Experiment Much?
Try everything once. That’s what most people will tell you, even though, I’m almost positively certain, there are some things that should never be tried (such as forcing yourself to make it through one full sitting of Fantasia). Tolerance for one of Disney’s most boring films notwithstanding, it is rather ironic that the ones who are often suggesting to try things, to go out on a limb, and to do something unique probably haven’t ever done it themselves. What’s wrong with this picture?
Think about it. So many teachers out there may have written a book about how to be successful in business or how to manage a small company, 
but how many have actually started a company or made a fortune from the stock market? And how many music profs have sold a single record or toured? How many lit professors urge us to write this way or that way, yet they’ve never had any of their work published? It makes me laugh. A similar phrase comes to mind: those who can’t do, teach. Now, I mean no overwhelming disrespect to teachers…in fact, my becoming a writer is a direct response to a series of writing sessions forced upon me by a teacher, so I am eternally grateful for their role in the lives of children and society. However, something is clearly wrong when the ones who are teaching the classes in universities, calling the shots so to speak, are not in the profession they claim to possess so much knowledge about. Book knowledge and real-life knowledge are sometimes two very different things.
As a writer, I try to look at the world as a sea of possibilities. Wait, scratch that. Sometimes I see the world as black and white, as scummy, ruined, bleached-out, wrecked, etc. I’m guilty of being cynical, I’ll admit; still, there is a part of me that looks at the what-if. You have to if you have any hopes of becoming a writer who leaves any kind of imprint on the world.
So, in marketing a book, there are so many different ways to get the word out. Sometimes it seems impossible, daunting, a never-ending task. And that’s partially true. But it’s not all hopeless. I mean, writing is not a 9-5 job. It’s a needy freaking mistress who demands breakfast in bed, three facials a week, foot massages, and endless reruns of Grey’s Anatomy. But you need to give this mistress what she wants. Or else. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Fear is for sissies. Kickstarters are cool, and they seem to work for bands, but will they work for authors? Who the heck knows? But why not try? Virtual tours are good, and sometimes costly, but will they translate into impressive sales? Maybe. Traditional tours are also costly, time-draining, but fun and profitable at times. Will it work for you? It’s possible. You can write another cliché book and have it flop, or you can be Nicholas Sparks and literally write the same story over and over again and make a gagillion dollars. The bottom line is this: if you don’t try, nothing will work; if you keep doing the same thing and it’s not working, maybe try something else.
Stop being that professor who has a lot of talk and theory but no experience. Get out on the grind and hustle. Experiment like a mad scientist. Get out there, whether it’s on facebook, twitter, or goodreads. Or maybe it’s attending film festivals, book conventions, comic-cons, churches, schools, whatever, in order to spread your fire in any way possible. Nothing is off-limits. Okay, maybe pawning your children, and pawning your relatives’ children…but other than that, nothing else is really off-limits.
Just remember that “they” figured out a way to sell us something that was free, and it worked. Bottled water, anyone? Someone else’s failure may be your key to success. Now, go bottle some water and figure out a way to peddle it to the masses, you big schemer, you.
-spread fire, not toolery,
-Evega
twitter: @estevanvega
facebook: we are arson
