My Xmas blog at Saffina Desforges!

Saffina Desforges

Ok, just 3 days left until the big day! Now, this next post isn’t what you’d call creative and not isn’t particularly cheery, but what it is, is the PERFECT epitome of this blog’s theme AND absolutely true.
Read it and take heed. Over to Artemis Hunt.

Merry Xmas. It’s been a tumultous month for me since we last chatted on this blog. My beloved mother-in-law died of lung cancer, only to be followed by my husband’s aunt 10 days later from pancreatic cancer. This serves to remind me how fleeting life is, and how we should seize the moment.
Haven’t decided to independently publish? Do it now before it’s too late.
I haven’t regretted a moment of it.
These are my monthly sales:
Aug (1 week)             14
Sept                          44
Oct                           977
Nov                           4311
Dec (as of Dec 8th 6 am)      2700 (Update 26 Dec: sales now stand at 12,378)

My top selling work (a short story) is in the Top 3 Erotica of Amazon US. I’ve been on the Movers and Shakers list periodically. As of today, I have 5 or 6 works in Amazon US’s Top 100 erotica, mostly priced at $2.99. My works have been on Bookstrand’s Top 30, and I stick out like a sore thumb amidst Bookstrand’s own well-promoted Siren writers, who fill up almost the entire list. 7 of my works have earned the All Romance Ebook bestseller crown. My works have occupied the Top 1,2,3 and 4 spots of Amazon Germany‘s Top 100 English erotica list.
Erotica writers have written to me and hailed me a success.
How did I do it? Was it marketing? Pure luck?
Actually, I didn’t do a single shred of marketing for my erotica shorts/novellas other than to cite every title down on each of their Amazon pages. It’s actually pure luck.
It’s true!
I know people don’t like to hear about luck. But I made my own luck. I wrote stories in a series, and released them quickly, sometimes days after the other. I was determined to do what Joe Konrath said we must do – write until you get lucky. I wasn’t even aiming for Amazon’s Top 1000. I was just writing and writing and hoping to make a decent living without hitting a ball out of the park.
So, give yourself a gift this Xmas, and celebrate being alive. Do what you want to do. Don’t look back. This past couple of weeks have taught me that life is really too short to spend regretting things you haven’t done. If you are in doubts about self-publishing, just try it. Then you won’t be in doubts anymore!
Aphrodite/Artemis Hunt

Thanks, Artemis. A very simple message.
Tomorrow, Leonard Hilley.
Saffi