Let’s Get Organized for 2012!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Yes, it’s been a good while since I updated my blog. And that’s what this Blog entry is about among other things.

As writers you know we have to be jugglers as well. We juggle family, friends a social life, and maybe a job outside of our writing career.

Now let’s add marketing and promoting.

If you’re an author with a BIG HOUSE publisher, like Random House. First off, congratulations. But you have an advantage that we, self-pub or ebook writers don’t have. You have a professional marketing team to pimp your book.

Don’t get me wrong. The ebook publishers that I belong to, do a great job in promoting my book. But let’s give them a break. These are a few people that not only run the epub, but do the website, the blogs, acquisitions, editing and tons of others things in the background. Sometimes there are no more than 8 people that run these epubs.

So for what they DO manage to do is outstanding. That’s why they also rely on us to help in the promo department. That’s where the other ball comes in to juggle.

Your epublisher can’t update your blog, your website, go on different forums and toot your horn for you. You have to realize that these epubs have one, maybe two marketing people and they have over 100 authors!

So here is the lowdown. We as self published authors and ebook authors have to bust our butts to get out there and pimp our books. Yes, that and write and edit, and go on social networks.

But how do we do all of this? You might be asking. I want to write! I have stories to tell. I don’t have time.

FIND TIME.

I know, I know. It’s hard as hell to keep up with all the groups, blogs and social networks. I think I belong to 8 of them. I don’t update my blog like I should, I’m guilty of that. I try. This year I will try harder.

And lets not talk about the writers that writer under different pen names and genres. (Which I do now). You have to establish and identity for that too and make the rounds on those blogs and social networks.

Is it impossible? No.

This is what I propose. And I plan to practice what I preach.

First of all, no one said you have to be on FB, Myspace, Google+ 24/7. I mean really. When will you have time to do ANYTHING, let alone write?
So why not set aside a day, an hour, a weekend to talk to all your internet buddies. Tell them that you plan to only participate in discussions, lets say Friday and Sunday nights. This way it doesn’t look like you’re ignoring your friends and you’re still active in the group.

I plan on Friday nights and Saturdays. Now, if there is a discussion I see in my inbox that I feel compelled to respond to or participate in, I will. Also, if I have a great topic I will post. Just let your buddies know that you are not ignoring them when a flood of comments come in to your post. You’ll respond, just not right away, but at least that week.

See how much free time you got already.

Now you can edit and get those story ideas down.

But how about the marketing and promoting? That’s where this time you set aside to go on those social networks come in. You promote and market at that time too. NO WRITING, NO EDITING. This is your social time, your pimping your book time.

You might ask how will I reach my deadlines. I need to multitask, right?

Multitasking is sooo overrated.

Look, doing one thing well, is better than doing several things mediocre. You’ll be surprised how much writing and editing you’ll get done by setting aside time to do something else. You won’t feel rushed or running around like a headless chicken.

Okay peeps. These are just my suggestions. You guys might have your own way of juggling your writing life. If so, please share.

Let’s make this year less frantic and more organized!