One of the skills I haven’t had to learn quite yet is how to market my books. Yes, I’ve been working for a long time to make the right contacts and I’ve been learning everything I can about building my author’s platform, but it isn’t the same. Marketing Mik Murdock, Boy Superhero when it is available is going to be something completely new. I’m really grateful this isn’t my publisher’s first rodeo. That takes some of the pressure off. I know when I ask what I can do and who I need to talk to Lorina will have answers for me. But, what should I be doing now in preparation? That’s the question that keeps me up at night. Should […]
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Ramping Up for a New Year
2011 was pretty busy and I got a lot done. I left a lot of things needing finishing touches though too. Since 2012 is looking to be even busier, I need to take these last few days of 2011 to finish them off and plan for the coming year. So what does the new year hold? Well: My first book will be out in print: “Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero”. I should also have at least one self-published book out too; I will also be working with Jeff Hite on the Mad Scientist Anthology (which begins to accept submissions January 1, 2012, by-the-way); I will continue to produce “Get Published” podcast; I will be trying to find a home for “GalaxyBillies; […]
Read moreWriting Shouldn’t Be a Solitary Activity
In my early writing days I believed that it was just me and the words. No one else would ever be involved. I was totally alone. I’ve since learned that writing doesn’t need to be so solitary. True, there are times when it should be just you and the keyboard, but there are many times when you should be around and involve other people. For example. critiquing and feedback of your work – I have heard the opinion that a writer must write a million words before they have anything worth sending out. I would argue that a million words without any outside scrutiny doesn’t improve one’s writing much at all. The feedback around what works and what needs work […]
Read moreGet Published Episode 64 – Know Your Audience
I was very fortunate to attend a brand new Convention for Writers and Readers here in Calgary called “When Words Collide” a week ago. The convention had several VIP guests including Robert J Sawyer who agreed to be interviewed for the show. He talks about marketing and promotion in the Tips and Typos section. I also interviewed Marc Johnson. Marc is a self-published fantasy author living in the Bay area. He talks about why he made the decision to self-publish and how he is treating his writing as a business. Both authors talk about something I found very interesting and that is, knowing your market and targeting it. It’s an important lesson for me and one I think all authors […]
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