It keeps me awake at night. It gives me a tummy ache. It’s true what they say – writing a book is the easy part. Marketing it, especially if you decide to self-publish, is where the real work starts. When I couldn’t find a publisher for my book “Laughter in the Shadows – stories of courage from 11 Zambian women”, I decided to become an Indie Author. Indie as for independent. I’m an independent woman, so that should be right up my alley. Authors such as Seumas Gallacher, mystery thriller writer, or Susan Toy, author and author promoter, offer books and tips on self-publishing made easy. Seumas is my Facebook friend, and following his posts, it obviously works for him. He says it’s about business. Maybe that’s why it’s hard for so many writers. They prefer writing to business. But a book can be ever so good, if it’s not marketed well, not many are going to read it.

I like business. So I was sure I could do this. Then why is it such a weight on me? It is one thing to sell wheat and canola, as I did while farming. But to sell one’s own written work, that’s where it becomes hard for me. Is what I wrote really worth someone’s reading it? Yes, say those who have reviewed it, and they are intelligent, well-read professional people. And still I tarry. It takes courage, folks, to promote yourself. You need a good ego and a pile of self-confidence. People think I have that, but deep inside there’s a lot of insecurity. Fear of calling reporters for an interview or asking people for a review; fear of rejection. I’m thankful to know that most writers have that. Writers that are good promoters are not fearless; they’ve just overcome that fear.

What also holds me back is the work it takes to network to get Amazon sales up. Daily Facebook posts, blog posts, twitter posts, etc. How does anyone keep track of all those people? You’re supposed to interact with those who connect with you. I don’t even have a smartphone. Do I need to get one to manage? I’m on the laptop a chunk of every day. ..

Then I started getting serious. It’s Christmas soon. I don’t want to miss that opportunity. I wrote the …. book. It’s not going to just sit there! I made a few posts. I started carrying a book with me all the time. And you know what? – people are starting to ask for it! Friends are reposting pictures of me with my book. I take one to a workshop, and people want one. This is working!
So that’s how it works. Seumas Gallacher didn’t sell thousands of books the first month either (or did you, Seumas? – after all, he’s a businessman). A snowball starts with a handful of snow, you roll it and then it becomes bigger until it becomes really big if there’s enough snow. I intend to keep this ball rolling!