How I Launched Myself Publicly in the Creative Life: I Publish a Book
Editor: This post on how I Iearned to support myself in the creative life by deciding to publish a book first appeared in February 2014 at a time when covid as not part of our lives. It advocates marketing that I undertook in pre-covid days but which I believe will soon be available and viable again.
I believe that implicit in every publication is access to an audience. Whether you hope to support yourself or to merely attract a more substantial audience, this post—written about a time half a life ago—has something for you.
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“Is it possible to find readers who will support me in the creative life?” I wanted to know.
One day on 1988, I stood in front of a door, on the other side of which was a group of Foster Grandparents. I had in hand a copy of my book of autobiographical short stories, What Became of Them and Other Stories from Franco-America, which my wife Martha Blowen and I had published through my brand-new imprint, Soleil Press. Soleil means sun in French and Martha who was a paper maker called her studio Moon Papers. So Soleil Press and Moon Papers seemed to us a great combo for a couple (hovering on both sides of 40) who were seeking to live a creative life. [Free Membership required to read more. See below. ]
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Leading a Conference Workshop as a Guest Presenter
Participating in writing conferences, either as a panelist, lecturer, or as a workshop leader is a great way to get your name and book out in public and to network with other writers like you—especially when you are leading a conference workshop.
Being a presenter comes with tasks, but the challenge is not impossible. I’d like to offer you some guidelines to help you be as successful as you can be to:
- Respond to a presenters’ request for proposal,
- Adhere to a list of conference presenter’s guidelines, and
- Develop a workshop that keeps the promises you proposed – in the specified allotted time.<!–more–>
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How to Have a Successful Book Reading–Author Book Reading Tips
A successful book reading requires a little planning upfront. If you use the following tips, you will have a great book reading and engagement with your audience.
At a recent author book reading, I read from my mother’s memoir, We Were Not Spoiled, to a group of Senior College people. Since the program was offered in Lewiston, Maine, where my family is from, I looked forward to the event because I knew that the space would have many individuals who had known my mother, me or many people in my family. [Free Membership required to read more. See below. ]
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How to Organize a Virtual Book Tour
As part of my winter/spring virtual book tour for the Memoir Network Writing Series, I did a stop at Sandra Beckwith’s informative buildbookbuzz.com blog.
Jitters Over Don’t Let Writer’s Block Stop You Launch
I have felt the book jitters as my new book Don’t Let Writer’s Block Stop You has gone out into the world. My anxiety is under control, but it remains a low-level anxiety. Were I to give in to it, I would be succumbing to a version of the writer’s block—the one that postpones publication—and […]
How to Self-Publish with a Book Packager
So you’ve decided to self-publish the book you have worked so hard to write. Congratulations! You have taken an important step, But, have you decided to self-publish with a book packager?
You are joining the ranks of some of the most well-known authors, including Deepak Chopra, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein and Anais Nin. In fact, you probably have several self-published titles in your own library. What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles and Irma Rombauer’s The Joy of Cooking are two examples. [Free Membership required to read more. See below. ]
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Five Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Selling Strategies
A business cannot survive without selling strategies. If your products and services are not selling, it is essential to ask why they are not and what you can do about it. You cannot make a turn around without the answers. Here are several questions you must find answers to to further refine your strategy.
1. Are you doing sufficient marketing? Many small businesses rely on only one or two outlets. You ought to be thinking of four or five. Examples are: e-mail newsletter, speaking (in person, on the radio), publicity, advertising, cold calls, direct mail, book and booklet sales.
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Suspects and Prospects in the Marketing Pipeline
Making consistent use of your marketing pipeline has to be a paramount focus if you are to succeed as a memoir professional. When people contact you as a result of your general outreach, they enter your pipeline. Some people who enter your pipeline only want general info while others are ready to hire help for […]
Branding Yourself: Making a Public Presence for Your Work
“Branding”—isn’t that about steers? Or Coca-Cola and Nike? What’s that got to do with the home-based lifewriting practitioner? Do I really need to be concerned with mega-corporate buzzwords like “branding”? In a word, yes. Why? Because if you are making a public presence for your work, your brand is being made whether you are aware […]