It’s never crowded
Where the way gets narrow
And thin
Where the rocks are sharp
And the obstacles become difficult to summount
Just around the corner
The road levels out
But just here
Is where you lose the faint of heart
Watch them slide away
Keep going
It will get easier
And the company
Becomes less
The conversation richer
And life takes on a whole new meaning
Up here
*have you ever heard the saying “it’s never crowded at the top”
Well I’m nowhere near the top but I stumbled across an important lesson yesterday when climbing
Book marketing is hard – it really is and that’s why I am passionate about providing a small place in my magazine for Indie poets and writers to advertise their book links
It was just an idea I had last month and began with the latest issue
Yesterday I posted a small question in an indie book group on Facebook as to whether anyone might be interested in me including their work in next months magazine
I got a deluge of people slapping down their book links
It was overwhelming!
Feeling a bit nervous now I went back to each and added my email address – asked them to email me directly
Because I didn’t want to lose the post and their contacts and not be able to include them
Out of the fifty or so that loudly and lazily and quickly slapped their links on Facebook
Only ten lovely people came across and followed it up with an email
So they are my ten and I will check out their books and include them plus I will probably develop connections with them as well and we will all help each other out
I only wanted genuine folk so I’m over the moon but I realised that so often we are quick to do the easy marketing but not the one step more
And that has helped me with how I will approach my own marketing now – I will go the one step or two steps more because that is where I reckon the crowd thins out
And it will become easier
I hope
Because damn it’s crowded in the trenches
And my regular contacts here – as always I’m of course happy to include your book links if you like – just email me at kate@audacitymagazine.online so I have all the necessary info
Have a lovely day and may you keep your head just that bit above the chaos ❤️
Oh and also – if anyone has read the magazine and I know a few of you have and loved it – would you mind writing a review on my Face book business page for the magazine (as per below snap shot) – it helps me and helps all the others I include in the magazine each month because then more people read their stories and the magazine
Here is the link to the page https://www.facebook.com/AudacityMagazine.online/
It’s just “more” then add review – thanks!
Lovely opening poem to capture the reality of not just book marketing, but I think many other things in life. Often, the difference between success – however you choose to define that word – and falling away is perseverance.
I found that while publishing was itself a huge learning curve and lots of hard work, when we do it alone – as self-publishers – the world of marketing is then a completely new sphere, and it can be so intimidating seeing all these strategies you’re supposed to follow; being overwhelmed by the discussions on ads and promotions, etc.
And yes, the ‘easy’ marketing can be deceptive. It’s like that in any social media, I think. It’s so very easy for people to Like and even comment, but *action*…that’s where most fall away. And it just helps us to appreciate, that much more, those who take that extra step – whether that’s buying the book, writing a review, or helping you to spread the word.
So, again, I applaud your efforts on the magazine, and wish you all the best for its ongoing success, along with the success of your own recent book.
Keep writing…keep inspiring us 🙂Thankyou Yacoob. Your comment has made my day – sometimes I get really disheartened by the whole thing and think it would be far easier to just go and get a normal job but the satisfaction and fulfilment I get from writing and creating is so special that I pick myself up and keep going. I think that is also why I choose to surround myself with and help others on the same path – they just get where I’m coming from. Thankyou my friend, have a lovely day and if there is anything I can do to help you out let me know and I’ll be only to happy to do it. 😊
Stay calm and carry on, Kate.
I think I need this on a shirt Len 😊 including the personalised bit