Wishes and Dreams

Wishes and Dreams: If Only You Had Known…

I attended a gigantic conference back in 2014 after I’d published a couple of books through Wild Rose Press. At an auction, I won an hour of time with Cherry Adair, a multi-published author who writes in my genre. One bit of advice from Cherry: “Don’t attend big-time conferences unless you have ten or more novels under your belt. You’ll waste money.”

I listened to her. Probably saved thousands of dollars as a result. This year, I’ll publish my eleventh book…representing a bit more than one book published every year since 2011. I’m slow, but I’m steady!

What would I advise an up-and-coming author? Easy.

-Keep writing

-Find critical friends and a tough editor – all who will push you to improve

-Keep writing

-Don’t spend money on swag. Do spend money on a great website (and pay for your website expert to keep it current on a monthly basis)

-Keep writing

-Build an e-mail list of loyal readers

-Submit your books to review sites. Tweak your brand

-Get involved with a small, low-key conference. Present. Meet other writers. Engage.

-Keep writing

-Work the social media that pleases you; submit your work for review and contests

-Nurture your e-mail list of loyal readers

-Advertise/market through Facebook, AMS, and/or Google; become a presence locally

-Keep writing

Over your 20 plus years of writing/publishing, what advice would you give the author who is beginning the journey?