I love this banner Jenika Snow made for me. She is a very talented writer who I'm happy to have in my writing circle. I use her graphics to help promote my work. It can be a great aid in helping you get your name out there and sales for your books.
Releasing a book is just as hard as writing it. With blog posts from supportive authors, promoting sites like Author Island, and a prayer you may get some sales. It can be exhausting exercise, and sometimes it seems futile.
There is no sure fire fix out there that can make you a sudden success. It takes work, keep publishing your work, use what you can to keep a steady flow of attention on your books and look at all avenues open to you for promoting your work.
There are a lot of times when you feel invisible to everyone. You go to conventions and no one knows who the heck you are or what you write. It can be discouraging, but if you love truly love what you do, you need to make sure everyone remembers who the heck you are.
The old saying never say die is very apt in the publishing world. Building a following takes time and dedication, not only to your writing, but to those readers you do pick up along the way. If you are thinking you will write a book and it will be suddenly the next hot thing, don't fool yourself. That type of lightening happens very rarely.
I'm not saying you can't make a living at writing, you can. It just takes time, perseverance and a tough hide. Not everyone is going to like your work and many times your work will be totally ignored by readers.
It happens to all of us and if you can work with that you have a shot at making writing work for you. I'm working on my fourth book in the Dark Breed Enforcers and am now getting a good following. Or I should say my name is getting more familiar to the readers out there. I reach out to authors and readers at conventions every year. I found going to reader conventions are a huge help in getting your work to the right readers.
Every day you have to get out on some social media site be it Facebook, Twitter or any of the many other sites offered and get your name known. Be reachable.
I'm not an expert, hell I'm still building my fan base as we speak, but what I'm finding out is very simple. If you believe in your work and yourself then things will turn around for you. Don't stop believing, keep strong and reach out to your core group of wonderful supportive friends and authors to keep you focused and strong. Try everything to get your name out there, give it a little time before making any determination if this will work for you or not. If it's not a good fit move on knowing you tried.
Don't be afraid to reach out and try different avenues but, watch your bottom line. Can you afford this advertising? If so see what you can get out of it.
There is no sure fire way to get noticed, a lot of it is being in the right place at the right time. Can it happen for you? Sure, maybe not a multi-million dollar movie deal, but a comfortable living is not too much of a stretch. Keep focused and positive, enjoy what you do and above all have patience.
I'm not well known yet, but I have every intention to make my name familiar and my books loved. How? By using everything at my disposal to get the job done. This is the time for writers to publish. There are so many options available now for a writer. Use it wisely and learn the business.
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