Artistry With Words

MY GOODNESS, WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

Priorities, right?  There are only so many hours in a day, and when that day runs out, some things fall by the wayside. I’m afraid blogging is one of those things.

If someone can solve the “time” problem I’m all ears.

Today we’re going to talk about promoting your writing career….if you have one, of course.

But first, the quote of the day.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Without promotion, something terrible happens… nothing!” P. T. Barnum
LESSON OF THE DAY

Writing is an introverted activity/pursuit.

Promotion is an extroverted activity/pursuit.

Therein lies the problem for a great many, dare I say majority, of writers.

Myself included.

I hate to promote myself.  In a  perfect world I could sit in my writing studio and crank out words until the cows come home and never once face the buying public, and while doing my imitation of an ostrich my books would sell like proverbial hotcakes.

Sigh!  Now back to reality.

I hate it, but if I have any visions of ever being more than house-bound recluse with books no one has ever read, then I must promote

Here is my five-step promotion formula.  Use it if you find it helpful.

• Plan……if you don’t have a sound marketing plan, there is no better time than now to write one up. If you don’t know how to write a business plan, now is the time to do some research on that matter.
• Start local….forget about going national if you are an indie writer. You’ll have your hands full just handling your local scene with local newspapers, local magazines, bookstores, libraries, book clubs, etc.
• Build a buzz about your product…..blogging, social media, books clubs, etc.
• Widen your reach….from local to regional to national. The only limits you have are the ones you set on yourself.
• Be consistent…..for every three hours you set aside to write, one hour should be devoted to promotion. Set a schedule for promotion as well as writing and stick to it.

I’ll talk more about all of this next week.  In the meantime…..

Get busy!

WHAT AM I DOING LATELY?

I’m glad you asked.  I’m at the 20,000 word mark on my new Shadow novel, “Shadows Over A Hangman’s Noose.”  It’s going well. I hate to predict a completion date because so much can affect that date, but I see no reason why I can’t finish by November…..heck, maybe I’ll get energetic and publish it on my birthday in October, a gift for myself.

Or not!

A COUPLE SITES TO CONSIDER

While we’re on the topic of promotion, check out the following:

Eventbrite.com……use this site to send customer e-mail invitations and a promotional event like a book signing.

Zvents.com…..list your event and it will be distributed across the site’s media network.

Meetup.com….a great place to find special interest groups by location and topic….for future speaking engagements.

Speakerfile.com….also a great place for authors and topic experts to promote.

A QUICK SHARE

Let me share the opening two lines from a poem called “Breathing Lessons” by one of my favorite poets, Audrey Howitt….

“The dead must breathe sometimes,
inhale their memories”

MORE NEXT WEEK

I just think that is brilliant writing.  How about you?

I wish for you a very successful week of writing.  I wish the same for me.

Bill

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”  #greatestunknownauthor

Tags: william d. holland, writing tips

As many of you know, for ten days our lives were turned upside down and inside out, with Bev in the hospital and the experts not knowing exactly what was wrong with her.  It’s a humbling and helpless feeling to have a loved one hurting and not be able to make it all better for them.

I’m happy to report she is once again home and our lives are returning to some normalcy.  We still don’t know what caused the infection in her intestine.  All we know is the antibiotics did their job and she is once again fine.

I kept everyone up-to-date on Facebook and quite frankly, I was blown away by the flood of well-wishes and prayers as the ordeal unfolded.  There are times when I am, well, a cynical bastard.  I’ve just seen too much pain and hatred and meanness during my lifetime, and during my darker moments I have very little hope for mankind.  But then something like this comes along, and relative strangers reach out and give us strength when we most need it.  Not that any of you are strangers, but I think you know what I mean.  We have never met in person and yet you stopped what you were doing to reach out to me when I needed you.

So thank you!  I have nothing else to give you but those two simple words, but thank you!

And Bev thanks you!

Now please, can we get back to normal?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.” Misty Copeland
THOUGHT OF THE DAY

In my “Mailbag” series on HubPages, there was a question last week about family members not supporting their writer/family member, and I’m still a bit surprised by the number of us out there who share that commonality.  For whatever reason, many of our family members don’t take the time to read our articles and books.  They show support in other ways, but actually reading our work seems to be beyond their capabilities.

It no longer really bothers me.  I still find it curious, but I’m not bothered by it.

And one of the reasons I can toss it aside is the fact that so many writers loyally support me, complete strangers who have climbed about my wagon and been with me through every article and every book.  I find that amazing and encouraging and uplifting.

I wish I had the money to buy all of the books that all of my writer friends have written, but I don’t.  What I can do, though, is make every effort to read their articles and blogs, and I am pretty good about doing that.  And I will always have room in my blog should they want to guest blog on it, and I try to mention a fellow writer from time to time…..

So, the point being, make an effort to support your peers.  In some way, reach out and give them a boost.  We all need it.  We all need each other!

SHOUT OUT

A shout out to my young and talented friend Kailey.  You can find her on HP under the name “Social Thoughts,” and that name perfectly describes her articles.  This is a no-nonsense writer who cares deeply about her causes.  She is at times crude, at times painfully blunt, but she is always honest and passionate, and I respect those traits greatly.

CATCH YOU DOWN THE ROAD

I hope this week is filled with a dazzling display of craftsmanship by you all.  The world needs you to spread your wings and fly.

Bill

 #greatestunknownauthor

“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”

Tags: william d. holland, writing tips