Not everyone has read the book and not everyone will. But thank you for “liking” Captive!
The numbers keep growing…
When I first sat down to write a book I didn’t consider the marketing side of things. Had I done so I might not have written it! Writing is a private and very internal process. It can be lonely and is definitely introspective. It even ventures into obsessive and exacting as you work through the harder and less distinct parts of a story.
And much time is spent pondering how your characters get themselves in and out of trouble; this perfecting is key in all fiction but especially so with thrillers. Last weekend I made it a social affair when I met with a screen writer who has written a terrorist related script. We kept our voices down as we discussed how his characters should best create havoc. Not the type of thoughts you want to broadcast.
Yet when the book is done the writer is expected to become a promoter. Solitary no more!
When I first showed people my book I did it bashfully. Somehow I never realized until I held the actual book in my hands that people I knew might read it. Imagine being asked by your friends why you decided to write a few scenes that ventured on soft porn. Some people won’t and don’t like the book; a few will make you listen to why (note: I don’t really want to hear it unless it’s constructive).
All of this somehow I never thought through as I was writing. You write to create not to sell. And the book world has evolved along with other media sectors in that distribution and marketing isn’t working exactly as it did before. Book sales are falling; marketing is increasingly online (especially with my budget) and you are selling yourself along with the book.
Facebook, the blog, Twitter and trying to juggle it all.
The picture is from CalTech last weekend and I just like it.
No comments:
Post a Comment