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working writer wending her way through the labyrinth that is self-publishing

Sunday, February 28, 2016

the writing life

I've become a nervous wreck in my scramble to promote my books! Of course there are other things going on in my life that contribute to my state of mind so can't blame it all on that...

I've embraced FB ads since they are fun to do, (I know, I mentioned this in my last post) and I also like doing videos, but people are not watching them. I've tried for a bookbub ad many times with no luck...it seems counterintuitive to pay so much money to give a book away! but everyone says they work so I will continue to try.

Here's what I've concluded for myself:

1. things that work for others don't necessarily work for me, but I'm still willing to give them a go.
2. I have to think outside the box when it comes to advertising.
3. my books don't fit into any clear genre--is this bad or good? I say good, since what I write is distinctly unique.
4. If certain types of marketing are taking up too much time and causing me to rip out my hair, they are not for me.
5. Find ways to market that are enjoyable and work!
6. find a way to promote that gels with my nature...this could be as simple as visualizing my books flying off the shelf, or in the case of e-books, being downloaded.
7. Focus on why I'm doing this and what I want from what I'm doing. Is it monetary gain or knowing that people are reading my books? For me it's the latter, since, luckily, I don't have to make a living with it.

I know that many people are making a living with their writing, and I know how hard they work to learn how to promote and figure out what works, and how quickly they need to get another book out. The realization that I am NOT in this group frees me up to let go of a lot of angst. Instead of trying to figure out what to write according to studying genre and other author's success or lack thereof, I can concentrate on what I want to say--and it can take me more than a month to write a book, and that's all right.

My books are meant for entertainment, although I always have some current social or environmental issue embedded within the story. But I am working on a WW2 story that I will treat differently. Instead of self-publishing I plan to try and get a publisher to pick it up. The story is historical fiction and it's very different from my other books.

If any of you reading this are just starting out, check out my earlier blogs for information regarding self-publishing. I've done a lot of research and detailed my experiences in this blog.

Thanks for reading!!
   



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