At this point www.garyhauger.com has been live for a week. Just a couple days before that I published my first e-book The Stolen Throne on Smashwords.com and Amazon.com. This e-book is the first in a series of short stories ,or Novelettes, that sets the stage for a broader exploration of the Faerie world of Avalon. So far initial response has been favorable with five star reviews on both websites. These are possibly close friends using aliases so I'm not letting it go to my head. I've sold a total of eleven copies in a little over a week. I'm happy with that pace. The numbers also indicate that ten times as many copies were sold on Amazon as Smashwords, but that is also expected. Presently, I have almost two hundred friends on my facebook author page and hopefully they will turn out soon to purchase their own copies. Maybe when the versions become available at their favorite e-tailers like B&N, Kobo or for Iphones in the next few weeks they will take the leap of faith and buy it.

A friend made a page for the e-book on Goodreads.com but I haven't check out if anyone has commented or posted any reviews. The Stolen Throne is also list on Shelfari.com which is the Amazon branded Goodreads site.  This is exactly what I expected. I'm a new author yet to make a reputation with just this one title under my belt. The idea of slowly growing an audience is a challenge I gladly accept and hope those of you that read my blog will join me on my quest to be a "successful" author. In terms of this blog, we'll define successful as an author that sells enough copies of his books to be profitable. In this regard I have an advantage. Since I did all my interior work, and conversion prep myself and found great deals on stock illustrations for my covers; my overhead is really low. Sure, if you count my time spent writing the cost goes up quite a lot, but I do this for many reasons other than profit.

I have stories to tell. I have characters in my head, many of whom have been with me for decades, just waiting for me to get around to telling their stories. The joy of completing a tale and letting one of these characters out drives my writing as much as any desire for fame or financial reward. Sharing these stories with current and yet to be friends is just as much a motivation as the potential money to be made.

It really comes down to a few things that drive me to write; The challenge, the relief of completion and the satisfaction of sharing a bit of myself with others. If you are a writer reading this blog, why do you do it? What motivates you to bare a part of your soul to your readers? Do you characters live inside your head and pester you constantly to write about their exploits? Go ahead and share little insight here. Come on in the water's fine.

Welcome everyone to my new blog at garyhauger.com. Now that I have an e-book published on Amazon and Smashwords the "Get Published or Bust" blog as served it's purpose and will be discontinued.
Earlier this year, when I started that blog I set a specific goal...Get published or Produced before the end of the year. I've done that. I've had lots of support along the way and have learned a lot about indie publishing. As of this writing, four copies of The Stolen Throne have been purchased from Amazon and an equal number of free promo copies have been downloaded from Smashwords. Soon the e-book will be available for sale in over 50 countries around the world in nearly every format available. I must thank Kristine Kathryn Rusch for her indispensable advice on navigating the world of indie publishing. As a result I will be an indie author rather than chase traditional brick & mortar publishing. If you are interested in learning more about the changing landscape of publishing check out her blog at www.kriswrites.com.

This blog will take up where the old one left off. What happens to an author once he gets his first product to market? How does it sell? Where does it sell? What do the readers think? What will he do to follow it up? and a bunch of other questions will be answered here as I pursue this whole thing call a writing career. I'll also keep you posted on other developments with my other projects from screenwriting to acting and everything in between.

So let's pull back the curtain and chat about anything under the sun. Welcome again and th