Q is for Question

When someone says something about writing, publishing, and marketing, do your research to find out if their opinion is right for you.

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Questioning the validity of what anyone says (including me) is a good idea.  I learned this from experience.  I know someone in my personal life who has a tendency to say something in a way that distorts the truth.  (More than that, the person doesn’t even realize they’re doing it.)  I’ve learned when I dig deeper into the issue, I find out what this person said was not accurate 90% of time, and sadly, this has caused a lot of pain and friction in the past.  Now that I started questioning things, I’ve had a lot more peace in my life.  So yes, question things.

But for the sake of this post, we’re looking specifically at writing, publishing, and marketing.

One thing I love about participating in author groups (esp. on Facebook) is that I can pull on a variety of experiences while also sharing my own.  It’s a great way to get more ideas on how to better write, publish, and market.  A lot of authors are happy to help others by sharing their knowledge.  So why not take advantage of it?

Also, there is a wealth of information available today than there was when I got into self-publishing ebooks back in 2009.  I can’t believe all the resources out there.  To name a few, there are books, blogs, podcasts, You Tube videos, and discussion forums.  Back in 2008 when I started looking into ebooks, a lot of things were based on trial and error.  The learning curve was pretty steep in some areas.  Most of the time, I was trying new things as people mentioned them and seeing if anything worked.  So you should be open to experimenting with different things and seeing which ones work best for you.  One thing I’ve learned is that there is no “one-size fits all” way to do things.

Another thing to consider is that things change.  You might find yourself doing things differently than you used to because the old ways no longer work.  I can tell you that since 2009 to 2016, things have changed a lot.  Things that used to work really well (like free books and $0.99) aren’t the surefire things they used to be.  Who here actually remembers when MySpace and Live Journal were good social networking sites for writers?  I met some really awesome writers on MySpace and Live Journal that I still know today.  *waves to Joleene Naylor and Stephannie Beman*  So what I’m really saying is that even if you have years of experience, you still need to learn new things.  Yes, this is a daunting task, especially when you get set in your ways, but it’s how life works.  Nothing stays the same forever.

This post if part of the Blogging from A – Z Challenge.