Marketing Mayhem

So…after only a few short days, I'm already floundering in my new quest to devote some time to a daily blog. What a surprise! LOL. It turns out that publishing a new book involves a lot more than simply pushing the "submit" button for final approval. I am now officially buried in what seems like a never-ending to-do list of items for marketing and promotion. Oh, how nice it must be to already be successful enough to have a publicist. And to think, I always thought the best part of any future financial success would be treating myself to occasional luxuries. Now I think having enough in the bank to pay someone to do the stuff I really hate just might be the better perk.

Between designing my own ads (no publicist, remember), promoting the book on a lengthy list of sites, and still managing my "real" job (refer back to my previous post about the darn bills that won't stop arriving on schedule), I'm feeling a little sleep deprived. To make matters worse, all I really want to do is move on to the next book, just waiting to be properly formatted and electronically spit-shined for publication. Patience is not one of my virtues, and my inner child doesn't understand why I can't just do what I want. (She's a bit of a brat.) Logic dictates that it doesn't make sense to write books without finding readers who enjoy them, so I will continue to learn more than I ever wanted to know about marketing…for now.

Interestingly, the greatest challenge I faced with the marketing materials wasn't the ad creation. I'm a bit rusty on Web design, but I can still navigate a graphic design program with workable (not award-winning) results. The challenge turned out to be finding a good photo of myself to use as an author photo. I never would have imagined it was possible, but not falling prey to the selfie craze actually just bit me on the booty. I have some very good friends who are enjoying the last laugh right now.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not making fun of all the selfie queens out there (at least not much). Your selfies always look great, which means you apparently look great all the time. If I looked great all the time, I might be tempted to snap a few more pics of myself, too. Unfortunately, my truth is I can literally work in my pajamas, and when it's cold, I usually do. I love makeup and its impressive capabilities as much as all the selfie queens out there, but I don't feel the need to spend 30 minutes applying it each day. (Yes, it takes me 30 minutes, probably because I don't get enough practice.)

The point is I'm not selfie-ready at any given moment, and that turned out to be a problem. It was about 2 a.m. when I gave up on finding a photo, and I wasn't in the mood to glamorize at that point. I finally had to crop a headshot out of a group photo. Of course, I quickly discovered that my friends (or family) and I usually stand way too close together in photos, so it was still a challenge to find something I could crop that didn't include someone else's hair, shoulder, or cheek. (Yes, sometimes we really are that close.)

I'm making progress down the marketing list, but it may be a while before I get to the point where I can add something to the blog every day. I may have to "cheat" and fill in with some cute pics or inspiring quotes on really busy days. Be sure to follow me if you want to be notified when I post something new. Also, the link for the book (paperback and Kindle eBook) is http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Lady-Anjannette-Conner/dp/1523877510/ for anyone who follows me on the blog and not Facebook. Talk soon!

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