WHAT NOW?

I knew I wanted to self-publish, but, honestly, I had no idea how to go about it. I mean, I knew I could get my books ready and make them available for purchase, but then what? There the books would sit, alone and untouched, while no one knew they even existed.

If you self-publish, you must market your own books.

Again, my daughter saved the day. First of all, she informed me that I must have an online presence. I need to have a website and I need to begin to blog. I need to follow other people’s blogs and leave comments. In other words, I need to NETWORK. “If you leave comments on other people’s blogs, they’ll leave comments on yours,” she told me. It’s the unstated rule of blogging. Blogging 101. You follow me, and I’ll follow you. Those who don’t follow this unwritten rule are . . . well, considered jerks.

I had no idea this blog-o-sphere existed. At first, it felt like ONE more thing to do. And I had no idea what to write about. “Write about your writing journey,” my daughter said.

“Oh, that I can do. I have a lot to say, after all. And it has been quite the experience.”

My daughter designed my website and walked me through learning to blog. (I’m not techno-savvy at all) To my surprise, I discover BLOGS. Oh my, what a world. One could spend all day simply reading blog posts. It’s fun to search out other writer’s blogs and hear what they have to say about publishing. As a matter of fact, I’ve learned a lot by doing this. The writing community is supportive, kind, and encouraging to one another, and I like that.

“Okay,” I tell my daughter. “I’m ready to publish my books.”

“No, Mom,” she says. “You need to release one book at a time. Otherwise you’ll give your readers OPTION ANXIETY.”

“But . . . but,” I object. Then I realize she’s right. I can’t just dump my books into cyber-space and hope for the best.

It’s all about marketing.

When I started writing, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

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