Ila Golden's Blog - Posts Tagged "musing"

With the start of my free book promotion for Hyena Boy, I've spent a lot of today thinking about the different roles I have to play as an independent author. When you publish through POD sites like Lulu and KDP there are no guarantees. These sites are platforms, vehicles for getting your work out there. They offer services to aid in your journey from unknown author to author who sells books, but there's no lower limit on how few books you can sell, if any. If you want to make sure you are a success then you can't just wear the hat of an author, you have to be your own publicist, you have to create and market your own brand. You're the one responsible for making sure those tools at your disposal are utilised in the right way, and that means understanding how they benefit you.

An unknown author with an unheard of book sells no copies with hope alone. You have to tell people you exist, that your book or books exist. You have to make them notice you. That means taking risks and chances, or spending money you may never earn back. But all you need is that first wave of momentum to start people talking about your book. To start people looking for your book. To start people reading your book and reviewing your book and talking about your book and looking for your book and finding your book and reading your book and reviewing your book.

Once the cycle starts... once the momentum is going, and keeps going, you know you've finally figured it out. But until it does you keep trying everything. You have to start that cycle in order to sell your books. The cycle won't start by itself. You have to know when to take chances. And keep taking chances, until finally you win.

So maybe this time the momentum has started, but that doesn't mean I've won yet. I will keep going until I get it right. I will keep going, because I'm determined to get it right. I will keep going.

I don't really get excited about Christmas anymore. Its not that I don't enjoy the holiday, I do, for the family aspect. But that often doesn't happen on Christmas day anymore.

My brothers don't live locally, and to me its not Christmas when they're not around. So my Christmas tends to happen after Christmas Day when they're around.

But it's still almost Christmas. One more shift to go before a festive day off. Then my real Christmas will be at the weekend.

It's an odd thought to have, I understand, but as a writer its important to love your own work. After all, if you're not enjoying it, how do you expect anyone else to. But I don't just enjoy my own work. I'm a huge self-commited fan of it.

When I'm editing I always find myself stopping after certain scenes or moments, and squealing like someone just reading it for the first time, and not the millionth. It doesn't matter that I know where its going, although I'll always have a moment after where that comes into play too. I mean, doesn't the fact that I don't get bored with what I'm editing mean something too? The fact I can get just as excited the millionth time I read as I got the first has to mean something.

On a very basic level it means I'm a fan. I'm a fan of my own writing. That can't be a bad thing. I mean, I've poured all this love into it for a reason, haven't I? I should be allowed to enjoy it, should I? So... I do.

It's not easy thinking of something new to blog about every single day. So maybe I should just blog when I have something to say.

Then again most of my blogs have just been ponderings anyway, no real direction to them, just a string of related thoughts.

And sometimes a string of thoughts can create something interesting all on their own, without any need to focus.

After all at we all always tied up in some train of thoughts with or without any real direction?