Should I Care If No One Likes It?

My novel will be live in two days, and I went a little crazy scheduling promotions. Now, I don't expect to have much success with them, but I might move a few copies. The problem with my story, as I see it, is that while its overall theme is universal ~ being true to yourself ~ it takes a loooong time to get there.

So, what if readers don't like it, can't finish it, find it too boring? Should I care? Or should I only care that I made some money? Some writers can be mercenary that way; they know their goal, and that goal is selling. But selling a book that garners bad reviews is a Catch-22. You might sell a few (or more than a few) right off the bat, but bad reviews will sabotage its further sales potential. I, on the other hand, get my feelings hurt easily. Sure, I'd love to sell copies of my novel, but I also want readers to like it. Try as I might, I can't get past my insecurity. 

I took a leap and asked one of my (few) fans if she would read my book. She's a sweetheart, really. She's over-complimented my previous books, and yes, I was hoping for at least one good review of my novel, and I thought, who better? I made it clear that she had no obligation to agree to read it, and that my feelings wouldn't be hurt if she turned me down. I also emphasized its large word count. Well, she said she'd love to read it, but I received an email from her this week, saying she was about halfway through it when her dog broke her glasses. That could well be true ~ or it could be a way for her to let me down easy. Maybe at the halfway point, she just couldn't take anymore. That's fair. 

The thing about Running From Herself is that it's really two stories in one. The reason for that is simple: It began as a short novella that I actually published (it sold maybe one copy); then later it struck me how bad and dull the story was and I decided to expand it. 

The synopsis of that original was Leah quit the band, took to the road, found herself in Chance, Wyoming where she decided to stay. She met a singer while working as a server in the local bar and fell in love. Then he broke up with her because she'd hidden her past from him. But later, they came back together, and...that's basically it.

In the new novel, everything is the same, except they don't come back together. Instead, she's discovered by an A&R rep from a record label, and she accepts his offer, which takes her to Nashville. Truly, the second half, or rather, two thirds of the story is the actual story. Everything before that is a long, long prologue. 

Would I change anything? Shorten up the prelude? No, but that's me. I'm odd; I like an unfolding story that I can get lost in. I think, however, that readers are more impatient nowadays. In my blurb, I had to include Leah's dilemma ~ that she ran away from her tour and blew her record contract. I mean, what else would be intriguing? Except that happens far into the story. 

Maybe it is character-driven. I'm so proud of the characters I created, which is also a big reason why I wouldn't shortchange the first chapters. Leah meets a couple of interesting people in Chance, and I couldn't bear to part with them, especially the hotel manager, Burt. 

I guess the story is a saga. Few readers will appreciate a saga, I fear. 

So, should I just feel happy if I sell a couple of copies? I'll have a whole two dollars in royalties, at least. And once they plunk down their money, whether they like the novel or hate it, I still get to keep my $2.00. I've purchased lots of books for far more money, and I abandoned them. I didn't take to Amazon and write a bitchy review about wasting my money.  

Sure, negative reviews will doom future sales, but I think the answer is, I just won't read my reviews. Thus, I'll be none the wiser.