So what do you write about in a first post? Bah, don't sweat it. Something on your mind. Anything really. The stakes aren't high. So what if this post isn't witty and all around genius. There is always tomorrow's post, right?
The point is: get started.
Here is what is on my mind (pertaining to self-publishing) I just downloaded and spent $9.99 on the latest self-publishing 'how to' on Kindle. APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur—How to Publish a Book by Guy Kawasaki and Shaw something. (sorry no links and accuracy today I am in a rush) I'm working on a book to help writers turn to self publishing authors, so the least I can do is buy the competition and learn some tips and look for anything I've been missing, anything I've been doing wrong. I scanned through the book in a couple of hours looking for juicy bits about marketing and especially PR, and finally here it came, the thrilling moment where they tell you how they did it:
"PR: We hired a PR team to launch APE even though Shawn and I have many relationships with the press and bloggers."
My thought is ahem.... Did I just spend ten bucks to be told to hire a PR firm?
No... not just that. For $9.99 I also learned this:
"Eat like a hummingbird, poop like an elephant. Read voraciously outside your area of expertise. Attend conferences and trade shows that have (ostensibly) nothing to do with your niche. Think of ways to apply other niches to yours. And then spread your knowledge— don’t keep it to yourself. Wondering about the bird and elephant? If humans had the metabolic rate of a hummingbird, we’d ingest 150,000 calories per day, and elephants poop 150 pounds per day. That’s how much information you should consume and pass along. "
Okay now they've got me worried. I immediately visualized a poor little humming bird having to... wow... for all of us who've have the unfortunate pigeon experience, can you imagine this delicate fluttering things passing over your head and BHAM! gigantic elephant poop explosion...
 |
| This is the least objectionable picture of elephant poop I could find on the internet. Here is the source |
All this to say that, no. This is spinning your wheel. I don't want to consume and pass along mega amounts of crap. I want to do my work in my little corner, produce the books I am capable of producing, at my own pace and I will stay as far away as possible from conferences and trade shows because they suck and I am not the kind of person who smoozes. I want to connect in a meaningful way with readers and writers. I cannot be and will never be the person they describe in APE. I will never be that super hero they define as Author, Publisher Entrepreneur.
I won't be. I don't need to be. And neither do you. (By the way, do you get the sense that this makes me mad? It does.)
Reading this APE book cemented my conviction that most books on self publishing are written by, and for those self confident go getters that we admire, envy and fear. The rest of us get a headache as we contemplate the road ahead. We want to give up before we even start. We don't even know where to start. I'm hoping this blog can help the insecure writer, the self doubting writer, the introverted writer. The others are already doing very well as it is.
Look up under this blog title for the 'how to navigate this blog' tab, or just click here to get started.
Additional note of writing a first post: Sometimes you regret what you wrote on your blog. For example, this post is way snarky. I don't want to be that person. I can just delete and no one will ever know my bitchy side. But I am leaving it here just to share the process. To self-censor or not to self-censor. That is often the question.
