Hey Writer, Scribe, Influencer!

I haven’t gone for a proper walk for months! I’m going mad. Spring fever is hitting hard. 🙁

Sigh.

Turns out, our fair city fired our old snowplow driver (something about wreaking havoc on the driveways of those who crossed him) and now the city maintenance worker rises at the crack of dawn each time Mother Nature blesses us with another inch (or two… three… four… oy!) to clear the streets.

Thing is, the city dude isn’t great at his job yet. Bare cement is scarce. Instead, a tough layer of packed snow, ice… pre-glacial material… covers each street. And BOY is it slippery! I’ve seen more than one neighbor engage in the “dance of shame” as they’ve made their way to the post office.

So, I sit in front of my computer. I dance in the living room in lieu of my regularly scheduled jaunts around town. I yoga in my office chair.

But, I don’t like it. Not for one minute.

Spring needs to get here! And soon. :/

Write on!

Beth 🙂

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Is the “Gold Rush” over?

Beth Ann Erickson

Ah. Back in the days of yore, you could throw a book up on Amazon, wait a couple days, and sales would flow towards you like a steady river. (Amazon. River. See what I did there?)

Those were the days, my friend.

A few things have changed since the glory days of book publishing.

First, online bookstores change their algorithms. All the time. What worked yesterday IS likely bunk tomorrow. It’s just the nature of the beast.

Second, competition has gone through the roof. With thousands of books published daily, the sheer number of titles vying for eyeballs boggles the mind.

Third, fewer people read. Your book isn’t only competing with other books, it’s competing with Netflix, Youtube, Prime, and more.

Fourth, resources to help new authors succeed (often created by writers who made it big during the “gold rush”) have exploded. That means a new crop of authors, many of whom possess a modicum of marketing savvy, are forging forward full steam ahead. You need to keep up. However, if you’re lucky, the course builders will keep their materials up to date because tactics need to change and it takes a lot of time and effort for gurus to keep their materials/advice up to date.

Fifth, more than ever before, your writing success is dependent on you. If you’re lucky, your publisher will help promote your book. But don’t count on it, even if you’re working with one of the “big five” publishers.

Lastly, no matter what you’re selling, it’s imperative you not only understand your ultimate goals, but you must develop an overall strategy to advance towards that goal. Gone are the days of scattershot marketing. Today is the day of a targeted, strategy-based plan.

The good news is, writers who do this will have a big edge over authors who:

a) don’t know how to market.
b) refuse to sully their muse by learning such a crass talent
c) focus only on craft

And this is where we’ll start next time. Until then, keep writing!

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Enjoy!

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