So Much Work To Do
Getting the word out and marketing your book is hard. This is not a whine. I am merely underlining and highlighting the grief of being an author for you so you have a better understanding. There is so much I simply did not know about writing. I actually thought: I’ll write this, stick it up, and the book will sell hundreds of copies without me having to do a thing. Not true as it turns out. Insult to injury: I have now learned your first book is usually a dud and that it takes a couple of books before you start generating buzz and interest. That’s a jagged pill to swallow.
My euphoria of publishing my first novel lasted about two weeks. Hmm. Maybe three. It was really awesome and I loved it and I rolled in it like a pig in the mud. But nothing that joyous can last forever. Except: my box of trade paperbacks showed up and seeing a box full of books with your name on it rocks pretty hardcore. Anyway: The harsh reality I am getting at is making people notice my book amongst the 4,500 books that appear on Amazon daily is a difficult thing to manage. It is a full-time job just browsing support social media sites. There is so much “help” and “advice” out there you feel like you are drowning. Wheat and the chaff and all that stuff. I am feeling like that pig in the mud but now wondering how I got so dirty.
So: I have to start focusing on my next novel Craobh and trying to set aside all the marketing effort on the first. FYI: I spend hours every day reading and finding ways to spread the word socially about Duilleog.
I’ve pretty much run out of any new ideas and so Duilleog will sit on Amazon and hopefully a miracle will happen (which if you know me you know that I can’t possibly believe that will happen – ).
So back to blogging and writing and all that other stuff. Craobh is slowly being written. I am currently introducing a new character called Nadine the Herbalist. She’s important to Will Arbor. I really like her. I really do.
One last thing, my family is moving back to Ottawa in only three weeks. I knew it would happen fast but seriously?
Ciao!