Cassandra Claire turned hers into a moderately decent Teen Fantasy series. I read the first two, and was into the third when I decided that I'd had about enough of the back-and-forth, we-shouldn't-but-I-love-you, wishy-washy emo relationship between the two main characters
[SPOILER!]
who happened to be full-blooded SIBLINGS. I pretty much gave up when it seemed like the story was tilting in favor of their incestuous relationship.
[/Spoiler]
Still, I agree with your main premise. The truth is, no matter how good your writing is, unless you're an executive of a marketing company, you're never going to have serious access to a fanbase, no matter how good your writing is. You really need to get picked up by a publisher, and have your books sold in stores--no matter how easy it is to buy on Amazon, there's just something about a book being available in a store that gives you that little boost.
no subject
[SPOILER!]
who happened to be full-blooded SIBLINGS. I pretty much gave up when it seemed like the story was tilting in favor of their incestuous relationship.
[/Spoiler]
Still, I agree with your main premise. The truth is, no matter how good your writing is, unless you're an executive of a marketing company, you're never going to have serious access to a fanbase, no matter how good your writing is. You really need to get picked up by a publisher, and have your books sold in stores--no matter how easy it is to buy on Amazon, there's just something about a book being available in a store that gives you that little boost.
~DarkSov