Made It Moment: Thomas Knight
I met today’s author, Thomas Knight, during a writing contest, which became an important part of both our writer’s journeys–although neither of us won nor even advanced particularly far. That’s what I love about this writing world. Often it’s not the door we were banging on the hardest that opens, admitting us to someplace wonderful. Happy birthday to Thomas (yes, today is his birthday) and happy birthyear to his novel, THE TIME WEAVER. Thomas has forged his own path as a writer–and perhaps ultimately that’s the deepest form of making it there is.
I’m not a writer.
But I’m different from most people. I strive to challenge myself. I seek out ways to break out of my comfort zone. I march to the beat of my own drummer, because what better way is there to ensure you’re listening to the right music?
I wrote The Time Weaver as a personal challenge. I spent almost twenty years telling myself I couldn’t do it. Little did I know, the only thing holding me back was me. 100,000 words is a lot of words, especially for somebody who is not quite as tuned in to the English language as the average person. I’ll admit it, while I was scoring straight A’s in every other subject, I was a C-student in English studies.
So I wrote it. Edited it. Edited it again. Had a friend edit it. Had my wife edit it. Edited it again. Man was this a long journey. And finally, a year after I started writing my first book, I self published it, and joined the ranks of many thousands of other indie authors out there. And how did I fare? Did I make it?
I sell more than the average indie author, but not enough to say I have fantastic sales. My Amazon sales rank appears to have fallen into the nosebleed section as of late. But what is the true test? How do you gauge if you’ve truly “made it” or not?
Reviews. That was my test. All the sales in the world don’t matter to me if people aren’t enjoying it. I want people to read it, yes, but I want them to enjoy it as well. Because what are authors but entertainers?
I received an unsolicited review the other day, from a fairly well-ranked reviewer: “Many times I made false assumptions where the story was headed and was pleasantly surprised right up to the end. … The story is constantly moving forward with a breath-taking pace.” I’m still reeling from what was one of the best reviews I’ve ever gotten. He bought it. He read it. He enjoyed it.
Mission Accomplished: I made it.
Thomas A. Knight has spent most of his life either immersed in or building fantasy worlds and bringing characters to life.
From Middle Earth, to the skies of Pern and beyond, no world is too great a challenge for him to conquer. His favorite places include a pair of worlds that spawned from his own imagination, one of perpetual light, and one of perpetual darkness.
When he is not living a life in one of these worlds, he is a husband, father of two little girls, software developer, and avid role-player. He grew up and currently resides in a small town in Ontario, Canada. He works as a software developer at one of the world’s leading vinyl siding manufacturers.
Sounds like a good effort. Now for the next one.
Regards,
Arthur
Comment by Arthur Levine — April 4, 2012 @ 9:54 am
I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I believe that is from the review I left. Folks, this really is a good book. I know there are hundreds of sci-fi works out there, but I believe this one seperates itself from the pack. The characters and story lines are well crafted and flow very well.
The one thing that really stands out is that with all of the characters and action going on, the reader doesn’t get bogged down or confused. You won’t find yourself going back in an effort to catch-up or jog the memory.
Job well done Mr. Knight.
Comment by Jeff Dawson — April 4, 2012 @ 9:57 am
Very cool, Thomas! Nice to see you here.
Comment by SavvyBlue — April 4, 2012 @ 10:17 am
Wow…if the reviewer found the reviewee…that is just so cool! I have this secret hope someone will find an agent, or a publisher–or a spouse :)–via this blog. But Thomas hearing from the reviewer who let him know he made it is one good start!
Comment by jenny — April 4, 2012 @ 10:22 am
Success is what we make it – not the world’s definition. If we tried to keep up with every other author or the world’s standard of ‘success’ we would drive ourselves crazy.
It’s better to be content with our status as author and let the favorable reputation grown naturally then try to manufacture said reputation.
Comment by Shawn — April 4, 2012 @ 10:25 am
Great moment, Thomas. Glad to hear you’ve made it. That’s got to be a good feeling for you.
Comment by mountainmama — April 4, 2012 @ 11:03 am
Good article, Thomas. You do have some original ideas in the Indie business. I believe if you work hard, you will get there. A great review from a stranger means a world for me, too.
Comment by Lisa Zhang Wharton — April 4, 2012 @ 11:14 am
Thank you everyone for your support.
Being part of this blog is just one more thing that makes me feel like I’ve made it.
Jeff Dawson: Yes, it’s your review that I’m talking about. And thank you. You’ll never know just how much that review means to me.
Comment by Thomas A. Knight — April 4, 2012 @ 11:55 am
First Happy Birthday Thomas! Great moment thanks for sharing it with us. Your book sounds good and I have put it on my list. Great review and thanks again for sharing your success with us.
Comment by Kellie — April 4, 2012 @ 12:04 pm
Happy Birthday Thomas – and I have enjoyed your work very much. Nice to see you here!
Comment by Connie J Jasperson — April 4, 2012 @ 1:45 pm
Nice Moment, Thomas. Good luck. Take a break and tackle another one. Or maybe skip the break!
Comment by "Doctor Barbara" - Barbara Ebel — April 4, 2012 @ 2:22 pm
Nice moment, Thomas. And Happy Birthday! I know all those edit rounds well.
Best,
Comment by Pamela DuMond — April 4, 2012 @ 3:14 pm
Thomas, I have known you for quie awhile. Everyday I offer a new quote to start out my morning on Facebook…and to me, you represtnt the quote that I wrote today: “Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste good! Therefore, try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” WORDS TO LIVE BY
ThomaS, you have honor and you have value in my opinion. Those things make you successful. I have those things and they indeed made me successful in my writing career. Because of those things, I have become a #1 best selling PAID in sales author on Amazon, not once but with 3 different books. Because of those things, I have been offered a contract with a major publisher. You have honor, Thomas, and Value and it’s only a matter of time before you reap the benefits because of that. I will be cheering you on
Trin
Comment by Trin Denise — April 4, 2012 @ 4:31 pm
Trin: That’s so nice of you to say. Thank you.
And thanks to everyone else who stopped by.
Comment by Thomas A. Knight — April 4, 2012 @ 9:41 pm
Another great post, Jenny! I’ve been following Thomas for a while, and I’m sure he’s on a successful path with millions of readers soon to discover him.
Comment by Tim Greaton — April 4, 2012 @ 10:00 pm
Way to go Thomas. Wonderful post.
Nash Black
Comment by Nash Black — April 5, 2012 @ 7:01 am
Jenny, you have a fantastic sentence in your introduction that I’m going to quote on Twitter. Look for it.
Irene
Comment by Nash Black — April 5, 2012 @ 7:03 am
Great post and great story. I think you highlight that the ‘made it moment’ is all about a journey of self-belief. The world is full of critics and detractors who expend remarkable amounts of energy pulling people down. The greatest feeling in writing and publishing (whether self-pub, small press or whatever) is the experience of having created something that YOU like. It’s an added bonus when others validate that, but to me the core achievement is having done it.
(Dont all go and give me 1 star reviews now just to call my bluff).
Comment by Ross M Kitson — April 5, 2012 @ 8:14 am
Happy birthday, Thomas, and cheers to a fabulous made-it moment!! That’s excellent, and I hope your review continue to be so amazing!
Comment by Leah Rhyne — April 5, 2012 @ 8:17 am