Little Things Mean a Lot
Finding Joy in the Little Things
In a world filled with division and darkness sometimes it is difficult to imagine there ever being a light at the end of the tunnel. Things often don’t go as planned and life invariably takes us down the more difficult path. If my author career had gone the way I had originally imagined, I’d have some degree of success (success is also subjective) with at least ten books published by now. However, that is not the case. Life throws us multiple curveballs and frequently tosses us into the ocean of uncertainty. We can’t always have what we want and there’s not a lot we can do to change it.
My author journey is destined to be a long marathon. Instant success is not going to cross my path any time soon. In spite of that, it’s a good thing it gives me time to appreciate the road travelled, and to take time to smell the roses of success with every small achievement or milestone along the way. My silver lining in professional disappointments is the joy in the little things. e.g. A nice comment on a social media post or an email from a subscriber thanking me or telling me that they enjoyed a newsletter or a picture contained within. Engagement is a good motivator for me. It makes me feel that what I am trying to achieve is worthwhile.
I appreciate everyone who has helped me thus far. Without help, I would have certainly fallen by the wayside of self-doubt. Authors are riddled with diffidence. We are creatures who need our egos massaged now and again.
Author Newsletters
This newsletter is small and currently, my subscriber count is 337. A few years back I culled my newsletter from 1500 +/- subscribers, as I had serial unopened subscribers or bouncing emails, both are not good for my email’s reputation with email services. Each email that is sent receives at least one unsubscribe. Does that bother me? To be frank, no. I don’t want anyone to be here unless they want to. I’d love to have tens of thousands of subscribers, but for now, it’s better to have a smaller newsletter that is read, than one with 100s of unopened or bounced emails.
I am very grateful for those who have stuck with me over the years. My newsletter has had various incarnations and I apologise to you for changing formats so often. Author newsletters come in various forms, some salesy, some with reams of free eBooks or promotions or giveaways, and then there are ones similar to mine. I am trying to steer away from being a promotional newsletter. Obviously, I still wish to promote my books in some way. I can’t promise you freebies or giveaways. I’ve been down that road several times before and it just leads to freebie seekers who have no interest in my work or me. I’ve also decided to end giving away an eBook with each new subscription. I know for a fact that my reader magnet rarely got read. I don’t wish to “bribe” anyone to subscribe. All I can guarantee you is that I will attempt to provide you with something entertaining and worthy of your inboxes.
If I ever decide to do a paid newsletter, it will be a specialised one separate from, From the Author’s Desk. I have decided to promise you that this newsletter will always be free. I would be very grateful if you would share this newsletter and recommend it to those you think would like to subscribe.
The Cherry Blossom.
Instead of posting another chapter of Stuffed I will leave you with a video of my springtime poem.
