A blog about the topics of writing, Topics of writing

Do you market others or just yourself?

Leave a comment

 

How do you market yourself as an author?

Some people might think doing reviews for other authors, showcasing some on their site to running a book launch for someone else is not the way to go. Me, me, me and only me was my mantra in the beginning. That was my viewpoint. I was wrong.

People tend to want to shout to the world their books, themselves and well nothing else. And that can work for some authors. But can and will it work for you?

When you shout to the world someone else you are also showcasing yourself.

Offering to review other people’s books you can sometimes have them review your book.

If you do a really nice review, people will come to your site to see what’s going on. If you showcase an author, that author will send traffic your way to show off themselves.

I give a shout out to people on my Twitter feed every Friday. From that I have gained new followers and contacts. From that people have shouted out my name and brand to their feed which has helped with sales and interviews.

I have found my editor and publishers by helping others with their works. Something I would not have imagined doing in the beginning. I have found submitting publishers who have helped me with different avenues on my way to being published. Sharing and passing the love can be very helpful to your brand. From my end it has helped me in so many ways.

Doing it alone is your right. But in doing so you are doing it all on your own. You might be able to do this very well. But you might not. Helping each other can be fun and also productive.

So, at the end of the day one must decide which avenue to go. How it pans out, how you want it to pan out and if you are satisfied with it will all depend on the person who is looking back at you in the mirror.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing ways

Are you growing as a writer?

Leave a comment

Are you growing in your craft? Just because you have a book published, regardless how, that doesn’t mean you are the expert in all when it comes to being an author.

One can always learn and move forward just like any other business. You see people getting certified and getting additional knowledge. This also applies to writers.

When I attended my first writing group it hit me fast how behind I was and how much I needed to learn.

I have taken classes on character development, writing fiction, learning how to craft and engine a story line and more. This has taught me that there is always more to discover.

If you are trying to get published that alone comes with its own set of rules- self published, vanity or traditional.

Once you are done your book you still have to maneuver how to market it through the rapidly changing field of social media.

And for me, someone whose English grammar was not the best, I had to learn how to write in a way that was not riddled with errors- past tense, commas, run on sentences and more. Though my biggest Kryptonite is past tense. I am the Queen of past tense.

If that is not enough than you need to learn how to do pacing, setting, dialogue, character development, story line development and the list goes on. No one knows how to do this 100 % from scratch. It is a learning process.

Hey, if you get to the point your book is published I commend you. For I truly know the work that is involved in getting this down.

But to grow as an author one must continue to learn the different avenues of writing. Else you risk the chance of getting stagnated.

A blog about the topics of writing, Author tips and advice

Mentoring other authors

Leave a comment

 

 

Over the last few months I have been asked by three authors if I would mentor them. I was flattered even though I had to say no.

I use to mentor authors for free or rather I offered and offered. I wanted to help those get to where I was at the time. Not a single person took me up on it. Even if it meant me taking the time out of my busy schedule, putting in extra work and coordinating times and places not a single person raised their hands to take me up on it. Not one.

If any author who was higher up than me had reached out I would be on their front porch before their sentence was done.

I didn’t know what to make from this. So, I stopped offering. Taking a class about learning our worth I decided to start charging for my services. The minute I did that people reached out to me. Sadly the ones who I repeatedly asked over the years finally reached out not knowing I now charge. They were not happy. But I didn’t budge. After four years of trying to help for free that ride was over.

It takes a lot of time for me to mentor an author from start to end especially one who is not published yet. And more especially one who has not been published and their book is unedited. To do that means to walk away for a bit from my family and my business. That seminar taught me to hold firm and to value what I know.

It doesn’t help that some people want the magic bullet. This means they not putting in the work that one needs to do to get to the results they want. If I am going to give you that much time I do expect it back.

So, when three people asked me to mentor them I expressed it simply. I mentioned that it involved a lot of time and effort from me and a true commitment from the author. Plus that I now charge. But I did leave them with three nuggets of information that I feel is imperative to getting your book out there and making the progress I have made.

Some will appreciate it while others won’t. That’s okay. Maybe in the future those who don’t will realize what all is involved and why I had to say no. Plus, why I now charge.

The Musings of A New Englander