Writers are constantly bombarded with advice, everything
from work habits that are supposed to help you find an agent (or not), get
published (one way or another), get blurbs, promote your books, find reviewers,
sell more books to personal habits that will help you avoid being overwhelmed,
work harder and better, and use resources better, faster, more deeply. We are
analyzed as introverts and extroverts and “in-between verts” and advised how to
make the most of those traits. We are told what books are hot, which are not
and how to take advantage of that.
We are advised which workshops and conferences will give the
most bang for the buck, which social media will get our names out in the public—or
whether it is worthwhile at all, whether readings at bookstores are worth your
time, how to conduct readings to best effect, and what to do if no one shows up
at your events.
The advice can be bewildering and sometimes seem at cross-purposes.
It can make you feel like you’re never going to be able to do enough. It can
make you doubt your abilities and your dedication. It can make you crazy.
So I’m going to give you some advice: Read all the advice
you want, but take to heart only
the advice that is right for you at this
particular time. At first every single tip you read may seem relevant. You
are clutching at straws, hoping for that one little tip that will suddenly move
you from unpublished to published; from sadly-published to best selling author.
Advice that will help you not care if things aren’t going your way or that will
make things go your way.
But some advice is better for you in your situation at this moment than others. The advice
for how to promote your books is not useful if you don’t have a book out yet,
and it’s a waste of your time to dwell on those tips. I’ve had writers who are
unpublished ask me what I think is the best way to get a book reviewed in the
newspaper. At some point this information might be useful, but it’s a waste of
time and precious energy to worry about it until you need it.
I don’t mean you shouldn’t plan in advance—I just mean not
too far in advance. At one point, before I found a publisher I began to collect
everything I could about the best way to self-publish. I never used the
information, but it wasn’t a waste of time because I was approaching the
crossroads: I had two novels written and no publisher—and I wanted to be
published. But to collect this information before you even have a novel
completed is a waste of time. And
I don’t mean to ignore the advice. Start a file where you can keep information
that you hope to use in the future.
But focus on the advice that’s useful to you right now!
3 comments:
This is spot on advice, Terry. I'm just beginning to promote my first book, and no matter what I do, I feel I should be doing more. It's important to realize you can't do everything at the same time.
Allan, this post was for me as much as for anyone. You're right. There's only so much you can do!
You are so right! As writers, we try to educate ourselves about the things that can help us write, publish, and promote, but sometimes it becomes so overwhelming that all it does is cause stress. I collect tips and advice and store them in a file for that particular subject. That way I have placed it for future reference, when I need it. Hopefully, I'll need some of it sooner than later.
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