Got to tell you … no matter what else happened in 2014, that I could fill my car with gas that cost $1.75 per gallon (OK, OK …I had some “cents-off coupons”, but still …) qualifies it as a great year, no matter what else happened.

But I jest … sort of.

We all have our own definition of “success”. Since this is a blog about writing, I want to focus on that. But first, allow me to put into perspective the really important things in life:

My Checklist for a truly successful 2014:

Great woman  CHECK
Great family    CHECK
Health              CHECK

Now on to writing!

For me, 2014 was a watershed year. I published my first two novels: The Oath in March; Kissed By The Snow in September. Just that accomplishment qualifies 2014 as a successful year. But as in so many facets of life, “success” is said in many ways. Getting the books published is one kind of success; getting them discovered is a whole different kind of “success”. In the latter definition of success, i.e., being discovered, I was “successful” in learning certain “ways” to become discovered. What you quickly learn is that “success” in the discovery phase can’t be measured in one year.

What follows are some of the things I did that makes me rate 2014 as “successful” in my fledgling writing career. I’m listing them here to help others (like you perhaps) get on the road to being discovered. PLEASE: in the comment area below, list other things you’ve found to be helpful in your own discoverability process. Sharing is a great way to help all of us.

Blogs:

Just writing this blog (and I admit I should write more entries) is helpful in the discovery process (to say nothing of being cathartic). I’ve met some very good, and extraordinarily helpful, writers via my blog. Among many, allow me to suggest to everyone reading this my two favorite bloggers:

Kristen Lamb: I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned from her.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch: If you want to know about how to self-publish, be sure to read her 2014 blogs. You come away with a master’s degree in self-publishing.

If you want a list of other blogs to which I’m partial, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.

LinkedIn:

If you are not on LinkedIn, I urge you to join. It’s mostly a business community, but authors are, after all, in a business. What they have are some great threads on various aspects of the writing “business”. You meet some really good people there (at least I have).

Allow me to mention one in particular – Kevin Cooper. I found Kevin through LinkedIn. He does author interviews. He ended up doing one on me.

Kevin lives in England and has a gazillion followers (OK, not a gazillion, but a large number. I’m jealous.) You can read what he did for me by following the link above. It’s also on my website.

His interview led a fellow Brit named Chris Graham to contact me about also doing an interview. You can get to that interview by following this link.

Because of these two folks, my sales (and discoverability) in the UK went up substantially.

Rotary (and other) Clubs

In the past month, I aggressively sought invitations to speak at various social clubs. My topic is the “business of books” (so it’s not just about me selling my books). I’ll soon have some of those “talks” on YouTube. Lucky you.

To date, I have spoken at three Bay Area Rotary clubs, two Navy League of the United States councils, and two chapters of Military Officers Association of America.

Looking back, I can say that 2014 was like:

Wine in fine old kegs
That from the brim to the dregs…
Poured sweet and clear…
IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR!

Click here to read the first chapter of my second novel Kissed By The Snow.  As soon as my third novel is out, you’ll be the first to know if you click “Follow” in the sidebar menu of this page. Not only will I be grateful, I’ll even send you the second chapter of my novel free.