Hello Friends,
Do you love January? Or does it feel like the longest month of the year, like it does for me? I once read that the 28th of January is considered the most depressing day of the year, based off particular statistics and the fact it sits in the deepest trench of horrible winter weather and overall dreariness. (At least in the U.S.)
Thank goodness for books! Right? And praise the writers who keep them coming and help us escape to new worlds, lives, and experiences.
These days, writers are caught in a paradox, aren’t we? While it is easier than ever for us to publish our books, gone, too, are the days of hiding away in a cave(so to speak) and eventually emerging with a brilliant masterpiece to be adored by the masses. In our new millennium, writers can publish as much and as fast as they desire, but this means all writers, everywhere, can do this as well. And what this equates to is thousands of books being published everyday.
The mountain of competition is intimidating.
The pressure today is not only whether a writer can write a book that will appeal to the reading masses, but if it can be found among the growing masses of books pouring into the industry everyday.
The writing game has drastically changed in just the past 10 years. Aside from writing a great book people will love, authors must learn effective ways to garner a following. We must put ourselves ‘out there’ in an engaging way. We must become more than a name on a book. Today, readers may find the book, but they will likely search the author’s name for a website, social media, and even YouTube to find out more about them – before they decide to make a purchase.
Conversely, readers may purchase a book because they follow a writer on social media and have developed a connection with them.
The pressure is on, writers!
So, this grand introduction leads me to the point of today’s blog. Writing and marketing for writers. In just the past two years, since I published the original version of my short story collectionVillainous Minds, author self promotion has drastically changed, becoming far more advanced, organized, engaging….etc.
My goal this year is not only to reach several writing goals, but also learn and experiment more with marketing. I plan on sharing experiences and helpful information as I go along. Check back!
Take care,
Joan ❤
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