May, 2016 BLOG Observations
Recently, a lot has been going on in my life. I had a rewarding appearance and book-signing at Masada Leather in Athens, GA on April 26th. Smitten, my third novel, was launched on May 5th, at Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, GA. Great crowd, sold a lot of books, but more importantly, I put on a presentation performance that was delivered as well I could hope.
In the promotion of the book launch, I learned about print and social media advertising. Most of what I learned was expensive and didn’t inspire strangers to attend an author event. However, I realize more than ever that it will take something extraordinary for my books to be reviewed by a major newspaper, especially the NY Times.
I will spend the summer promoting Smitten, and putting the finishing touches on Inscrutable. I may have to travel far and wide, carry books and promotion materials on the road. I haven’t done this yet, and I’m looking forward to the experience.
So here’s something new: I like the life of a novelist. I’ve met so many interesting people, made several author friends, and enjoyed the modest credibility it affords. I’m not ashamed to admit it. Having the ability to create books that are entertaining and enjoyable provides a level of recognition that is quite different than success in the business world. I had that, but this is a distinctive difference. Doing a job and doing it well, is frankly, quite easier than writing a commercially successful novel.
The operative word is “create.” To create something from nothing, along with a talent to entertain a great many from what you created. That provides gravitas that trades well in the author community.
However, I’m now back in an uncomfortable place, selling and promoting myself to a public that is unfamiliar with me or my novels. When I started my consulting practice in 2000, I ran into the same hurdle. Knowledge and capability doesn’t produce real monetary success without salesmanship. Having a great product is worthless without the capability to market it. Wish me luck and success.
