It Doesn't Just Happen

By  Amy McCorkle

Let me first say the moment you open that acceptance letter, whether it’s by email or snail mail is overwhelming. I was thirty-five when my first book was accepted. I cried. I had been writing since I was five and trying for publication since I was eighteen. It is a moment to rejoice, to celebrate. You’ve come a long way, but you should know, it’s a whole new publishing world out there and my journey is simply my experience and I hope this will be of some help.

In May 2010, I wrote Another Way to Die. In November, my best friend’s father went into the hospital for a liver transplant. As he struggled to recover, I realized my book was sitting on my hard drive going nowhere. Feeling my own mortality as he deteriorated I knew my career wasn’t just ‘going to happen’. So as my own clock started ticking I submitted my manuscript and got notes to revise and resubmit. I decided I had to do it and rewrote the whole thing. If I can offer any one piece of advice, it is this, start building your platform early. What is a platform? In your career as a writer, your platform is you. At a free online conference given by Savvy Authors called Digicon, publishers were invited and I pitched Another Way to Die to every one of them. They all accepted. I chose to go with MuseItUp Publishing, an epublisher. I learned what you needed for a platform. Basics, Facebook, Twitter, Official Author Site, and a blog.

Turns out Muse prides itself on cultivating and nurturing new talent. Muse offers Yahoo groups to join, and has a database of other sites valuable to writers. But Muse is an epublisher and you want a New York deal. I can only give you the benefit of my experience. I have three books out at Muse and each one has sold progressively more than the last. How come? Well one is readership, but I gained that readership by blogging, tweeting, and facebooking and updating my website from time to time. Yes, that dreaded P word. . So how do you promote an ebook?

Because I write dystopian/scifi and dark romantic suspense I go to Cons, they’re relatively cheap and you can usually get in free if you sit on panels. But if you have ebooks and I have four out now (I’m also with the small press Promotion  online is your market. And when I say promote I don’t just mean tweeting your book incessantly. You have to build relationships with your following on Twitter and FB.

Does a career in epublishing really work? Well I’ve done everything above; I have 12 contracts, two writing awards, and several blogging awards. Am I rich? Only time will tell. One thing I know for certain it doesn’t ‘just happen’, you have to make it happen.

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Amy McCorkle is an award winning author from Kentucky. Her newest book, Bounty Hunter releases this month. She is a 2012 Moondance International Film Festival,Semi-Finalist for her short story.

Putting on a Happy Face

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director

Car insurance is no laughing matter.  But watching today's TV commercials, one might think so.

There once was a time when insurance ads took their mission seriously.  However, in recent years, cavemen, gekkos, and perky girls in white uniforms have populated the advertising landscape.  Some are even accompanied by jingles as silly as Yahoo's. 

The few remaining insurance companies who hung onto a shred of dignity have begun dabbling in humor as well, e.g. the "I am Mayhem" guy, or car owners suddenly speaking in the voice of the company spokesman.

The reason, of course, is because nobody really wants to buy car insurance.  So rather than approach reluctant customers with a stuffy message about premiums or a re-enactment of their next accident, why not make buying from them look like fun?  It's a brilliant tactic, really.

I should point out that the cavemen, while becoming famous enough to earn their own (failed) TV series, didn't sell a lot of insurance once they were overexposed and simply got on people's nerves.  The gekko is approaching that status currently, and if he doesn't crawl back under a rock soon, I predict a rival insurance company will do an ad in which a snake swallows a lizard whole.

That said, this same company wisely elects to diversify, with simultaneous campaigns involving rhetorical questions that end with Charlie Daniels playing a mean fiddle, or my favorite, "so-and-so is a real customer, not an actor. So we hired (celebrity)," who proceeds to interpret their testimonial in their own outrageous style.

It isn't just insurance companies whose ads have gone from blah to better.  Want to know your credit score?  Me neither.  But an amiable young songster wearing a pirate hat might lure you in with his catchy ditty.

Doing an online search for the best deal on a Mexican cruise may not be our idea of a fiesta, but if Captain Kirk chooses to boldly go south of the border to entertain us, all I can say is, “¡Ay, caramba!”

Hopefully the books we write aren't such a drudge that it takes an over-the-top pitchperson to peddle them.  But in advertising, comedy is the new tragedy, so if you've written something along the order of The Complete Guide to Nursing Homes in the Northern Hemisphere, Betty White could be just the ticket.
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The Social Media Groupie

by Shannon Milholland, Social Media Director

Groups. Cliques. Circles. Call them what you may but they exist - even in cyberspace. We tend toward our own kind.

Amish fiction with Amish fiction (Do you ever wonder if they hand write their manuscripts by candlelight?)

Nonfiction with nonfiction

Mystery with mystery

The idea of joining a group may cause a guttural reaction as you recall lonely middle school days when there was never a seat at the lunch table. Or the thought may energize since you're such an extrovert and writing is an introvert's sport. Whatever your reaction, may I make a case to become a joiner?

You will experience the greatest success in social media when others are blowing your horn. So find a tribe of 5-10 people with whom you want to band, pick up an instrument and start playing each other's tune. When you do, use these components to make your group a success:

Give - It may sound obvious but each group member must contribute. Good intentions don't compose tweets or Facebook posts, so choose individuals who have the capacity to be givers.

Receive - A healthy group also contains members who know how to receive. They thank instead of deflect attention, understanding that to receive someone's gift of help, brings joy to the giver. Go football here and get some wide receivers.

Open - A group solidifies when associations are made beyond the surface. Be willing to share with your group areas of struggle, personal difficulties and victories. As you wrestle through the mud of life and celebrate each achievement, your alignment and loyalty will benefit.

Unique - Each must contribute their individual talents to the group. Were you a copy editor early in your career? Give away some free editing to the group. Did you major in graphic design? Volunteer your skill to design one sheets and bios. Are you know for your speaking ability? Offer to review a speaking segment for each person and offer a couple of home run tips.

Persevere - You may not see instantaneous results. An effective group continues for an extended period to experience the long term benefits of relationship. So make adjustments as necessary but keep going and eventually you'll experience the power of a group.

Are you ready to find some running buddies? Next week we'll explore places to find them.
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