Congratulations! You have created the perfect manuscript... it shines in all the right places! It sparkles with truth and literary genius! You have crafted a masterpiece!
Then you take the first step from creating art into the weary world of business! You spend weeks reformatting your document so it meets the guidelines set forth by your publisher. Not a terribly hard step but certainly a culture shock as you move away from the creative process and into the world of business!
Finally, after many reviews and changes, your creative child is ready for publication!
Now your creative soul must begin a new journey of growth!
Congratulations! You are an "indie" - an independently published author and you must enter the world of marketing!
Whether "unknown"... just a "little known"... or somewhat "famous"... you must learn to market your book!
For the creative soul - this is not a time for timidity! Your book can not speak for itself if no one knows it is out there waiting to be read!
If you already have a literary blog with 10,000 loyal followers... this may be a fairly easy task. However, for the "newbie" this not only requires a personality shift but also major shift in mind set!
Now your creativity must be channeled into the business aspects of publishing!
"THIS ISN'T WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR... I'M A WRITER!"
Actually, even the large publishing houses now require increased marketing efforts by their authors!
In the next few blogs I will talk about the things I have learned as I transitioned from a creative writer into a creative marketeer!
I'll talk about:
Free - to low cost promotion sites!
The use of key words!
Joining book clubs!
Some authors say it is a blessing if your first book is not a huge success... because once you enter the world of "fame".... the level of interactions with your readers increases dramatically!
Okay, I'll take that over "marketing!"
RIGHT!
NOT!!!
First you need readers... so follow this blog and I will share the insights I have gained as I moved from writing articles for established publishing houses, where they handled all the business aspects of publishing, into the world of an "indie" author writing fantasy fiction!
HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL!!!
JDeVereS
Greeat read thank you