Fairy Word of Mouth

Remember the brave little tailor? He kills seven flies with one blow and sews a belt proclaiming his achievement to anyone who read it. It led to people somehow assuming he meant giants and not flies. Or how about the woman in Rumpelstiltskin whose father bragged about her spinning straw into gold while drinking in a tavern and somehow word got back to the king? Talk about amazing marketing.

With my new book coming out I have what I assume is a common writer fantasy. It goes something like this: the book is released and because it is just so undeniably good everyone reads it (and of course loves it) without having to create marketing campaigns or materials.

Maybe fairy tales have it right. There are days I consider just wearing a belt that says “four-times published author” or “excellently reviewed novelist” with a QR code for people who want to know more. Or times I wish I had some sort of herald that would go about telling people about my work. I know it’s a dream, but it’s one I indulge in when another publishing date rolls around. Like now.

I’m less than a week away from A Rebel’s Path being available everywhere, the third in my Enchanted Path series and I am predictably behind with my marketing. And my postings. And yet, I have to remind myself I’ve accomplished something not many people do, and I’ve done it four times. In the meantime, here's hoping the grapevine does its job.

Believing your own hype--like a tailor

Being a writer is hard.I know everyone says that, but it's like parenting--you don't know how hard it's going to be until you're in the trenches, slogging through it all.It turns out writing and rewriting (and rewriting, and rewriting...) is actually the easy part. Especially if you hold to the rule that you should write something you'd want to read. That's freeing, empowering. But it doesn't end there, does it? Not if you want to get your work out there. Now you have to be brave and send it out to PEOPLE! You know, the kind that can take your precious baby and declare that it's ugly.Or they could love it, wouldn't that be a kick in the head?But the trick is, you don't know until you put yourself out there and say, "Here's my work" or "Have at it". Either way you're opening yourself up to possibilities, good or bad, and that kind of vulnerability is scary.So, dear readers, dare I ask it? Is there something to glean from fairy tales? Yes, I was skeptical too, but go with me here...There's a story called The Brave Little Tailor who, on the strength of killing seven flies who dared to buzz about his breakfast, decides he can slay giants, catch unicorns, fell wild boars, and become a king. And he does it! Okay, he doesn't actually do any of it, but he's clever and lucky.  Just like that, he believes in his own hype and rises to every occasion despite being just a little tailor. He was brave. He was a boss.That's what I love and hate about blogging. There's no rewriting, no second-guessing (okay, maybe a little...) just writing and sending it out into the world. But then there's the waiting and wondering if you've reached anyone.Until you do, you have to just believe in your own hype. I AM A WRITER! :)