Recalculating!

I finally broke down the other day and bought a GPS for the car. For anyone who doesn't already have one of these delightful devices, (I think I was one of the last hold-outs,) they can, quite simply, get you anywhere you'd like to be by either the fastest, easiest or most scenic routes. They can find you the nearest supermarket when you're hours from home, direct you to hidden boatyards, and even take you places right around the corner that you didn't know existed. If only I could program in marketing goals and have that neutral computer generated voice guide me along.

I've kept a pretty low profile, writing-wise. I'm not part of any writing groups. I'm sure they're out there, but I really haven't looked.  The only one I ever stumbled across, and briefly attended, was comprised of several ladies sharing their in-progress historical romances. They had no idea what to make of my hard-boiled plot and bad-attitude heroine, so obtaining constructive criticism was difficult. When I'm talking to someone and I'm asked what I do, I will admit I'm a writer but even then I tend to steer the conversation back to questions about them. I'm a bit of an introvert. I prefer to listen rather than talk. Most people love to talk about themselves, but I'm not one of them. I know me – I'm a woman, I'm a writer, I own an old boat. It's no big deal. I'd much rather learn about others.

But I've reached a point where I realize to move forward that must change. Not only do I need to talk about myself, but I need to seek out avenues in which to talk. If I plan to take my marketing up a notch, it's time to seek out the media. Online, papers, radio, TV.  It's time to step outside my comfort-zone of quiet anonymity.

I have a nautical thriller with a distinctly un-nautical title and cover, and that, I suspect, leaves some confusion when it pops up in Amazon under the boating and sailing categories. But I'm hoping that very same title and cover will give me an edge when it comes to getting the local media attention. I've written up a press release that plays on both aspects, and starting today I'll be sending that out to every regional media outlet possible. And not only do I have to market my writing, but myself as well. That's going to be the tricky part. I don't find myself that interesting, though I am aware that to the general population, a petite, trawler-owning, former commercial truck-driving woman from New Jersey who writes regional nautical thrillers IS interesting. Or maybe just a bit weird, but either way it seems to intrigue people, and I realize if I'd like to gain a wider audience perhaps it's time to embrace that aspect.

So, for my fellow writers/boaters who have already taken this voyage, what were your experiences, and what advice or suggestions can you offer to someone about to seek out the spotlight? I don't have paper charts for these waters and I can't figure out what buttons to push on my GPS!

 

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