Become your project…

Wow! The project is growing. The world of publishing is so vast that simply clicking “PUBLISH” on CreateSpace, KDP, Smashwords or Draft2Digital is just one step along the process. In today’s digital age the possibilities are endless and so far I have simply tapped into those possibilities.

Since my last blog entry I have begun the journey into the world of audiobooks and am just waiting to see if the narrator who auditioned best wants to follow through with the project. His voice was perfect for what I wanted and I am hoping by doing a royalty split option it will allow me to have another avenue for word-of-mouth and advertising to get the story told to the world far and wide.

And so to marketing………….I don’t get it! I honestly am trying my best and every day I learn something new.

Having more fun than I probably should be (being a respectable, mature, grown-up dad….oh no I’m just being me)

 

I have employed some traditional approaches which include flyers and leaflets, posters and word-of-mouth. I have tried less conventional in Facebook Ads, silly videos and explanation graphics and posters. One thing I am learning is how many opportunities I seriously miss out on by not being prepared. I bumped into a CBBC presenter the other day and didn’t even have a single leaflet to give him to give to him! How poorly planned was that!?!

So I learned that I must be prepared. Ask me anything about the story and I can talk enthusiastically for hours on end. I just need to engage something to pull people in to ask me those questions.

A friend who knows PR advised me that I am the product, I am the only one who can be the story or else get the attention it deserves.

I took that literally! With a trip to a few clothes shops, I managed to pull together the sort of look I expected Archy to have in my mind’s eye. There are a few extra bits to the outfit but you know what, I suppose he is my (fictional) Great Grandfather so we should have a family resemblance (artistic licence of course). So armed with the fledgeling outfit and a camera smartphone with a timer I played male model and became the face of my own story.

Years watching America’s Next Top Model and this is the best I can do!

 

My funds are minimal (father of three with a recently renovated house etc etc) so I have to do as much as I can on my own. My silly attempt at a viral-type video was self-made, my modelling as Archy self-done, my cover art self-devised everything on this project comes from me, the young Archy pictures self-done with my own children……this whole story and process is a family story and we will continue to do it like this for the whole journey. As others become involved they are welcomed into the family of this series. I would rather it remain a close-knit journey than sell off to the bigger machines that don’t have as much invested in what I/we are doing with The Magdon Series.

So the main thing I have learned is going it alone is a long journey but it remains MY journey. I have compromised so little in getting my story from brain to page to print. Yes of course the big kid in me has loved all of it, especially trying to portray Archy and dressing up, come on who can deny spraying some fake blood, wielding a sword and taking pictures in the sun is a fairly decent and entertaining way to spend my rest days! Better than working I can say that much.

I am no male model, I am no award winning author, I am no ground-breaking parent, I am no graphic designer, I am no PR guru, I am no well trained editor…….YET in all of this I am all of these things. Perhaps not to the shining meng-bucks level but I am taking on every role I can to ensure the product I get out there is the best I CAN GIVE YOU.

This journey is long, it is difficult but hell I will make it as FUN AS I POSSIBLY CAN.

Enjoy the ride.