This is the seventh post in a series dedicated to a self-assessment of my writing journey, particularly as it relates to Core Haven, my new release. The previous posts were:

1. Overview (Reassessing the Long Game)
2. My end goal (Milestone)
3. What I hope to accomplish (One More Rung)
4. How long I’ll consider Core Haven as a new release (Decision Tree)
5. How much more time, effort, and money I want to devote to promoting (Patience).
6. How can I expect to cross those magic finish lines of 20/50/100 reviews on Amazon if I don’t continue actively promoting my new release? (Another Mile Marker)

This week’s installment addresses more of an emotional side of the equation:

• How can I avoid comparing my latest novel to other books I’ve read—both indie & traditional—that have hundreds if not thousands, of reviews?

As I mentioned in the last post, I’m glad Core Haven has passed the first mile marker of 20 reviews & is heading toward the second with a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from 33 customer reviews at the time of this writing.

But I do struggle a bit as I read & review other books with twice as many or ten or twenty times the number of reviews.

The rational part of me thinks no big deal, that’s the way things go in many aspects of a creative life, yada, yada.

But as you no doubt can imagine, another part kicks in with snarky comments about the burnout I’m grappling with these days. Here I am working like crazy to promote a novel I’m passionate about, only to find myself focusing on my frustration with the process & wishing I’d done things a bit differently (for example, listening to my own instincts instead of an expert’s advice about prolonging the Amazon ad campaigns).

Oh well, if the scales had shifted the other way, I’d be lauding his acumen & feeling relieved that I didn’t go with my own hunch.

Anyway, it’s best to stick with the sagely advice of Eric Idle & John du Prez & “lighten up! There are stars in the sky. Lighten up! It’s a good question why. But you don’t know the answer, and neither do I. So meanwhile, let’s just all lighten up” (see Monty Python).

Till next time.

Drew

P.S. If by chance you’re interested in reading and thoughtfully reviewing either of my two companion novels, please see the Amazon links below. (And thanks so much in advance!)

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Latest BookFunnel Promo LINKS

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I invite you to check out Lee Hall’s excellent video review, especially the first book he includes on his short list of memorable indie reads—uh-huh, that would be Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown.

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