word BUT. Thank you for this inspiring bit of knowledge!
Best wishes for a great 2021,
Karin
Karin..
Self-doubt is an ugly little monster. I know He bugs me all the time.
If you've sold 6 copies I would say you're doing all right. People seem not to write good reviews but they will fire off a bad review real fast. Seems like if we are unhappy about something we'll grumble right away, but if we like something we put off saying so.
Keep on keeping on, Karin--train's got to keep pulling out of the station every morning.
Thank you, Barb. Your replies are always so encouraging to me! I hope you are doing well!
Best wishes for a great 2021,
Karin
Hi Karin. From me it's an unconditional congratulations on your success. Well done.
Of course we are our own worst critics. But just shut that voice up by doing more of the same. The more we do the more confidence we gain.
And, thereafter, it's success all the way.
I believe you can do it.
No worries, Karin! Well done! I only have 4 reviews total on all of my books! The one I sold the most of has
1 one Star review and pretty nasty comments about it, but right after that, I sold 34 copies of it at $7.99 a pop! No other reviews after that, but hey, those are the breaks! There are always going to be people who don't leave reviews, but then some people will! Hang in there!
Jeff
Thanks for the encouragement, Jeff! I did get 1 five star review since the writing of the post. So that is pretty awesome.
Best wishes for a great 2021,
Karin
See more comments
Hello Karin,
Well done for creating an e-book, this is something that I have thought about doing for a long time. It hasn't happened yet due to too many other projects on the go. However, it's still on the cards.
It's great that you have made some sales Karin in actually quite a short time. Great stuff.
Have a great day.
Roy
Thank you, Roy. It was actually much easier than I thought it would be. I have a couple of tools I use to do it. One is a program on my Mac—Pages. It works pretty well but has limitations.
Good luck as you explore the options and create your own!
Best wishes for a great 2021,
Karin
That's good news Karin, I do believe there are various tools to make it much easier. I believe Amazon will assist you in publishing a book, from what I understand. Time will tell. Anyway, it's great you have your first e-book published, fantastic stuff!
Wishing you all the best.
Roy