Following Success?

While I’m awaiting word whether the remainder of The Space between Atoms can be recovered, I’m pondering the correct strategy for publishing. Like most struggling writers, I follow success when I encounter it. Right now the biggest struggle for me is whether to focus on fiction or non.

You see, under my real name I have had four nonfiction books published. The problem is they’re academic books, expensive and obscure. Yes, they may rest in the Library of Congress after I’m gone, but I doubt I’ll be joining Poe on Bradbury’s Mars. Nevertheless, I know how to get such books published.

My true love has always been fiction. I’ve been writing fiction since at least 1974. I really only attempted publication in 2009. Although I’ve earned less than $40 from fiction, I’ve managed to have nearly 30 stories published. My novels have had no success at all.

If I were to follow “success” I would go after nonfiction. My nonfiction earnings amount to well under a thousand dollars. In fact, if I use Turbo Tax the form I have to buy to report royalty income costs more than the actual royalties themselves. This means I’m losing money by publishing nonfiction. Is this success?

Like those of you reading this post, I write because that’s who I am. I don’t do it for money, but I wouldn’t mind being paid a little for my efforts. At least enough to pay for the Turbo Tax schedule I have to file.

Looking at the bookstore shelves, or even seeing what’s on Amazon, I realize my fiction isn’t the worst that’s been committed to words. Why do agents avoid me and walk past, pretending not to have seen me? Ah, but agents follow success. Defined in dollars.

I’ll continue writing fiction, although it will have to share the time with non. Neither one pays the bills, but what can a struggling writer do but write?

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K. Marvin Bruce

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