Writing...Just because!

As I sat down to start writing this blog about being persistent, I mentally stumbled because, well… persistence is tough. Especially during the lull that inevitably comes after the flurry of a book launch. Actually, it’s not a lull, it often feels like a crash and burn! How can I write about persistence when all I want to do is hide away and curl up with a good book? Love those Sugar Highs It’s like the crash after a sugar high. My new book, Deep Deceit , came out with a bang! It reached the Kindle Top 10 in mystery/suspense on Amazon.ca during launch week. Heady stuff. The problem is, there’s no way, other than huge sales or continuous free downloads, to keep it there. But, the idea ultimately is sales, right? My book is in a very popular genre so I’m competing with some heavy hitters, but I persevere. Helpful Resources I read self-publishing and marketing books voraciously. One I read a while back and pulled out again recently is called Let’s Get Visible by David Ga...

Variety versus boredom I love to write but don’t want to get boxed into one genre. Does that create problems? Absolutely! Does it keep things interesting? You bet! I consider my specialized skill to be simply…. writing. Do some writers have a particular niche they focus on? Most do and many ‘experts’ warn not to switch about as it makes it difficult to market your services (or for book marketing). That’s probably the biggest downside to switching genres. For authors, once you have a following, switching genres can alienate your readers. But sometimes you just need a change, right? If you plan on juggling genres just promise you’ll be back. It’ll be part of your messaging. If you’re traditionally published you might have a battle on your hands with your publisher though. That’s when you might consider turning to self-publishing.  Mental Pause book signing at Stayner's Wharf in Halifax, NS For me I need the variety. After spending days on end writing Tweets or profil...

“Starting your book is only the first five miles of a twenty-six mile marathon that’s one-third of a triathlon.” APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur If you’re a self-published author or are contemplating taking the plunge (for whatever reason), be prepared for the demand of being an ‘Author-Preneur.’ Actually, it’s not a bad idea to do it even if you’re traditionally published. Start switching your mind-set from, ‘I’ve got to sit down and get a chapter done today’ to ‘I’ve got to sit down and write a chapter today AND post a tweet about my progress, share a sneak preview on Facebook, take that tutorial on how to convert to ebooks, and review the cover design proposals that are sitting in my in-box.’ There are plenty of books, blogs, websites, newsletters and videos out there on how to do it all... some helpful and others not so much. One that I would highly recommend is Guy Kawasaki’s and Shawn Welch’s APE: Author, Publisher,Entrepreneur . It takes you through the entire...

As social media practitioners we’re always trying to find sources of great information… breaking news, industry trends, research, expert insight, public opinion… the list goes on. We’re so busy following trends and reading what others are saying that we often forget to dig in our own back yard for the content that’s been written for other purposes. Photo courtesy of flickr.com by Josh Kenzer If you’re working in a large company the communications responsibilities are probably divided between different departments: PR & Marketing, Corporate Communications, Community Relations, Investor Relations or a combination of sorts. Social Media then works in lock step with all of these departments as a possible communications tool to reach specific target audiences.   Freelancers or practitioners in smaller organizations will be juggling it all so it’s even more important to find efficient ways to re-package what’s already been written. The salient information (or key message...

  Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net - David Castillo Dominici I’ve discovered that the most important thing to do first, once one decides to self-publish (other than writing the darn book) is to put together a timeline starting with the desired launch date and working backwards to the current date showing on the calendar.   It’s a real eye-opening experience to realize how many moving parts there are to the process. Making sure you have everything slotted on the timeline is critical otherwise that deadline is going to whizz by while you're staring wild-eyed at the ever-growing ‘To Do’ list. This really shouldn’t have been such an earth-shattering revelation for me since it’s what every good event planner or communications strategy developer does every time a new project presents itself.   Since that’s my background, it should have been a no-brainer! It’s now been a little more than a week since I’ve made my pronouncement that I’m going to self p...

 I spent a long time yesterday writing a comment in a LinkedIn discussion on a social media marketing group that I thought I would share here.  The group facilitator had invited members to post all their links but included a long list of guidelines on what to do and what not to do...  to make it a more useful discussion rather than a dumping ground.  I thought I would share it here because I think, in their desperation to 'connect' and be 'liked' so many people are totally missing the point... Here's the comment I wrote: I'm sad to say that even though you (the facilitator) painstakingly outlined the guidelines for this discussion I have already been bombarded in my LinkedIn inbox. I will simply delete those messages and continue merrily on my way. I would like to thank everyone who has begun following all my social media but would like to plead with those who are blindly following, liking and connecting with everyone on this string, to please us...