***CREATIVE CROSSROADS***
Creatively, I have most of the things I could ever want as
an author. I have six published books which are doing moderately well as far as
reviews go. I have eight rough drafts which could be turned into awesome books
under the right guidance. I have other creative outlets which give me the
online attention I need as an author. But as far as marketing and putting
myself out there go, I could be doing a lot more. I repeat: a LOT
more. So I’ve decided to make a list of marketing techniques that will no doubt
get me more views and book buys. Starting with…
- Build a street team to promote my books (that’s a lot of fucking people)
- Build a website (seems easy enough, right?)
- Convert my Face Book page to an author’s profile (which means calling myself Author Garrison Kelly instead of using my real name)
- Enlist the help of extra beta readers and editors (Ashley Uzzell is fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but getting multiple opinions is important to a book’s success)
- Enroll in Skill Share classes about marketing (Jenna Moreci has an awesome one, I just need to sign up for Skill Share)
- Find a time during the day where I have complete privacy from my family members and the phone (probably late at night, most likely)
- Get a twitter account (fourth time is a charm, right?)
- Get an Instagram account (even though it’s a veritable troll’s nest)
- Get video editing software (for that special time of day when I’m brave enough to shoot You Tube clips)
- Learn how to shoot videos on my digital camera (actually, I know how to do it, I just need the confidence to be in front of the judgmental lens)
- Rent advertising space online
I have the time and funds to do pretty much all of these
things (most of them are dirt cheap). So if these are the answers to my
marketing problems, why am I not taking these steps right away? Well, that’s
where the crossroads part of this blog entry comes from. I’ve been putting off
discussing this topic for a while now, because I don’t want to be inaccurately
perceived as lazy or uncaring.
The thing is, though, I’m not the kind of person who jumps
into decision making right away. I’ve made a lot of shitty decisions in my life
and I’m cautious about going back to those stressful days. Going to Western
Washington University gave me the degree I needed to solidify my writing
career, but being away from my family and friends that long made going to
college one of the worst decisions in my life. I’ve applied for writing jobs
that turned out to be creativity crushers and stress magnets. I’ve traveled to
places that turned out to be shitty vacation destinations at best. I could go
on and on when it comes to long-term decisions that have gone sour.
When it comes to book marketing, the worst that could happen
is undue stress, which doesn’t seem like a big deal on the surface. But when
you consider that I’m operating on a schizophrenic and autistic brain, stress
is my worst enemy. To hear other authors describe the marketing process makes
it sound like they’re having their teeth pulled. I’ve even heard one author
describe it as working at least five hours a day. I’ve heard another describe
it as eight hours. Or twelve. Or more. On top of all these marketing chores,
they also have to write every single day in order to stay sharp. That’s a lot
of responsibilities and it can get overwhelming.
Here’s where I’ve come to a crossroad. On one hand, I can
keep doing what I’m doing and live comfortably for the time being, but my
career would be stagnant forever. On the other hand, I could take all these
necessary steps and throw myself into the fire, where the risk is schizophrenic
and autistic stress and the reward is being well-known in the world of writing.
It seems like an easy decision to an outsider, but when you’ve got my mind and
my circumstances, it’s a decision that I can’t take lightly like I have the
other ones in my life (which ended up being poor choices).
I know I talk about making bad decisions all the time, but
this time, it could determine where I go from here as a writer. Do I live
comfortably and go nowhere or do I overwhelm myself and have a slightly better
chance at rising above mediocrity? And don’t think for a minute that this has
anything to do with being a “snowflake” or a “momma’s boy” or whatever the case
may be. It’d just be nice to have a safety net to catch me when things go
haywire, that’s all.
I’m Garrison Kelly! As soon as forever is through, I’ll be
over you!
***FAMILY DIALOGUE OF THE DAY***
REINA: Garrison, no sleeping at the table. You’re not five
anymore.
JAMES: He’s just mad because we’re not talking about
barbarians and wizards.
GARRISON: That’s not all I write about!
JAMES: Yes, it is!
REINA: He also writes about necromancers and scatomancers.
JAMES: Those are wizards too.
GARRISON: You’re stereotyping me!
***POST-SCRIPT***
This coming Friday, I’m going to Seattle
No comments:
Post a Comment