Writer's Wednesday: Kristen Lamb's scary stats

Last week I told you about the fabulous Kristen Lamb and her inspiration with social media.  She knows what she's talking about.  She shared some scary stats with us during her session at DFW.

 Brace yourself.

• 93% of novels sell less than 1000 copies.
• Only 1 of 10 novelists will ever see a second book in print.
• Most first time novelists fail to sell out their print run.

Bummer, right?

Which is why it was kind of cool today when I went to Barnes and Noble with a couple of long-time friends and saw my book--face out--on the bookshelf.

Don't be distracted by my baby bump.  Glamour is right there by my hand.  Isn't it pretty?


It was fun to see Glamour still out there being eagerly gobbled up by loyal readers (hint, hint), but Kristen's stats are in my brain.

I'm about to send out my next book to agents.  (Vow: I will never go the un-agented route again.)

And I'm nervous.  Why?

Kristen Lamb says two things sell books:
1) a good book
2) word of mouth

I've worked hard to take care of the first part. I need your help with the "word of mouth."  People in-the-know say agents check out your blog and see how many followers you have and how many comments people make.

I'm proud of Glamour. However, quite frankly, my second book is too much fun not to see print. It has a wider appeal. It's more commercial. It's edgier. The characters are definitely worth meeting.

I want to beat those statistics!

So...thank you so much for reading my blog. Could you please, prettypleasewithacherryontop, find the word "follow" at the top of your screen and click it? I'd be ever-so-grateful. And drop me a comment while you're at it. 

All the cool kids are doing it.

Thanks!