As a debut author, we aren’t afforded the privileges of an established author. It’s like we’re standing on the outside looking in to another world that has not included us…yet. We struggle, we fight, we think up all kinds of creative ways to advertise and get the word out because we start with a fan base of just a few- usually family members or just ourselves. The world isn’t handed to us on a platter just because we thought we could write and do well at it and it’s hard to make it in this business without continuous marketing and campaigning. We are faced with established writers’ everyday tweeting and posting their successes which make us wonder how we, too, can experience the same.
A perfect example happened this morning. I glanced at an e-mail in my In-box and heavily sighed. There was an announcement stating a book won Best Paranormal Romance Award. My book is a paranormal romance, I think it’s good and I would love to win this type of contest. So, where was my entry? How come I never heard of this contest? I wasn’t even afforded the opportunity and no one nominated me for it. It hurts to know these opportunities pass you by, especially when, as a first time writer you are in the process of learning, struggling and don’t naturally know about these types of opportunities. You dream for the day you’re book wins “best of” something or even makes it on the New York Times Bestseller list. Every day is a learning experience for a debut author filled with ups and downs. Things that come easily to established writers are new knowledge for first time authors, like: contests to enter in our genre, book signing events in our area, good book reviewers to contact or promotional/marketing pros to help us get the word out.
So what do we do in the meantime? We keep plugging along, hoping one day to make it big, trying each day to gain more and more fans and be more noticed. We try to keep doing our best everyday with what little time we have because that’s all we can do.
So after reading about another contest I had no opportunity of winning, I deleted some of my e-mails and read the heading of another one and stopped….
The message said “You ARE a Great Writer.”
Wow. Those words made me pause. They gave me hope. They made me realize it’s not the end of the road for me. Powerful words… Was this a sign? I don’t know. Because this is what I want. This is my dream. This is what I’ve been working hard for. To be a great writer- delivering fun, fascinating novels that catch your eye and keep your interest. To share my love and talent with the world. To interact with wonderful fans and get excited over amazing characters in my books.
This sentence, though only five words long, renewed my faith in my ability to write and weave intriguing tales to the general public. So I’m passing this on to you. Don’t give up. Yes, it’s a struggle but keep on doing a little something every day to promote yourself. One author told me something that has never left me: To build your fan base, just keep writing. This sounds good to me because writing is what I do. It’s who I am.
Take care my friends and be well.
TK Lawyer 