Despite discounted prices for my new novel, "Out on Deep Water", for the holidays, I have not seen any change in the dismal sales numbers. Web site traffic (http://www.Novels-by-Noah.com) has slowed to a near standstill. I am obviously missing something on Internet advertising. I have started researching web sites that specialize in building site traffic for me. I thought that I could do it alone, but maybe it takes more than one person can do or maybe I just do not know what the right things to do are. Either way, I know that what I am doing currently is not working. I need traffic; and right now, I do not have it.

One of my big marketing plans was to have gay cruise sites link to my book site. I thought for sure that people booking gay-oriented cruises would be an ideal market to also buy my book which revolves around two gay guys that take a cruise together from New Orleans, across the Gulf of Mexico, to Belize and Grand Cayman and Cozumel and then back to New Orleans after sailing for seven days and nights. Unfortunately, getting my web site linked or listed on these gay-oriented travel web sites has proven to be practically impossible. These sites sell travel deals. They do not care about gay fiction novels. I do not think that I have had even one site list my site on their site.

Another of my big marketing plans was to have gay bookstores sell my book either in their stores or on their web sites. Apparently, the industry makes it very difficult for self-published novels to make it anywhere near the shelves or even their virtual shelves. Even though I emailed and contacted gay-oriented bookstores all across the United States and Canada, I got zero results. None of them was interested. None of them wanted my book. Most only accepted books from certain suppliers. All of them wanted deep, deep discounts... of course, I never even really got as far as having to worry about how much of a discount I would offer them.

I am at a point now where I am wondering if it is even a viable option that I go forward and push this book and pursue a literary career. Admittedly, this is my first novel. Sure, there is a learning curve. Sure, I need to build up an audience... what does it take though to do these things? I really can not say that I am committed enough to writing to worry about this apparent struggle for stardom. I think that it may just come down to pure luck - that the right person in the right position will read my book (or at least see it) and sign a contract with me rocketing me to fame and fortune. After all, isn't that the way it should work anyway?

Noah Reilly, author
"Out on Deep Water"
http://www.Novels-by-Noah.com