After we go through a round of edits, I schedule some time on the phone with my editor so we can actually talk. I really enjoy talking things through. Ideas flow faster and freer than 20 emails or 100 IM’s.
So when we finished The Carrington Event, we had a little time to chat about the book industry in general. I talked about the marketing and promotions I was working on, as well as all the social media footprint exercises you must go through whether you’re a traditionally published author or Indie.
I was proud of all the ideas and devices I gathered to help sell my book.
And then she gave me one last edit.
It was an edit of my actions.
The last thing she said to me was…”Marketing is great. But don’t get so caught up in everything that you forget the main thing. You’re an author. Start writing your next book…”
Geez. I expected to hear that from the publisher. But she’s right. I need to get the momentum for writing back. You know what actually hurts after you write a good book and people buy it, read it and like it? They look for your next one. And what if it’s just a bare spot on the bookshelf? They go through the void of having to wait.
Then I reflected on my own purchasing habits. When I first picked up a Steve Berry or David Baldacci novel, I was floored. Loved it. Went back to the bookstore and bought everything they published. And now that I’ve read them all, I wait patiently for their next one. Biding my time until I hear about pre-orders and release dates. If I wasn’t so busy writing myself, I’d probably be in agony. Although I certainly would love to hook readers the way those giants do, the last thing I want is to make people wait. Especially now that my book is a series…
So if you’re a writer, get out there and start writing. Don’t give your audience a single slice of pizza. Make the whole pie available. They’ll like you more for it.
Joseph "Peppi" Vecchio 