Omg. I did so much today. Jesus.
I’m ready to go to Vegas for the 20 Books conference.
Two years ago, an author by the name of Michael Anderle set a goal to write 20 books so he could make $50K a year off them. This was based off what he was selling per day with his first few books out.
Well, that book series ended up exploding very soon after (look up the Kurtherian Gambit series if you don’t know what I’m talking about), and he took to the internet to share his insights on what made him successful. The group 20 Books to 50K was born on Facebook soon after.
Before 20 Books on FB, all there really was for indie authors online in terms of a central gathering place was a site called KBoards. KBoards had been around for almost 10 years at that point, well past the prime of any online community, and it has predictably descended into a state of trolling negative chaos. 20Books was new. It was hopeful. It had Michael’s spirit of question the existing dogma of how to be successful.
It’s turned into a 20,000+ member group. And now, a conference in its second year.
None of this shit lasts for forever. Last year, the 20 Books conference was downright magical. It was (kinda) the first of its kind. Everyone was positive. Excited. Supportive. It felt like we were doing something new because we were. I expect this year to be even more exciting; we’re twice as large this year. It’s a real event. This must be what the early years of Comicon felt like…on a much smaller scale 😛 But, it won’t last forever. Some day, perhaps a long time from now or perhaps a short time…it won’t be so magical. It won’t be so starry-eyed and innocent. I don’t say that to be negative. Quite the opposite. I say that because I’m so excited and happy to be in that magical part of a group’s natural cycle right now. Because it is precious.
I’m excited to go 🙂
I got all my work done today. All of it. Got some new threads. Wrote three newsletters to go out whilst I’m away. I packed. I recorded the first chapter of the Starstuff audiobook so my readers can check it out and let me know if they like it. It was a very, very productive day, and I’m dead tired.
Tomorrow…driving. I’m going to finish listening to The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Good night.