Standing out in a VERY large crowd
We've had much conversation this past week on the internets :) about how authors, specifically independent authors, gain readers and fan followers. With no BBNY (Big Boy New York) publishers name backing us, we have a gigantic challenge in getting our name and writing out there in the big world. For writers, the objective is to first, of course, finish our stories and then we must turn our attention to promoting. Ugh...the most difficult part for moi. Writing is the easy part. The characters live in my head for a long time, possibly years, weaving their tale through tribulation and triumph. Then, we graciously share it all with the world with high hopes that readers will love our story and characters at least a fraction as much as we do. That's like being an ant in an ant pile as big as, say...Texas! There are so many artists trying to get noticed, it would take hours to go through the many screens of books and e-books available on the market. Working to have our one or two to stand out from the crowd of Grishams, Kings, Koontz, and other highly acclaimed authors who have BBNY backing and a loyal following, is like that little ant traveling through that gigantic pile of ants and getting to the top in victory. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, it's just that the odds are so high. So, what to do then? That has been the discussion this week. Many of us have banded together to support each other and help further our books by reading and reviewing, giving likes and tags on Amazon, and the like. Some upper crust stuffy stiff-upper-lip authors who are holding out for the BBNY publisher to notice them and make them one of the greats on the first page of the new releases, have chastised those of us who are doing everything we can to get noticed. I take exception to that in a most offended way. If supporting other authors is beneath you, then get out. But don't scold us and talk down to us in our quest to do what we can to further our own writing. There are many gems among us and no one is ever going to know unless we help each other out. I'm so grateful for all of my author friends and I'm blessed to become acquainted with you all, well...most of you. The upper crust stuffy stiff-upper-lip ones can take a hike. Quietly, please :)
/end rant/
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Speaking of promoting...nice segue, huh? If you haven't had the opportunity to read "Bright Lights, Money & Show Biz, Honey" it is FREE tomorrow, Monday March 19. Just click on the link and you can download it anywhere you want. If you don't own a Kindle, just download Kindle for PC. I'll have a promotion in the near future for "Random Encounters" , however it is currently sitting on a publishers desk for consideration, so I'm waiting to see how that turns out :) For an indie writer like me to have a publisher ask for a complete manuscript after the query, then sample chapters, is a pretty BIG deal! I don't want to jinx it, but I'm very excited! If you would please, click on those links above for both of my books and on the Amazon page, click the "Like" button on each. When an author gets to 50 "Likes", it moves them up in the Amazon rankings and makes it easier to find my books in the gigantic ant pile. I would appreciate it. Moving forward book wise, I'm still editing "Back Track" for it's debut and am hopeful to meet my April 1st deadline. I'll keep you posted.
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March madness is in full swing and my bracket got whacked in the very first round. Wichita St., UNLV, and Colorado were my spoilers. Ah, the tense anticipation! Every year, I study the stats, check each top 25 teams last games of the season to gauge their aptitude for the playoffs to the big game...alas, there are always a few who upset and surprise. However, I was more than surprised, I was shocked to see the top 50 brackets on ESPN after the first were all PERFECT! I think they cheat...however, I had picked Indiana to go on to the second round and that put me up in the stats. Apparently, they were a long shot. Let's move on...
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Do you ever just sit and take in all that goes on around you? As an observer. This is a sample of what went on in my house yesterday over a period of time, of course:
"Stanley....shush"
"What's that on the ceiling?"
Stanley...SHUSH!"
"Woof!" "You wanna go outside?" "Woof!"
"What are you burning?" "Lloyd's dinner"
"Do we really need 8 boxes of k-cups???" "YES!"
"Stanleeeee...SHUT UP!"
"Woof!" "You wanna go outside?" "Woof!"
"I wub you" :)
The Lhasa is mouthy. He talks and/or barks a lot. The other two, the black labs, will quickly follow suit and then a three dog harmony of barking ensues. It would be difficult to get a nap around here, if there were time for one.
Maybe you'll have time for a nap today. Please take time to hug everybody! My doggies get hugs from me several times a day and that's me telling them "I wub you" with a smile and a treat.
Affectionately yours,
~ K
~ K
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