Standing out from the crowd
by Christine Kling
In my day to day life, I am usually the one hiding in the back of the room. I'm the wallflower at the party. I'm the friend who makes up an excuse so I don't have to go out to some social gathering. I often don't return phone calls, don't answer emails. A few years back, folks started writing about this new-fangled thing called emotional intelligence. I score high in that – and I would imagine most authors do. But if there is such a thing as social intelligence, I would score at the single digit end of that scale. This is one reason why I love night watches when it's just me and the stars, and why I am a single hander who can't seem to co-exist on a boat with anyone other than my dog.
So, it is with trepidation that I prepare to launch myself back into that world of being a writer with a new book out. I know I am supposed to have a marketing plan, but all I've been worried about is getting the book done! I checked the numbers recently and Amazon now has over 800,000 ebooks available for the Kindle. Theirs is the largest ebook retail outlet, but the Nook store, the iBookstore and the Sony Reader Store are not too far behind them. So, how in the bloody hell is this socially-retarded writer going to stand out from that crowd with her new book?
It would be nice to have money to buy ads on sites like Kindle Nation or Facebook, but see I'm the one who did that thing they talk about at the top of this blog page. You know, I quit my job and moved onto a boat so I could write. The bottom line is, I've no longer got enough money to buy a fancy coffee at Starbucks. But, they say that nowadays, all the marketing can be done on the Internet through social networking tools. In other words, now when I am in the privacy of my own boat where I've allowed myself to be a cantankerous sea bitch (though perhaps not quite as murderous as my characters), I am now going to be expected to be charming and tweet my way to sales? Oh Lord help me, I'm going to starve.
Okay, so here's the plan. I intend to get the new book Circle of Bones up on the major retail outlets by the end of the weekend. Then I will send out an email newsletter to the fans of my former books, and I'll let them know it's there with an ever-so-delightful suggestion that they purchase the book. Then I'll spend time the following week getting a schedule set up where I'll be charming on Facebook and Twitter and the Kindleboards and Goodreads, etc. Well, charming is relative, right? I'll ask to guest blog and I'll comment and post like crazy.
But, see, there's a problem with my social marketing plan. I have purchased a plane ticket to New Bern, NC on December 26th to fly back up to my boat and start the trip south. I have about 800 miles or more to cover in little hops of 40-50 miles per day. The weather will be growing colder every day, and I'll be chug-chugging down the Ditch in my long underwear trying desperately to find Internet. I'll be rowing the dog ashore in methane-producing marshes, and sitting for hours at the helm due to my lack of an autopilot. I'll be paying record amounts of money for diesel as I try to push my boat speed to the max to make the night's anchorage on these short winter days. I'll be coaxing my little propane heater to take the chill off the cabin without setting the dog's tail on fire. This is not likely to induce a perky personality in this already inclined-to-be-cranky individual on those rare occasions when I can find an unlocked wifi signal. When I finally get the anchor down and attempt to do my requisite social butterfly routine, the only way I may stand out from the crowd is as the writer who puts a big DONATE button on her Facebook page asking fans to help me out at the fuel dock.
Fair winds!
Christine
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