Hello and happy December. We have reached the final month of 2018. It's normally a time of reflection on how the year went and looking forward to even more in the next. Only, I'm not.
I think I'm getting to the point when I can almost tell a blah is coming on. It's been a hell of a few weeks. More dreaded time in #editinghell. I made the terrible mistake of looking at my sales, and I had two giveaways with like no entries. One for my newsletter subscribers and only two of my author friends responded. And one as part of an author interview. It's like wow, I can't even give them away. Then I participated in my very first 'author takeover' on Facebook, and yeah, mostly spent the day talking to myself.
When it rains it pours. Right?
My ability/desire to write is directly tied into how I feel. I'm not a 'push through it' kinda gal. So, being down means the words don't come. The words don't come then I feel like crap for not making progress and working on something new. It's a vicious cycle.
And by all accounts I should be excited right now. I have a book coming out next month and another in March. But with the blahs taking control I can only see the glass as half-empty. Writing is not an easy gig. Whether indie, hybrid, or traditional, there are times when (I'm guessing) everyone gets overwhelmed. And right now it's so much all at once.
More impending edits
Make a marketing plan
Write new words
Make goals for 2019
See what goals I didn't hit for 2018
I've had the blahs before. And I'm aware that they will go away again. The question however remains: When? The last round lasted from May til early September. Hopefully, they'll move on quicker this round.
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.
I'm sorry! You can't control what people will do, only what you will do. Don't let their actions - or lack thereof - stop you.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know, but when I'm already in an 'iffy' place, things are magnified.
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May your blahs lift soon. Best of luck with your new releases. I hear ya' about the FB events. So far, those I've participated in have been circle jerks of authors liking each other's posts. But hey, they don't cost me anything. Onward! Wishing you happier writing in December.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I've not written in a while but hoping things get better next year. I'm getting to the place where I miss my characters. Thank you, hard to believe I have books due out soon. I'm looking at 2019 as my year to attempt better marketing, we shall see how that goes. More takeovers planned, and will hope for the best.
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Hang in there. It happens to all of us. You are not alone. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Thanks. I'm trying. It's nice to have a supportive place, that helps.
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I try not to look at my sales either and FB promos haven't done much for me either. Have you done any in person events? I often have good results and feel more energized after talking to readers. Good luck with your new releases!
ReplyDeleteI don't typically. I know I'm not a 'best seller' but hell, I'm really not even a mediocre one, more like dismal LOL. But onwards and upwards I guess. I have not done any in person events. Talking in front of people makes me nervous. I have a friend who is trying to encourage me to see if the indie stores will carry my books, but again that requires talking. We shall see.
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I've had a case of the blahs for most of 2018. I think I'm coming out of it now, but still it's disappointing to look back and see that so much time has been lost. I guess as writers, we have to accept that these things happen. It's a question of making sure the next time we don't sink so far or for so long.
ReplyDeleteAwww sorry to hear that. Yay for coming out of it, but yeah, it sucks when you look back at all the 'wasted' time. It's a never ending bad cycle. Having people around you to throw you that life line helps to keep from sinking too far.
DeleteBest of luck and thanks for stopping by
As you said, a writer's life isn't easy. Hang in there and create your own excitement. Sounds silly, but it makes it easier and others might notice at one point. Poke me when you need shout-outs or anything!
ReplyDeleteNo it's not. I'm coming out of the funk, slowly. I will keep moving, trying to find a plan that works for me. And thank you! I appreciate the offer.
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Hope things turn around soon. I have to echo what Alex and others have said, you can only control what you do so just keep plugging away and try different things. Good luck on the upcoming releases.
ReplyDeleteThat's the plan. It's trial and error to find what works. I try to actively engage and not be the "buy my books" person. Shall see how things go.
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Go do something completely out of your comfort zone, just to shake things up a bit. Then keep after it and don't worry about what the world says or does.
ReplyDeleteI really should, but that does make me a little nervous. I've taken some time off, not really written anything, and focused on family and supporting my squad. I'm almost ready to get back on that proverbial horse.
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Hi Meka! Marketing is hard. There's no easy solution, but I'm wondering if you're paying for any kind of service that does this for authors. I haven't used any, but it might be worth investigating. Or perhaps for your next IWSG post, you could ask others for advice? I'm not suggesting a company that only does one thing, but rather a book marketing company that plans a whole bunch of promotions, perhaps cutting costs by grouping authors together in promotions and getting the authors to co-promote.
ReplyDeleteYes it is. I've paid mostly for blog tours and things like that, but nothing that is an ongoing marketing service. I do want to try new things, including using companies for some services, but have to see what gets me the most bang for my limited buck. LOL
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It's hard to fight off those blahs and disappointments. I hope you have a great year ahead!
ReplyDeleteIt is. Having people around to still cheer you on even when you're in a slump helps, but still it's hard.
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I hear you! It's hard to chase off the 'blahs', especially when things aren't going well. But they do get better, and even if this time it din't work out, you don't know that the next time it will be better.
ReplyDeleteIt's like everything piles on at once and just weighs you down more. One day at a time is all I can do. Trying to not focus as much on the negative. It's a process.
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I hope you realize just how not alone you are in feeling this way. :-) You do have a lot going on and I'm not about to tell you to look on the sunny side of things. (I hate when people do that to me.) I will say that the marketing / writer-reader engagement / etc. part of writing is one of the things that scares me off from really pursuing it. The world at large is very instant gratification-minded with short attention spans. Do your best that you can do in this moment. That's truly all anyone can ask of you, including yourself. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, it's easy to think I'm the only one, but I have support around that reminds me I'm not. Thank you for not saying look on the bright side LOL Marketing is hard, I'm still not sure how that all works, but I'm trying, but then there's the worry of being too pushy, so finding the balance is key.
DeleteOne day at a time, it's all I can do.
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Writing is hard.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Facebook parties, I've had some that were a total bust and some that were really good. See if you can do an author take over for an hour in someone's Facebook group, but make sure it's an active group and the readership works for your stories. Those usually work very well for me. Offer giveaways and do fun questions. Or keep an eye out in author Facebook groups for announcements for FB book bashes. Next time I see one, I'll let you know.
I missed your giveaway announcement, but you really have to promote those. Post about them in Facebook groups for readers (if authors are allowed to). You can do a search on Facebook for groups for authors and readers. There's even free and discounted ebook groups.
Keep you're head up. Not everything will pan out, but you have to keep trying and find what works for you (or find the groups/people that work).
Oh boy is it ever!
DeleteI've done about three takeovers so far and most have been quiet. I've had a little engagement in the last one, but I'm still trying to figure out the magic key. I have 2 planned for January. One is a book blog FB group and the other is the readers group for one of my publishers. Hopefully I'll have a better turn out in those. *fingers crossed*
Yeah, boosting myself is a constant struggle. I'm not good at it because I worry about being too promotion centered. Still trying to find the balance there, but working on it. It's all a process to find something that works, but that is one of my goals for 2019.
Yes, I can't let the blahs take hold too much. Luckily I have my squad to help keep me from going too far down the Negative Nancy hole.
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