What's a reputation worth?

The changing facets of my writing

My early days
The friends who've read the largest selection of my work will recall that I made an early reputation as a ghost story writer. 

Those days are now behind me, tonight I draw the final breath out of the dead carcass of my reputation as a writer of ghost stories. 

@Draft2Digital buyers are more into @scifi, so there is no reason to write my ghost stories. 

The glory days 

The days of Mark Johnson
Four years ago, this story won an award for me. In the time since it hasn't sold a copy.

#BestSeller

To me, if nobody else, I don't deserve this title. Sure, Forgestriker (the book) is soon to net her 400th sale, and the series passed its 700th sale, but the massive sales of one book in over 45 don't class me as a best seller - in my eyes.
So, as you see, my reputation meant nothing in the long run. I had to adapt to try to get some sales, and I failed badly.