After having three books in print through a traditional publisher, I decided I wanted more control over my work, so I decided to self-publish the fourth one.
Going forward with this plan, I consulted with a publishing expert, Jane Friedman. She suggested that in advance of the book’s release, I take time to build a following.
I Worked to Get My Name Out There!
First and foremost, she said, I needed a website. To draw people to it, I needed to start blogging there. She also felt I needed a presence on social media.
When she heard that I am an artist with work that ties in with my writing, she thought opening an Etsy shop to sell my art made sense. In every case, my goal was this: to get my name out there!
Meanwhile, a friend and I got starry-eyed over Internet success stories. As we said to each other repeatedly: If you have one million social media followers and put out a product that just one percent buys, you’ve still sold 10,000 items!
This felt like a very compelling reason to follow Jane’s advice and get my name out there!
How My Book Marketing Efforts Panned Out
Here’s how it’s all panned out: I launched my website, blog, Etsy shop, Facebook Page, and accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest in September 2017.
Twenty-six months later, I have 9,491 followers across all the platforms, which is amazing, though it is 990,509 followers shy of my goal.
My new book came out in February 2019 and I really have gotten about one percent of those people to buy it, but alas, that amounts to 94 books, not the 10,000 I dreamed of. I’ve also had 83 sales on the Etsy shop. That’s good…I think…but of course I had hoped for more.
Today, I thank Colleen Story for giving me the opportunity to process all this here on the Writing and Wellness website. Here are my thoughts.
The Biggest Challenge of My Writing Journey is Trying to Balance Everything
The biggest emotional challenge of my current journey is trying to balance everything. Yes! I am a writer! And, yes! I am a quilt artist! But in the process of getting the word out about my work I am forced also to be a promoter.
In this role I have had to learn how to use such websites as WordPress, MailChimp, Canva, Buffer, and Pablo; not to mention I have had to learn my way around Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and my Facebook Page.
That’s a lot to learn. That’s a lot of balls in the air. That’s a lot of stress to keep it all going.
I am sometimes overwhelmed. And I am certainly depressed by the low number of sales. It all leads to self-doubt: Perhaps sales are low due to the quality of my work? Indeed, does my work stink?
Benefits of Getting Your Name Out There
Fortunately, I have had some other successes beyond the Etsy and Amazon sales and I have gotten my name out there in ways I did not expect.
- Thanks to my online presence, a company called Worthy.com found me and hired me to write blogs for their website.
- They sometimes share my stories with another online publication, Considerable.
- Additionally, a regional newspaper was impressed with my work and now they buy some of my stories as well.
- An excerpt from my book also got published on Next Avenue, which is an online magazine for seniors created by PBS.
- It seems possible that another success of this sort is just around the corner and so I keep writing!
As a Motivational Speaker, Author, and Blogger, I Try to Practice What I Preach
All of my professional work—as a motivational speaker, an author, a blogger, and now as a social media presence—has been motivational in nature.
This is even true of my work as a quilt artist—I make quilts with motivational messages pieced into the design. In every case my message is that life is difficult but doable.
And so, I try to practice what I preach. I truly feel that one step a day in the direction of your goals will take you far. Even if it’s a teeny tiny step. Even if it turns out to be a side step.
And yes, even if sometimes it’s a mis-step. Just keep moving forward. However, when you have an online presence, there is literally no end to the work you can do. It’s a 24/7/365 type of thing, and that is not sustainable.
My current strategy is this: To write two hours a day and forgive myself if that is all I get done.
Please note that there are days when the writing does not go well but I still sit there for two hours and try. My success on those days is in the fact that I tried. Usually after a day or two of struggle, the writing flows again.
The More I Create, the More I Create!
I believe that the more I create, the more I create. When I am sewing, ideas for my writing pop to mind so I keep a pad and pencil by my sewing machine to jot them down. When I am in the groove with writing, my brain takes over and serves up entire beautiful paragraphs while I shower or read the newspaper.
What ruins my creativity is comparing myself to others. This is especially true in my quilting and blogging. If I see too many quits by other artists, or read too many blogs by other bloggers, I am certain of two things: The world already has enough quilts and blogs, and the world certainly does not need my junk.
My Reminder that I’m Not a Quitter
When I was writing my first book—which by the way, I never tried to publish—I told myself that if I finished writing it, I would never call myself a quitter again.
I did indeed finish writing it and to celebrate, I bought myself a lovely ring. I continue writing now because I am not a quitter.
When things get tough, though, I make sure to wear the ring as a tangible reminder that I need to keep on keeping on.
Marketing Tactics that Work: I’m Still Not Sure
I wish I had some answers here about marketing tactics that work, but I don’t.
My Facebook Page seems to drive more traffic to my website and to my Etsy shop than the other platforms. However, “boosting” posts on Facebook and buying ads on Facebook have not helped much at all.
Once I got lucky and a Facebook post was seen by over 30,000 people! That helped me get a dozen new Facebook followers, but sold no books and no Etsy merchandise.
How Speaking Impacted My Writing
I got into public speaking because I needed to be gainfully employed post-divorce. (I share the whole story in this post on Worthy.
Speaking definitely impacted my writing. I did public speaking for a decade starting in the 1990s, speaking to 250 audiences in 11 states. My presentations were unique because I illustrated my talks with my artwork, quilts-with-words.
There are a lot of motivational speakers out there, but none had as unique visual aids. On the basis of being a speaker—with an audience—I convinced Pelican Publishing Company to publish my first book.
It featured the story I told in lecture and was likewise illustrated with my quilts. Thus, public speaking not only impacted my writing career, it created it.
I Definitely Recommend Public Speaking to Authors
I definitely recommend public speaking to authors.
There are two great ways that speaking engagements sell books: you can buy the books wholesale from the publisher and sell them at the retail price in the back of the room after lectures. OR, you can offer the lecture for free IF the group buys a copy of the book for each audience member.
Please be reminded, though, that speaking engagements do not magically occur. You need to become a salesperson and sell your program full time. It’s hard work. The travel can be exhausting.
Thus, at age 67, I no longer solicit speaking engagements.
Advice for a Young Writer: Pursue Your Passion, but Be Realistic
I would encourage that person to pursue their artistic passion but I would ask them to be realistic in the process.
In the same manner that we let high school football players know that the chance of becoming a pro football player is slim, so a writer/artist has to understand that BIG success is not easily obtainable.
Creative work is wonderful in many ways, but it is not the best way to put a roof overhead or food on the table. I would encourage the artistic person to juggle a job and their creative endeavor until such a time that their creative endeavor can sustain all the necessities of life.
Instead of Crying About My Book Not Being a Bestseller, I Rejoice in My Successes
It’s been a crazy couple of years! But instead of crying over the fact that my new book is NOT a best seller, I choose to rejoice in my many successes:
- I have a website!
- I have a blog and a following!
- I have an Etsy shop!
- I have a 4th book in print!
- I have almost 10,000 followers on social media platforms!
- I am being paid to write my blogs!
- I am living a creative life.
And of course, I choose to keep on trying to make my book a HUGE success as this quilt reminds me:
On the quilt, there is one mountain after another to climb, and as you will note, sometimes it seems like the sky is falling, as the sky-blue background does on the bottom of the quilt. But instead of quitting, I persistently climb one mountain after another, aiming for success.
NOTE: Giftware with this image on it is available on Etsy.
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Lorie Kleiner Eckert is an award-winning columnist, motivational speaker, and quilt artist whose core message empowers her audience to get through difficult times. Lorie regularly posts motivational messages on social media.
Her slice-of-life blogs appear on Worthy.com and on LorieKleinerEckert.com. To enjoy more of Lorie’s work, check out her artwork (quilts-with-words) printed out on giftware on Etsy, and look to Amazon for her new book, Love, Loss, and Moving On.
You can also connect with Lorie on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Love, Loss, and Moving On: Have you ever had to reinvent yourself after the loss of a loved one? Have you ever had a crush on a celebrity?
If you answer yes to these questions, you will identify with this story!
In the book Lorie Kleiner Eckert uses her crush on British star Bill Nighy as a crutch to get past the death of a loved one.
As you follow Lorie’s escapades, you’ll laugh; you’ll cry; you’ll learn a life lesson or two!
Available on Amazon.
Lorie’s messages are always uplifting and inspirational! No matter which creative medium she uses, her messages are both lovely and thought provoking!!