By Idabel
Allen
With
twenty plus years writing under my belt – both professionally and personally,
I’d learned a great deal about the business of writing and was confident in my
ability to master the tasks associated with publishing and marketing my work.
Turns
out what I knew about publishing and marketing was next to nothing. The
publication of my novel, Rooted, that
began my crash-course into the unknown: building a website, growing an email
list, setting up a reader magnet, developing campaigns in MailChimp, creating
ads, giveaways, and promotions.
To say
it is overwhelming is an understatement. I am not a technical guru or marketing
mastermind; I am a writer. And yet, instead of creating characters and dialogue
and plot, much of my time is now devoted to developing systems and sales ads
that are, admittedly, not as effective as they should be, but this too I am
learning.
How I
refrain from hurling my computer out the window, I’ll never know. But the
problem isn’t the computer; it is me. Or rather, the necessity of mastering, or
at least, becoming familiar with the never-ending tools and processes and
procedures required of today’s writer. Because today’s writer is no longer just
a writer, no matter how much we long to be.
As
detailed in part one of this blog, I am not big on reading instructions or
following an established path, no matter how much I intend to on the front-end.
This lack of common sense on my part has cost me time and caused undue stress
as I wrestle with all that is required of writers in today’s literary market.
To say I
have learned my lesson is misleading. I will always jump feet first into
projects without proper preparation; apparently, this is how I learn. Despite
many heated battles with Wordpress, I now have a beautiful website that I
designed, built, maintain on my own, which was my goal, to begin with.
But I
have learned there is help out there and to seek it sooner than later when
needed. Fiverr and Reedsy, freelance marketplaces specializing in technical,
editorial, marketing, and design services, have become much relied upon
resources. I outsource what is beyond my ability or desire to do myself.
Knowing I have experts to turn to if needed has provided a much-needed level of
security and relief.
The
truth is, we do not have to muddle through this brave new literary world alone.
An endless supply of help and support is available to all: how-to articles,
writers’ groups, conferences, forums, seminars, mentors – you name it, it’s out
there. In the end, it comes down to
finding what works for you. That may take some experimentation and cause us to
beat our heads against the wall.
But
that’s okay; we are used to it. We’re writers after all.
So just
go for it, any way you can. You’ll figure it out, instructions included, or not.
______________________________________________________________________________
IDABEL
ALLEN is the author of Headshots, Rooted, and Cursed!
My Devastatingly Brilliant Campaign to Save the Chigg and Rooted (February,
2018 release). When not burrowing in the written word, Idabel is generally up
to no good with her family, dogs, and herd of antagonistic cows. Learn more
about Idabel at www.idabelallen.net. or
follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/idabelallenauthor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdaFiction
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