Getting it out “there”
Where is this proverbial “there” that so many people talk about? I’ve immersed myself in Facebook, Twitter and this site as well as launching myself on various Book related websites to pretty much say “Hello all of you” to those who exist in that place called “there”.
It’s funny, there’s a modicum of pride that three people have purchased my book (yes I know, three people aren’t I an amazing top selling author!) I’ve obviously got to wait for the Kindle to go live on the 26th January due to my over-complicating a simple program/selection but you live and learn.
I’ve tried implementing myself as best I can as a new boy on the scene (hopefully not so new that other more established authors in their gang will flush my head down the toilet like big school!!!) I’m gaining a few followers, getting a few visits but I’m just happy to see where everything goes from here. The fact it is there in the first place is quite an achievement and it may not go stellar in the literary world it’s still more than I had a few weeks ago.
It is a funny feeling though, filling in endless author bios, book listings and such like on the multitude of websites that aim to let you be seen by the people from “there”. I can’t count how many times I’ve filled it in over the last 48 hours but hopefully every little helps and it may get enough interest to keep me going in this strange world of publishing, authors and books.
I’m of no illusion that this whole world is for me to create as I’ve gone into it totally on my own. I haven’t enlisted one of the numerous social media promotion services or some of the mortgage requiring PR agencies that offer bright lights and fancy websites to say…..come here, pay me lots and we will do……something for your book. Hell I even saw one with Sylvester Stallone featured in a photo. If they are guaranteed to get him to read it and pass it onto some screenwriters than I could think about forking out some massive amount of cash but until then I’ll stay small thank you and go as much off my own back as I can.
Hell you can even pay for the service of someone reading your book to then write you a review you can use. Doesn’t that sound lovely? But then I’d always be plagued by the idea that they only wrote something positive so they can make their money and make me as the author feel better. No thanks, I’ll take the rough with the smooth. I’m no idiot, I know some people will not like what I’ve done and there will be those that think they should and hopefully some who genuinely do like it. But you know what, for me that’s life, peaks and troughs ups and downs.
In reality though this is an entirely new world to me. No matter how much you research, read and think you know the actual process of going it alone is quite a daunting place.
Still it’s fun to say “I’m published don’t you know” (in some lah-de-dah voice just to make it feel all the more important). In fairness though it’s never been about that, it’s always been about sharing the fact that I did this, I created a story and characters from the depths of my own head and if you want to read it then now you can. There is inherently an immense amount of pride with all of this knowing that without me and my mad mind that I wouldn’t even be on this blog spouting what it is that I made from scratch.
That aside though I still have my day (afters and nights shift) job that fills my time, a wife and three amazing little ones to keep me busy and entertained. Speaking to a friend about this whole Footprint On The Other Side affair she asked how I could have written a book with everything I already have on. You now what I have no idea, I’m sure my wife would say I’ve spent many hours being a “grunting gargoyle” on the sofa staring into the depths of Word as I try to pour my mixed mashings of ideas into something coherent on the screen.
To be fair I have every intention to keep this up and to even share the process I went through from start to finish to get this all ready. For those who want to know I’m going to share how I created Dinymour, Jack James and the whole saga that goes to make the story what it is.
Stick with me, this will be a long ride and hopefully together we will get Footprints into the mainstream and expose this elusive “there” that everyone seems to talk about.
