I have a friend who has published a book. Sans marketing, it sort of hit the market like a rotten plum. It really did not sell, and he lamented that he did not have the time to toot his own horn. He has told me on many occasions, as he mentored me in writing novels, that 'books sell because they sell.' So as I'm writing, I'm thinking through this marking 'thing.' There is a lot to be said about having a little help in this area. I'm not so sure I know the right people, although those who follow me here and those I follow are good sources of information and contact. Some (most) of you are excellent bloggers, and have truly found your niche here in blogland. People read what you write - they are interested. This will prove an open door in the market. Interviews are an excellent means of getting your name out there. Book reviews also help a great deal. Getting good, or even not-so-good reviews of your work from other authors is excellent. And having good cover art is, I'm certain, something worth paying for. But the self-publisher is, in reality, quite on their own.
I am currently spending most of my time teaching, guiding and grading my home schoolers. (One more week...) Reading books has sort of 'left the building,' so to speak. I have not read a good book in some time, though I'm trying to finish a Dekker novel that I keep falling asleep over - not because it's boring, mind you. It's just that I'm pushing and pushed to the limit. It is simply that season of life for me, and will remain so, to a certain degree, for the next ten to twelve years. Hm.
But I am still driven to complete this novel that I am laboring over. I dream about it. I jot notes in the middle of walks, or pull the car over to write down something that was just said or something that came to mind. I talk to my characters in the shower. (!!) I seriously need a tape recorder. I share clips with others to get their input. And all the while, I wonder if I have something to say that others will want to read. And how will they know, if my published work is not at eye level?
This is really what marketing is all about, from what I gather - putting your book at eye level. You know how they put the candy in the check-out isle at the grocery store...and they put the toys on the shelves that the little kids can see. My above-mentioned friend is also of the opinion that having your book appear in the local grocery store is an achievement worth its weight in gold. Why? Because it puts your book at eye level. EVERYONE goes to the grocery store. But still and all, books sell because they sell.
But finally, it is the writer who writes for the joy of it, and not for the sell, who achieves the cherished goal.
It's so true, but I can't help but to wonder as I stroll the aisles of the bookstores, if there are those that can publish I book I would only set my drink on, surely I could write a book! The only thing that separates me and the author of '10 Practical Uses For Belly Button Lint' is that they actually sat down at a keyboard and wrote, and wrote till they had pages and pages of crap they truly believed in. Hmmmm . . . I wonder if someone has already written about the practical uses of clipped toenails? Now there's a best seller!
ReplyDeleteWriting for the love of writing is a good motivator. And the more we write, the better we get. Our first works are rarely going to out due later books.
ReplyDeleteTo date I've completed three books. And I know that each one is better than its predecessor in skill, plot, dialogue, everything.
So for me, to just keep writing, and growing, is enough to keep me pleased.
Marketing on the other hand...I wish I had the money to pay some one to do it! :)
Amy, thanks for the comment! Belly Button Lint - now THAT's a topic for you!!!
ReplyDeleteBrandon - Yes, as I write, I find that I get better at it. I think the challenge of 'getting better' is quite a motivator. It's fun to improve. It's fun to create something that someone says "Wow, I really liked that." And yes, the marketing is quite the dilemna...