Andrew J. Morgan's Blog: Aspiration Keeps Me Alive, page 13

I've Learned More, But I Know Less

Ever felt like no matter what you try to do, you're always on the back foot, chasing your own tail? Whatever you want to call it, that's how my literary journey is feeling right now; I've got my book, I know an audience exists, but pinning one to the other is like trying to catch that pesky blob that floats in my eye in clear sight - i.e. impossible.

I'm no marketing guru (I can't even proudly classify myself as a marketing peasant either), but I have taken it upon myself to become one. After all, no-one else is going to do it for me! Following a very interesting conversation with someone who successfully traversed the deep and pointy gorge between self-published and published, I have made every effort to give a copy of my book (in electronic form, or I'd be bankrupt) to anyone who seems interested, and so far, I'm glad to report that it seems to be having a positive effect. For reasons unknown, this has pushed sales further in the right direction, but the problem is that I have no idea why. I am always suspicious of methods that work when the sense is unclear, so for now, I'm holding my breath, caught in a balancing act that would very happily teeter and fall in a resounding crash that would be heard in the next county.

If you're reading this, chances are you've already grabbed a free copy, but it would be foolish of me assume such things, so why not get a copy here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4kt247ok4qp...

And perhaps you might also be able to enlighten me as to why this current marketing method is seeming to work, because I don't have the foggiest idea...

Water, water everywhere…

Ever felt like no matter what you try to do, you’re always on the back foot, chasing your own tail? Whatever you want to call it, that’s how my literary journey is feeling right now; I’ve got my book, I know an audience exists, but pinning one to the other is like trying to catch that pesky blob that floats in my eye in clear sight – i.e. impossible.

I’m no marketing guru (I can’t even proudly classify myself as a marketing peasant either), but I have taken it upon myself to become one. After...

It's Dark in Here and I'm Wearing Sunglasses

You've heard the story before; it's trite, it's contrived, but I'm going to tell it again, only this time the main character is me.

I've enjoyed writing since I could write, with some of my earliest memories of doing so involving kicking kays and curly kers about an inch high, repeatedly snaking off across the page. Fast forward ten or so years and I'm writing my first novel, enjoying it as much as I ever did. Everything is fantastic.

A friend of mine just ran the marathon, and he explained to me the difference between mile 15.8 and mile 15.9 - he hit the wall. Just like that, in a split second, it all went wrong, and everything he trained for couldn't keep him going at the pace he had only moments before been carrying. As it happens, he just about managed to drag himself the last ten miles at a snail's pace, every step of the way uncertain.

I also feel like I've hit a wall, but that wall is of course metaphorical (me being the lazy, unfit person I am) and on it, daubed in bright red paint, is the word 'marketing.' I have very quickly realised that marketing is a major part of making a success of something, but unfortunately I know less about marketing than I do about making my own oboe.

So, this is my milestone. I'll refer to this in a year's time to reflect on what I did right, what I did wrong and what I forgot to do entirely, and hopefully I'll be biased towards the first category. But in the meantime, I'm standing in the dark and I've got my sunglasses on.

It’s Dark in Here and I’m Wearing Sunglasses

You’ve heard the story before; it’s trite, it’s contrived, but I’m going to tell it again, only this time the main character is me.

I’ve enjoyed writing since I could write, with some of my earliest memories of doing so involving kicking kays and curly kers about an inch high, repeatedly snaking off across the page. Fast forward ten or so years and I’m writing my first novel, enjoying it as much as I ever did. Everything is fantastic.

A friend of mine just ran the marathon, and he explained to...