Sure, I Would Rather Be Writing. . .

I have a tee shirt that I made that says “I Would Rather Be Writing” I have worn this tee shirt when I have been out marketing my book, but I think I am going to stop wearing it. Of course, I would rather be writing, but I really need to market if I want to make any money writing. It is just a fact. All the resistance in the world is not going to change that.
I had a comment on one of my blog posts recently from my friend Bill Holland related to the subject of public book promotion. He said:

“You could post this blog once each week for an entire year, and about 99% of the writers who read it will nod their head in agreement but never do anything you are suggesting. For whatever reason, writers do not like to promote their own books in public. It is a phenomenon that I do not understand but it is very real. Anyway, all great suggestions here.”

I started commenting back, but then I realized that this was a topic that would be better addressed in a blog post rather than simply in a comment.
What I have found is that many of us writers start to believe our own happily ever after stories. We think that somehow we will be discovered and all of our marketing troubles will be over. News flash, they are not.
When I am thinking about waiting to be discovered, a scene in Shrek The Third comes to mind. In that scene, Fiona and the other fairy tale princesses have been captured by Prince Charming and Fiona is trying to figure out how to get out of the prison cell that they are all in. The other princesses assume the position of waiting to be rescued. Fiona’s mother on the other hand determines that they need to take the situation into their own hands and get themselves out of the cell. Like these fairy tale princesses, most writers will be waiting a long time before they are discovered.
Sadly, a lot of the advice that most writers are given is that they need to write the next book in order to get success. However, without marketing, you’ll have not just one book that no one knows about, but two.
A writer who isn’t marketing is likely to complain that they are not getting any sales. They will complain that the market is saturated. Although there are a lot of books on the market, saturation isn’t the real problem. The problem is that the writer has not done marketing its due.
Sure, I could continue to complain that no one is buying my books or I can wait until the publishing prince comes to rescue me from my writing tower, or I can do the things that I know are going to make a difference. I have decided that I am going to do the things that I need to do to make book sales.
I am conducting a book launch. I am writing my own press releases and sending them out. I am scheduling public appearances and radio interviews on my own. I am doing guest blogging. I am scheduling a blog tour.

I am marketing my own books.

 

Donna Brown is an ordained minister. As Author Cygnet Brown, she  has recently published her first nonfiction book: Simply Vegetable Gardening: Simple Organic Gardening Tips for the Beginning Gardener

She is also the author of historical fiction series The Locket Saga. which includes When God Turned His Head and Soldiers Don’t Cry, the Locket Saga Continues. Her upcoming book A Coward’s Solace will be available soon. Click here for more information about Cygnet Brown and her books.