# Bestselling - Award winning Author - A Rant



## David Gordon Burke (May 31, 2015)

Anyone who has jumped into the world of self publishing and is struggling to make a name for themselves, build a following, blog, promote, market and such has my sympathies.  Not only is this a tougher gig than trying to become a Rock Star or land a movie deal with a big Hollywood studio or even Stand-up comedy or politics, but you have to put up with a nasty bunch of liars.  

It´s more than a little disenheartening to find that your book cannot be found even after 1 or 2 hundred pages of key word searches on Amazon (in which more than a few nasty porn titles jump up to the forefront)  

Then there are the Award Winning and Bestselling Authors.  Who are all these people and what awards did they win?  In what universe are they all bestsellers?  I mean seriously folks, getting an ´A´ in grade 3 creative writing class hardly qualifies as an award.  Selling 30 copies on Amazon and getting to #2 in Kindle Store Category > Kindle eBooks > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Effusion > Nose Picking > Snot hardly makes you a Bestselling writer.  

So yeah, I occasionally get a case of sour grapes.  It´s bad enough to have to compete against the likes of 50 Shades of Grey and its ilk but I had really hoped that within the writing world I would be dealing with a slightly more evolved and honest bunch of folk.  

I wish everyone all the success in the world.  Let´s hope that on the way to that success, we don´t all sell our souls.

David Gordon Burke


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## shadowwalker (May 31, 2015)

If a person won an award in bowling and they're also an author, that makes them an award-winning author, right? Right?

I'm with you. Seems everyone and their uncle is a bestseller nowadays... ukel:


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## dale (Jun 1, 2015)

if i punch my name into google? it's all me for at least 3 pages. and i am by no means a "best selling author". far from it.
i wish i could tell you why that is. but i simply don't know. i guess google just thinks i'm sexy or something.


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## Sam (Jun 1, 2015)

"Best-selling author" is a scam. Most of them are, anyway. It's the same as the 'endorsements' you see on the front of novels, given by fellow authors who liked the book. Or, rather, fellow authors who were paid to say they liked the book. 

I pay no heed to whether something is a best-seller or not. If the blurb and the first few chapters don't appeal to me, it could be a worldwide no1 best-seller for all I care: I'm still not going to buy it.


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## Riis Marshall (Jun 1, 2015)

Hello David

Something I've learned in my long life, unfortunately, is making stuff and selling stuff are two separate processes and never the twain shall meet - well, mostly never. You can be great at making great stuff but if you're rubbish at selling it, you won't sell much. Then you can make rubbish stuff and if you're great at selling it, you'll likely sell a lot of it.

Here in Britain we have two guys named 'Ant' and'Dec'. They have the combined intelligence of a cement block, the personalities of fence posts and absolutely no talent whatsoever. They serve no useful purpose at all.

They make about £8,000,000 a year being TV celebrities (I'm not sure whether that's £8 million each or combined. I wasn't really paying attention). No, sometimes I don't much understand how the world works either.

Rant on! Didn't somebody say a little ranting is good for the soul?

Never surrender!

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Foxee (Jun 1, 2015)

Could we call this ability to make busloads of money while being completely irrelevant the "Kardashian Effect", maybe? Sounds nicer than the "Honey Boo Boo Effect."


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## David Gordon Burke (Jun 1, 2015)

shadowwalker said:


> If a person won an award in bowling and they're also an author, that makes them an award-winning author, right? Right?
> 
> I'm with you. Seems everyone and their uncle is a bestseller nowadays... ukel:



That made me laugh.  
I actually was a Duncan National Yoyo Champion as a kid.  I could walk the dog and around the world and all that good stuff with two Yoyos at the same time.  
Maybe I´ll go Award winning author on my next book.
And join the  rest of the Yoyos.

David Gordon Burke


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## Kevin (Jun 1, 2015)

"... by National award winner, David Gordon Burke."  Ka-Ching!


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## Riis Marshall (Jun 2, 2015)

Hello Folks

Why not forget about any awards and stuff?

Why not just print in big bold letters across the top of your book cover: *International Award Winning, Best Selling Author*?

Who's to know?

I'm glad we've had this little chat.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## shadowwalker (Jun 3, 2015)

Riis Marshall said:


> Hello Folks
> 
> Why not forget about any awards and stuff?
> 
> ...



Well, that's why many readers pay no attention to such claims any more. They're learning that authors are liars...


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## Riis Marshall (Jun 3, 2015)

Hello Shadowwalker

Maybe it's not the authors; maybe it's the publishers and the people who design covers for them (a couple of writers have told me they have seemingly endless arguments about cover design. The covers the publishers choose have almost no relevance to the story, the authors argue with them and in the end the publishers win.

Do a count of the number of thriller covers featuring the crumbling interior of a deserted house with an empty chair sitting there. Nobody seems ready to explain why this should work as a cover, particularly when no deserted houses or empty chairs are mentioned anywhere in the book.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## David Gordon Burke (Jun 3, 2015)

Riis Marshall said:


> Hello Shadowwalker
> 
> Maybe it's not the authors; maybe it's the publishers and the people who design covers for them (a couple of writers have told me they have seemingly endless arguments about cover design. The covers the publishers choose have almost no relevance to the story, the authors argue with them and in the end the publishers win.
> 
> Do a count of the number of thriller covers featuring the crumbling interior of a deserted house with an empty chair sitting there. Nobody seems ready to explain why this should work as a cover, particularly when no deserted houses or empty chairs are mentioned anywhere in the book.



I´m going to go out on a limb here and say it is the Indie Author who is creating this phenom.  It´s disgusting.
I am thinking of adding to my next cover
International Worst Selling Author
And maybe a pic of a scantilly clad chick -  The combo of Sex and Honesty might sell.  
David Gordon Burke


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## Phil Istine (Jun 3, 2015)

Well I got an A* at English GCSE last year.
Does that count? 

Analysing "Of Mice and Men", pulling "The Tempest" to pieces, figuring out Heeney and Owen's poetry and writing miniature stories is a far cry from actually writing a real, full length novel.
I did the first things very well, but the last thing is the big boys' (and girls') league.
I'm hoping to get a first on one of the forum challenges, then I really will be an international award winner  .


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## Phil Istine (Jun 3, 2015)

David Gordon Burke said:


> I´m going to go out on a limb here and say it is the Indie Author who is creating this phenom.  It´s disgusting.
> I am thinking of adding to my next cover
> International Worst Selling Author
> And maybe a pic of a scantilly clad chick -  The combo of Sex and Honesty might sell.
> David Gordon Burke



Maybe I will write:  "Poetry - for Vogons"


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## bookmasta (Jun 3, 2015)

You should see Twitter. Every other author claims to be "best-selling."


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