Amanda Hocking

Amanda's Blog Post

A Love Story

October 15th, 2011 by
This post currently has 50 comments

This isn’t part of Zombiepalooza, but it’s something I wanted to say. This blog isn’t meant to be a rant. I’m not writing from an angry place. And it’s not a direct reaction to anything. It’s just something I’ve wanted to say for awhile, and I’m finally frustrated  enough to say something.

Here it is: I didn’t sell a million books by selling a million books.

What I mean by that is everybody keeps talking about  how many books I sold and the “phenomenon.”I spend more time during interviews talking about sales than I do my actual books. There are so many blogs and tweets and all that talk about numbers and not writing.

The number one question I get is: How did you sell so many books?

Here’s the secret: I wrote a book that many people enjoyed.

I did not say I wrote the best book ever written. I did not say that everybody loved it, because some people who read it really hated it. What I did say is that many of the people who read it, liked it. And the people who liked it went on to tell their friends, to blog about it, to tweet about it. People who read it based on friends recommendations went on to like it, and then went on to tell their friends. (And I am so, so grateful to each and every one of those people).

Terri the screenwriter who is adapting Switched, and my current editor at St. Martin’s Rose both approached me/agent in early January, before I released Ascend, before I made the USA Today Bestseller list, before I became a story about the numbers I sold.

Both of them found Switched on their own and liked it so much that they wanted to do something with it. Long before I sold a million books.

What I’m trying to say is that in the story about me and my “phenomenal” sales, the part that seems to always get overlooked is the actual books.

It may have been luck that Terri and Rose read Switched, but it wasn’t luck that they liked it. It wasn’t the $.99 price-tag that compelled them to approach me and Steve. It wasn’t even the “inspirational” story about me self-publishing. It wasn’t the book cover, either. It was the book.

You may hate my book and think it’s total crap. But to ignore the fact that so many people did like it is to deny a major part of this story.

In the end, after all the ways people try to spin my story, it’s really just a love story. I loved writing, I wrote a story I loved, readers fell in love with the same characters I did, and I love my readers. That’s all there is to it.

Leave a Reply to eng sara Cancel reply

  • Bob Blick says:

    One of the keys to reading your books or really any fictional book is to not get too turned off by the negative reviews on Amazon. It seems many people just like to write a negative review. It stopped me from reading some books I later read so now I try to read reviews of 3 – 4 stars. I mean when I read Harry Potter and then some of the negative comments on Amazon. a light bulb went off. I read what the books about and decide if I’ll like it. If I review a book it’s one I liked or I don’t review it. Hmmmm – Maybe that’s a small rant by me?

    Reading a book that tells a good story is what it’s about.

  • Lovestories says:

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  • Amanda this is perfectly interesting article about the love.
    Nice to share this post.
    Thanks
    Story Corner

  • kamagra says:

    Switched is a great piece of story and I’m eager to read and review the rest of the books in the trilogy.

  • I am so glad you said that Amanda!! It needed to be said. You are a WRITER, a lover of your craft. You do it because it gives you something that you can’t get any place else on this earth.

  • Queendheena says:

    I agree, people see success and forget about the love and sweat that goes into it. They only see the numbers. Writing a novel recquires you connecting with the characters you create and through that connection make the novel enjoyable enough for others. Fans are born and as they spread the message of your work, more read it. Such a thing won’t necessarily make you or your work famous. But that’s what it takes to get novels read. Success is icing on the cake. And I’m happy to see that you got a lot of icing Amanda. Never forget what brought you into writing in the first place. It wasn’t selling a million books, it was love of the craft.

    I wish you all the best. Love from me and Jamaica!

  • Sarah says:

    I have purchased every book of your available on kindle version the first book I purchased was trylle. and it was because at the time it was .99 that was perfect for me I read it and bought every other book because they were inexpensive excellent reads!!!! And honestly After reading the first books in the series you have written I probably would have paid more to read the remaining in the series your smart and articulate you know how to write a story that as a reader we become entranced in. I enjoy all of your books keep up the good and work and the numbers will follow forget about the idiotic jealous morons who want to ask how you sell so many books. People dont need to hate on your top spot! Go Amanda cant wait for the next books to come out!