What's a Writer to Do?

With so many books on the shelves and so many authors fighting for shelf space, what do you do to move from mid-list to front list?

That is the question I have been pondering as my new contract is up for renegotiation. I am at a point in my career when I have to not only look at the current book I'm writing and the marketplace but five books down the road and what the marketplace will look like when book five is ready for publication.

Everyone talks about branding, nurturing your readers, building your fan base--and while you are at it, write a damned good book.

The writing life is not all roses, rather it is filled with sweet smelling blooms with hidden thorns. It is a business that can change at the drop of a hat. You are only as good as your last book.

These are all the thoughts that are running through my head. What to do, how to do it and when?

Sometimes, the writing life is a lonely life because there are so many decisions only the writer can make.