Creativity: Balancing Passion & Madness

It is a truth universally acknowledged that writers dream of, speak to, and argue with their characters. 

Likewise, those characters beg for more scenes and better dialogue, preferring to do so when their creators are engaged in other endeavors. Like sleep. Or the occasional shower.

No wonder everyone thinks we’re crazy.

The process of creation exalts and exhausts writers. It encroaches on sleep, social lives, hobbies, day jobs, and everything else. We become emotionally involved with our stories, weeping when we inflict pain on our characters and cheering when we lead them to overcome the obstacles in their way.

The challenge of balancing passion and madness is something we all must face.

Like all creatively inclined individuals, P.T. Barnum of Barnum and Bailey's Circus saw the world differently and sought to share his vision. Public disapproval, familial troubles, and monetary struggles haunted his career, but in the end, Barnum was revered as a showman and businessman who established an enduring legacy.

I close my eyes and I can see 

a world that’s waiting up for me, that I call my own. 

Through the dark, through the door, 

through where no one’s been before, but it feels like home,

They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy. 

They can say, they can say I’ve lost my mind.

I don’t care, I don’t care, so call me crazy.

We can live in a world that we design.

‘Cause every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head.

A million dreams are keepin’ me awake.

I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see.

A million dreams is all it’s gonna take.

Oh, a million dreams for the world we’re gonna make.

(A Million Dreams, The Greatest Showman, 2017)

During his career, Barnum toured the country and gave lectures on “The Art of Money Getting.” In his biography P.T. Barnum: Every Crowd Has a Silver Lining, Tom Streissguth states, “[Barnum] advised listeners to follow their vocation, concentrate their energies, and advertise. (p 78)

That’s the essential difference between passion and madness. 

Instead of pursuing dreams in a haphazard way, creative individuals:

a. follow where their education and training leads, acquiring more training and expertise as needed, 

b. focus on their goals, expending their best energies to achieve them

c. develop and adhere to sound marketing plans

At one time or another, we all dream of easy success. 

However, dreams only become reality when we put in the work required. Whether we are afraid or overly eager to step onto the world’s stage, we each have a story that the world is waiting to hear. 

I see it in your eyes. You believe that lie that you need to hide your face.

Afraid to step outside, so you lock the door. But you can’t stay that way. …

You cannot be afraid.

Come alive, come alive.

Go and light your light, let it burn so bright.

Reachin’ up to the sky and it’s open wide, you’re electrified.

And the world becomes a fantasy and you’re more than you could ever be,

‘cause you’re dreamin’ with your eyes wide open.

And we know we can’t go back again to the world that we were livin’ in,

‘cause we’re dreamin’ with our eyes wide open.

So come alive.

(Come Alive, The Greatest Showman, 2017)

In walking the fine line between passion and madness, we must be a little fearless. 

We must play to our strengths, identify our weaknesses, and move forward with purpose and passion. How well the world receives our message is not a matter of chance or good fortune, success is a direct result of careful consideration, planning, and hard work. 

So, “go and light your light,” my friends. The world is waiting.

Failing at Life 2017

Yup. It's that time of year again. I feel like I'm failing at everything.

Point 1: My classroom is a mess. My students have spring fever and Spring Break taunts from weeks away.

Point 2: I haven't made any headway on my current manuscript. (Quite frankly, I haven't even had the head space to attempt it. #ShameSpiral)

Point 3: Marketing? Yeah, let's not talk about marketing. I just wish my book were capable of selling themselves. (Every author dreams of self-marketing books, don't they?)

I don't know about you, but The Writer Suckfest is at least a yearly event for me. And no matter whether you have a full-time career or a full-time family (or both) you'll feel like you're failing at that too. Should we give up and consume copious amounts of chocolate while binge-watching an entire season of mediocre television?

I say NO. No way. Let's be proactive! (If that doesn't work, we can always resort to chocolate later, right?)

Five Tips for Surviving Failing at Life

Runaway Don't worry. It's not an act of cowardice. A change of pace and/or location helps you see things as less fatal than before. It may be as simple as disappearing into a really great book or movie but it also might require a beach-side cottage and the calming shush of the ocean.

This weekend I ran way to Comic Con. As weird as it sounds, there's nothing like hobnobbing with a hoard of geeks, dweeds, and super cool nerds to make you feel human again.

Regroup A chat with a friend, writing it out, or just talking to yourself until life makes sense again helps straighten things out. Think of soldiers in battle. Sometimes they have to retreat, assess the threat, and determine the best plan of attack. I don't know about your brain, but mine works in a similar fashion. That's why we have support groups, people!

Recognize Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Freaking Albert Einstein . . . As irritating as that quote is, there is something to be said for recognizing what's failed you in the past and what has resulted in success and correcting accordingly.

For instance, when I mentioned marketing earlier I really wanted to confess something. I haven't been using my past marketing experience to inform today's decisions. How dumb is that? Time to fix it and sell some more books!

Reconnect The longer I walk this planet, the more I see the importance of forging connections. We connect with ourselves, we connect with others, and we connect with the universe (whether you call it God or destiny or fate). We also connect with our own characters and stories. Whenever I'm floating aimlessly or bumbling about, usually it's because one or more lines of connection are down. Reassess, my dears, find the downed lines and pop them back in place. (BTW genuinely connecting with readers, followers, fellow writers, and reviewers is my number one marketing tip!)

Recommit Once a game plan has been developed, we need to recommit ourselves to it. Make it achievable and then jump right in! Does that mean we go down in flames if it doesn't work out? Nope. We live and learn and move on.

Here's my game plan:
1) writing two more guest posts
2) running promotions on my books
3) preparing for this summer's author events 
4) continuing to work on my current project
5) not freaking out about the pitfalls of March

After my weekend runaway, I can recognize that my students are coming along nicely and only require a little help. No group of kindergartners advanced to first graders without a certain amount of drama. In a similar manner, no first draft was ever completed without a certain amount of hair loss and swearing.

That's my plan and I'm sticking to it! (But I'm keeping the chocolate on hand, just in case!)

So my dears, what's gone horribly wrong in your life lately? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it? Leave me a comment! You're not alone, my dears. I'm here to support and inspire.

Humor & Inspiration in Writing: So, You've Published a Book...

Carol Hedges:
Author, Blogger, Super Gran

When writers take on the publishing world, they jump in with two feet. I had NO idea what was coming in the form of marketing, sales, and random comments from strangers and not-so-strangers. I've already unveiled a few secrets of marketing and authorship. Today's Humor & Inspiration guest, Carol Hedges, will address a few more of the...uh, annoying aspects of authorship (i.e. random comments strangers and not-so-strangers make when they discover you're a writer/published author.) 

Let me just say this about Carol Hedges, she is hysterical. Whether she's discussing her granny duties or introducing her latest book, she's professional, warm, inviting, and YES, hilarious. Introducing her to you is an immense pleasure. Take it away, Carol!

* * *    

Advice to Newly Published Writers

So you have finally published your first book! Congratulations, fellow writer, welcome to the best club on earth! And here you are now, head held high, feet a million miles off the ground, waiting for your sales to take off, 5 star reviews to pile in, and Hollywood to make that all-important call.

***ADVANCE WARNING***

As you share your wonderful achievement with family, friends and complete strangers (because you won’t be able to resist), expect to encounter the following:

1. You don’t look like a writer: this has been said to me so many times I have lost count. I have tried to get the person to define exactly WHAT a writer looks like (pallid, vacant stare, two heads, ink-stains on their jumper). All I ever get is ‘not like you.’

Apparently. they expect us to look weirder.

2. I’ve often thought I could write a book. Everybody has a novel inside them, it seems. And it is so easy to write it, apparently. Don’t bother to share the agonising hours staring at a blank screen, the sleepless nights trying to work out the plot, the constant feeling that you are wasting your time. They won’t believe you. It must be easy...after all, YOU did it.

Because that's just so easy-peasy.

3. I don’t have time for reading. Subtext: ‘I am far too busy doing important things for such idle frivolity; you clearly aren’t.’ Smile and wave, smile and wave. Put them in the next book and kill them. Slowly and painfully.

Boneheads, beware!

4. So what’s it about, your book? OK, trick question. You will be tempted to launch into your carefully written blurb, or that brilliantly crafted synopsis that took you three days to produce. Waste of time. They will inevitably reply by asking you whether your book has got any dogs in it because they like reading books about dogs.

This one's ALL about dogs. (And an easy reader!)

5. I’ve got this really good idea for a book - do you want to hear it? No, you don’t. Because this is your moment, your achievement, your book. But they will tell you regardless. In detail. They will probably then offer to let you use their idea in your next book. Resist the temptation.

The correct response to an unsolicited book pitch.

6. That (insert name of over-hyped writer) earns a fortune. Aha! Now’s your chance. Lead them carefully through the meagre royalty rates, the bookshop discounting, the amount of unpaid promotion you have to do. They won’t believe you, but it will remind you why you wanted to be a writer in the first place...for love of the craft, not for money.

I'll just leave this here...            

........and then pat yourself on the back, tell yourself that you have achieved what thousands of others can only dream of, and start writing your next book.

* * *

Carol Hedges is the successful UK author of 15 novels. 12 for teenagers and young adults, and three adult historical novels. Her books have been shortlisted for various prizes. Her YA novel Jigsaw was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal and her first Victorian Crime novel Diamonds & Dust was listed for the 2013 CWA Historical Dagger. She is currently writing the fifth book in her Victorian Detectives series. The fourth, Murder & Mayhem, will be published later this year.

* * *

Gorgeous cover art, Carol. Also, I'm totally in love with the pink car of joy.

See? She's a delight! I think I'll keep her (but mostly for my own amusement). Feel free to find her online, she's easy to chat with and is an amazing writer and mentor. 

Twitter: @carolJhedges

Her award winning blog: Carol Hedges 

Discover The Curious Victorian on Facebook

Visit her Amazon author pages:
Amazon (UK)
Amazon (US)

Also, you can revisit the other writers from the Humor & Inspiration Features: 

Lydia Thomas: No, I Won't Write Your Memoirs 

Prairie Wife in Heels: The Idyllic Country Life 

Anne Goodwin: When Words Behave Like Toddlers 

Terry Tyler: Art Inspires Life

Kaley Tallman: Abandoning the Comfort Zone

Heidi Doxey: British Book Invasion

Allison Maruska: Four Steps Away From the
Colleen M. Story: Writers with Personality
Tamara Copley: The Magic of Humor

Sarah E. Boucher: Beating the Blaaahs

Jenniffer Wardell: All the Best Jokes

Crafting Your Craft

Just like cheese, wine, and crazy friends who encourage you to act like an idiot, writing gets better with time. 

Perusing my website's stats revealed that my most viewed posts were published in 2015. Weird, right? In 2014, I worried about proving myself as a writer and making a splash when my book was released in November. Conversely, in 2015 I had to relax and accept my limits as a writer, blogger, and author because I began teaching at a new school and had to blog less frequently.

That's right. Less. 

I'd just released a book. On top of online marketing, I had to do the traditional high-heels-hit-the-pavement variety of marketing too. (Don't judge. I like to be pretty when I hit the pavement.) And stress hit an all-time high when I moved from the elementary school I'd been teaching at for 8 years to a charter school. 

The only plausible reason I could find for those pesky numbers was this: 

Practice Makes Perfect. 

(Or in my case, practice makes better.) 

Writing: In 2015, I went from crafting one-point-to-be-made posts to integrating other's posts, websites, books, themes, and links into my own posts. And I began to write about writing. I tackled topics like Indie vs Traditional Publishing and full-time vs part-time writing, the Waiting Game of writers and publishers, dealing with deadlines, the importance of keeping promises we make to readers, the ins and outs of world building, and how to break writing rules effectively. 

Connection: In 2015, I learned the value of connecting with other authors and writers as well as readers both online and in real life. I found a commonality with them and began discussing the struggles all writers face. I posted about other authors and their books more than ever before.  Also, I cracked the code on Twitter. Seriously. And finally, I understood the Power of the Share, which is something I plan to harness more in 2016. (If you want to be part of that process and be featured on my website, please leave me a comment below.)

Promotion: In 2015, I took advantage of #MondayBlogs and #ArchiveDay regularly, which boosted my readership drastically. Also, I learned to play the numbers game and promote my posts on all forums (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) in their own unique way and repeatedly post (not spam) for higher interaction. And I learned a bit more about marketing and online etiquette. (Because let's be honest, what does a kindergarten teacher know about marketing? Unlike buyers, the kids come to you! But hey, we know plenty about the pleases and thank yous of etiquette.)

Like years of piano lessons that refine musical ability, I refined my writing and consequently my website through weekly practice. I'm still not there yet. But I'm much closer than I was in 2014 and today I'm more excited than I was 2015.

Tally ho! Onward and upward in 2016, my friends!

* * *

I'd love to hear about your 2015 discoveries and how they effect your perception of the future. Leave me a comment below!

The Power of the Share

This summer I was trying to grow my number of followers on Facebook. The fabulous Raylynn Sleight (i.e. Marketing Guru Extraordinaire) connected me with some fabulous business sharing pages. However, it didn't take long before I noticed a pattern. No matter how many people I followed or how hard I tried to connect with people, I would only garner a minimal number of followers, and it was almost always on a follow-for-follow basis. However, when Raylynn shared my page, it was much more successful.

“What's that all about?” I asked her.

“The magic of the share,” she replied sagely. 

Photo courtesy of  Unsplash.com

Someone else brought up a related topic recently. (Okay, so they were trying to get me involved in one of those sales scams, you know, refer your friends and have your friends refer more friends and everyone makes tons of money. But probably the only ones making money are the people who started it.) They claimed that anyone can be a salesperson. And, we do it all the time. We recommend books, movies, restaurants, etc. to our friends and they buy, view, and visit those places. Crazy, right? 

The reason they follow through on our recommendations is because we have a personal connection with them. Our friends trust our word. And the better the products are that we recommend, the more they appreciate our good taste.

So, how do we bank on the Power of the Share to garner more followers, better shares, and more connectivity? We open the door to others sharing by doing it ourselves. As an author, I will always share high quality content from other writers. That includes amazing authors, bloggers, and fabulous books.

But I'd like to take it one step further. I'd love to open up my website to amazing writers who have something to say. Warning: I don't read erotica, horror, or anything with excessive profanity or sex and I won't promote with a personal recommendation. However, if you inspire and uplift others, I'd love to let you take the platform. 

This isn't Sarah Does Reviews, but it is share what you love and connect with some new readers.

So here we go! If you'd love to be featured on my website, here's your chance. Leave me a comment below! And as I come up with topics of conversation, I'll send out invitations to authors, writers, and bloggers who I'd love to feature.

Karma is always a good thing, my friends. And helping one another in the crazy world of marketing is always welcome.

Here are some amazing folks who've been featured on my website already:
Misty Dawn Pulsipher
Jo Ann Schneider
Claudia Y. Burgoa
Lisa McKendrick

And here are the newest features on Humor and Inspiration in Writing:
Lydia Thomas: No, I Won't Write Your Memoirs 
Prairie Wife in Heels, 
Anne Goodwin: When Words Behave Like Toddlers 
Terry Tyler: Art Inspires Life

Coloring Contests & Captain America

Maneuvering through today's marketing world requires finesse, creativity, and maybe a collection of dorky tee shirts. Luckily, I have kind friends who've helped me to set up a website, arrange author events, and connect with readers both on- and off-line. (Thanks, friends!)

I've learned something from those much more wise friends of mine. The key to marketing is keeping everything fresh. Blog posts, status updates, traditional book signings and other author events, etc. 

After arranging a couple of book signings, my marketing guru Raylynn Sleight suggested holding a coloring contest at the same time. My kindergarten teacher brain flipped into high gear, visualizing unsupervised children graphitti-ing every possible surface. 

“They have a kids area," she reminded me calmly. “But we don't have to do it if you don't want to.”

My teacher brain shut up for a second. My inner problem-solver filled the void. “Maybe we could do an online contest too?”

That did it. We located free Beauty & the Beast coloring pages online, nabbed crayons from my classroom, and gathered all my regular book signing paraphernalia. Raylynn designed custom posters and graphics to promote the signings online and at the various locations. (Have I mentioned how awesome she is?)

The technique worked beautifully at the signing, which was held during Friday Night Art Stroll in Ogden. Engaging kids in an activity while chatting up their parents--which was exactly what Raylynn had envisioned--was more fun than I could have anticipated. (And no, there were no crayon mishaps.) In addition to a successful sales event, involving social media in choosing the winner was a fabulous plan. I haven't had so much interaction and discussion in a long time! So much fun!

The next author event was a signing at Salt Lake Comic Con with several other Cedar Fort authors. We needed something to encourage super fans to stop long enough to chat with them about our books. After much deliberation, we settled on a prize wheel. It gave us a reason to call people over and offer freebies, but what really kept them chatting with us was the fact that all of us were friendly published authors. Some sales were made based on that alone. (Seriously thought, if you can't find any talking points at Comic Con, you need to watch more movies and read more books/comics. Because Captain America!)

These two events went quite well, but sometimes things won't work as well. Stay positive and learn from the experience. Spend more time thinking about the people who will be attending and cater to them for the next event. Just because you don't sell many books doesn't mean you are a crap author with nothing to offer. (That last bit was for me. *hangs head in shame*) At the last author event Raylynn and I set up, I sold very few books, but I made some fabulous connections. 

Here's my nugget of wisdom: the only time an author endeavor is a failure is when we give up. So, carry on and keep writing and schmoozing! It's good for you.

The Unforgivable

Becoming acquainted with some seriously cool people has been a perk of establishing an online presence. However, for as many cool people as I've found, there have been a number of creeps, trolls, and truly clueless individuals. I get requests from them all the time. But there are people I can't, won't, and/or have no interest in following online and/or befriending in real life. For your entertainment and edification, I've described them below:

Look at me! Look at ME! LOOK AT ME! Did you miss the SOCIAL part of social media? When all you talk about is yourself, how do you expect anyone else to engage in the conversation? Maybe you just wanted a one-side conversation anyway. If so, then carry on, my dear! (By the way, If you haven't learned, let me spell it out for you: You are NOT the center of the universe.)

Buy my stuff! That's right, we're all on the internet with the express purpose of buying your book, acquiring your useless crap, and/or learning about your life-changing philosophy. Oh wait...that's the purpose of Google, Amazon, and Etsy. I must have confused social media with one of those online merchants. My bad. 

Celebs (or those that think they're celebs) Here's a hint my darlings: If you think you're too good for me, I have no problem agreeing with you. Moving along! Personally, I follow few celebrities online. Those I do follow have something to offer, usually in fabulous fan interaction. There are plenty of individuals on social media who act like celebrities and would love the hero worship dealt to celebrities. Good luck with that.

Ms. Cranky Pants (Also Mr. Whiny Pants) Did you just flip out, throw a hissy fit, and/or climb up on your high horse? Well, you just made yourself look like an idiot now, didn't you? (I might add that all of this judgment is coming from the girl who wears Doctor Who socks. So that should make you feel worse.) It's a public forum, sweetie. If you thought small towns were gossipy, just you wait.

We all have our moments when we act like divas and peddle our wares like a big-mouthed car salesman. It happens. But when our wits are about us, we ought to realize that all of life, including our online life is about CONNECTING. Meet, greet, chat, and be polite. When you begin to feel offended, take a deep breath. There's no reason to fly off the handle. If someone else is acting like a moron, there's no need to join the party. It's not as if you're face to face. After you've chewed on your words for a good while, consider sending them in a private message instead of a public post. Or unfollow, block, mute, or report the other party as inappropriate. Any of those actions mark you as a professional.

Need more online or etiquette tips? Try Socially Approved Stalking: The Ins & Outs of Followers, Ms. Etiquette Makes an Appearance, Marketing for One, Please, or Hiyeee! Buy My Stuff.

Hiyeeee! Buy my Stuff.

Is it just me, or is this approach some people have? Because pretended friendliness paired with the cold sell is super effective...

So you know those crazy kids that churches send out to proselyte? Well, I was one of those nametag-wearing, scripture-toting darlings in the late 90s. Imagine approaching a stranger about something as personal as religion. Are you hyperventilating yet? Well, we did it. And I'm going to tell you how. Please don't tell the Mormons. (Just teasing, they won't mind.)

BRT = Build Relationships of Trust When you approach someone to sell something or propose a change in lifestyle, you need them to trust you. Why? Because no one cares about what you have to say until they care about you and know you care about them. 

Build on Common Interests Find something that you both enjoy, appreciate, share, or believe in. Once you've got them chatting, eventually you will find your in. “Oh, yes, I can totally relate with that! I feel the same way when I'm writing!” You're a writer? What are you working on? Have you published anything? (It probably won't be that easy. But be patient. It'll work out.)

Build Up, Don't Tear Down Ranting, hopping on your soap box, and jumping on the offensive is the quickest way to turn potential friends (i.e. tomorrow's buyers) off. Take a deep breath and walk away rather than engaging in a negative interchange. Silence is the best way to encourage others to reconsider what they've said. And if they don't, move on. But please, do not be the reason someone hates authors, writers, or artists of any kind. At the end of the day, Ms. Etiquette reminds us to be respectful.

Personal Referrals Practically all of the people who embraced my message back in my Hermana Boucher days had friends, family and associates who were members of the LDS church. Before I entered the picture, they had positive experiences with the religion itself. If you have devoted followers and friends who will share YOU or your product with the people they know, the message is that much more powerful because it comes from someone they already trust. I've heard, “My friend [daughter, mom, neighbor] would LOVE that!” so many times. And it never fails to make me happy!

There you have it, my dears! Tips on salesmanship from an ex-missionary. And why the “Hello! Buy my stuff!” approach is destined for failure. Here's the bottom line: Focus on the Person, Not the Message. Stop sending out messages that ask strangers to buy your stuff. Don't hide who you are or what you do, but be a lovely, engaging, interesting person they will want to hang out with, chat with, and share with their friends. Because then guess what. You just did your job twice. And you have a new friend!

Thanks for stopping by, my friends! Like to read more? I'm the Queen of Advice. And I'm not shy about it...
Socially Approved Stalking: The Ins & Outs of Followers
Marketing for One, Please
Ms. Etiquette Makes an Appearance

Summer Lovin'

Ah, romance in the steamy summer months...

In my young foolish days, I dreamed of summer days and nights spent hiking, biking, picnicking, and stargazing with that (insert girly sigh here) special someone. Now, in my (insert old lady sigh here) late thirties with a thriving teaching career, I dream of a different kind of romance--the type I manufacture on my laptop. (Okay, perverts, I just meant writing. And not that kind of writing.)

Summer has always been my best time for writing. But last summer I not only edited Becoming Beauty several times before it hit the presses, but I also completed the bulk of Twelve. This summer finds me editing Twelve and meeting the cast of my Rumplestiltskin remake. Is there anything as fun as exploring new characters and getting caught up in all their drama? 

Have I ever mentioned how much I despise goal making? I'm already my worst critic and I hate giving myself reasons to be more self-critical. However, I'm going to set some goals for this summer anyway!

• Get my new computer set up...and ignore Social Media for a decent amount of time each day.
• Craft a fabulous query for Twelve.
• Edit Twelve and submit it to the publisher. ASAP!
• Flesh out the characters for my new project. And quickly fall in love with them. (Won't be hard, I adore Guillermo already. And he's only in my head.)
• Create a rough outline for the new project and then completely ignore it as I begin writing. (It's my process, people!)
• Do some marketing every week by keeping my blog full of fresh content, connecting with the public through social media, and participating in authory events to get Becoming Beauty to more readers.
• Fiddle around, travel, visit friends and family, and yes, knock out a healthy chunk of the next project. Because I can.

Either I'm completely high on summer lovin' already...or those goals are do-able. Anyway, I'd love to hear about your plans for the summer? Any lovin' going on in your neck of the woods? 

Marketing for One, Please

On the joys, stresses, and annoyances of marketing your own book while working full-time!

You can only do as well as you know how. I was a little better than clueless when this whole process started. However, I've been at this marketing fiasco for over a year and I'm more than happy to share what I know with you, my dears. Good luck!

Establish an online presence: Develop your message and establish a website that clearly expresses it. Then, share it. You don't need to be everywhere all the time, but commit time to sharing your message via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, or however you are comfortable on a weekly basis. (Insider tip: you can set up an account on Networked Blogs that will automatically post to chosen targets whenever you publish new content on your blog or website. It's free!) 

Connect, connect, connect: Talk with people online (and not just about yourself or your books/product). Chat about things that are important. Share things that resonate with you or might inspire, instruct, or entertain others. Above all, share things that others post that are interesting to you. I scratch your back, you scratch mine absolutely applies in marketing. (Insider tip: my favorite days to interact on Twitter are during #MondayBlogs and Saturday #ArchiveDay. These folks are there to share and be shared! And they are very generous. I've also heard great things about Wednesday #wwwblogs and #SundayBlogShare, but I did mention that I have a day job, right? Check them out and find out what works for you.)

Meet Your Public: Plan authory events where you can interact with your fans and the general public. The main purpose will be to sell your product, but if you don't take the opportunity to spread on the charm and win them over, what's the point? In all your interactions (online and in person) be positive and genuine. People will be drawn to that. (Insider tip: Like mama always said, it never hurts to ask. And it really doesn't hurt to ask in a courteous way. You can ask friends, acquaintances, church-going pals, library connections, and work colleagues if they're interested in hosting a book signing, demo, presentation, or book club. You'd be surprised how many will say yes when you ask with a smile.)

Devote time and resources: It's not necessary to spend all of your time and money sharing your message. The goal is to make a profit while still holding down a day job, going out with friends, and keeping in contact with loved ones. Be wise. Budget your time as carefully as you do your money. (Insider tip: I prefer spending my money on pretty  shoes instead of marketing. I just thought you should know that.)

There you go! Nothing deep or complicated, just a little of what my marketing guru friend Raylynn Sleight calls common sense. (Actually she calls it something involving No and Sherlock, but you get the picture.) Here's her take on marketing: Marketing Made Simple. Good luck! Feel free to leave a comment and pass along your secrets of marketing success. Thanks, my dears!

Need a little more writerly wisdom? Try Ms Etiquette Makes an Appearance, Ready or Not, Author Envy, Meet Your Adoring Public, or Panic City, Population: 1.