Just wondering If anybody is out there. . . .

I haven’t blogged for a while now and am wondering if I should keep doing it. I know this sounds whiny, but I truly doubt if further effort is really worth the trouble. Let me explain.

Why I started it: I created this website in 2012. Back then I’d finished a new novel and was trying to get representation for it by sending out query letters and searching the web for advice. In several places I read that even new, unpublished authors should set up a website. I suppose the reason is that agents or publishers might want to learn more about you. So I did that. It wasn’t a blog, just basic facts about myself and my writing. The site had a kind of homey feel to it—not professional at all.

Then: I kept on writing, and for the next five or six years I wrote a lot. Actually, I started more stories and novels than I finished. But I did complete four novels. Two were supernatural in genre; one was a straight mystery; the last was The Truth About Jacob Marley, which is hard to classify. No agents were very interested in any of these, though a few asked to see the complete manuscript.

Relocation: Then I moved to another state to be closer to family (I’m retired, by the way). That caused a hiatus in writing. But then something happened. A small press was interested in publishing the Marley book. The arrangement required some investing on my part, but I knew someone connected with the publisher, so I was sure it was on the up and up. In 2020 I worked with an editor and a book designer to bring the book out. It was published late in that year.

Website: After publication I revised the website extensively. Later, I hired a media expert to help me, and he suggested adding an active blog to the site. So that’s what I’ve been doing, in the hopes of stirring up interest in the book.

The awful truth: The book is not doing well, even after receiving a glowing Kirkus review earlier in the year. But I am happy, however, with the look and feel of the improved website. The idea was to stir up interest on the Internet, but the result is not gratifying. Why? One: book sales are dismal. Two: I’m not at all certain anyone reads or is interested in what I’ve added in this blog portion of the website. I’ve wracked my brain trying to write interesting pages that are related to good old Jacob Marley.

What really bothers me about the blogging is that I’ve gotten almost no feedback. I did hear from two different author/bloggers who showed me their websites. Nothing from ordinary readers or even slightly curious web surfers.

I’ve listed a place for comments. I’ve also encouraged comments via email, Facebook, or Twitter. But I’ve gotten no feedback from those. At this point I’m more interested in getting feedback about the blog than I am the book! At least then there would be some connection with other people. Maybe I’d learn something. The book will still be around and it’s always possible that it will strike a chord and “be discovered.”

So here I am, possibly writing my last blog. If I don’t get some kind of feedback by Christmas, I’ll stop blogging. Perhaps I was wrong to think my musings would interest anyone. If you do respond, please send ideas or tell me where I went wrong. In the new year I plan to resume writing a novel I’ve put off for six months.

Anyway, here’s hoping you have a good holiday.