It feels like I'm in middle school. It's the first day of 7th grade all over again and I'm the new kid. The only difference? I'm an adult. That's kind of a big difference.
I'm an introvert or an ambivert (a person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features) or I'm an introvert who learned to manage in an extroverted world. It all depends on the definition. Regardless of how it's categorized, I have introvert features that make marketing a book very difficult. And, yet, I have to do it. This weekend in fact I'll be inflicting my introvert awkwardness on a Facebook Takeover Event hosted by Saguaro Books, the publisher of my book, The Travelers. (If that's not a fantastic pitch to get you to come to the event, I don't know what is!)
Author panels are meant for the audience to learn about authors and their books. But, the authors themselves can learn a few things too, like what they have in common.
Bookstore author events might be the best activity you're not doing. For a fun Friday five, here are 5 reasons you should go to more author events.
Prior to taking the plunge into the world of being a published author, I was unfamiliar with many things - the publishing industry in general, book marketing, social media, etc. Now things are different. I've started to understand the social in the social media. It's also opened up my creative side, beyond writing, in that I've become a wee bit obsessed with bookstagrams.
Indie. It is a shortened version of the word independent, in that it's free from the giant corporate conglomerates that dominate the world. It's a medium that's free to experiment and unconstrained by interference from those who care only about money, not art. Indie music. Indie film. You can find an indie version almost anything artistic, including books.
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. We've all heard that before. And I, who has a whole #booksoverlooks blog series about the importance of valuing thought and reading over superficial materials, agree - when it comes to people. But, when it comes to books, I say, yes you should! The cover is part of the whole book experience and a lot of thought likely went into the artwork. So - go ahead - judge it!
First, you write a book. Then, you try to get an agent or you try to get a publisher. Or you try to get both. Let's say you're successful. That feels amazing. But, unless you're one of the lucky few who lands a big-time publisher who thinks you are worthy of a mass marketing campaign, being a published author doesn't mean you just get to write for the rest of your life and watch the checks roll in. Here are a few lessons on being an author (both from my experiences and the experiences of others.)
K.L. Kranes 