One of my students asked me recently how I got to this place in my writing career. Interesting question. How does anyone work his or her way from point A to point B during a lifetime of pursuing a profession?
But, wait. Writing is different, isn’t it? Writing is an art, a hobby, an emotional outlet, therapy, something we do for fun. It isn’t often thought of as a career. And when a long-time writer begins to teach writing techniques/skills or some form of authorship (how to write a book proposal, self-publishing, article-writing, etc.), people do wonder whence came this teacher? What makes her an authority? Why does she teach?
I think the question, that night, had to do with my knowledge of promotion. When someone is starting out as a writer—penning her first book—she has a writer’s heart. She is focused on stringing words together, creating phrases, painting word pictures, putting her story down on paper. She is almost completely absorbed in the writing process. She is passionate about her story or topic and she is passionate about writing. Of course, this writer would wonder, “How does a sister writer develop this foreign marketing mindset?”
I have to admit that, for me, it was through necessity.
I decided, about 45 years ago, that I wanted to be a writer, but I put my dream on hold while my husband and I raised our 3 small daughters. When the girls were teenagers, I began dabbling as a magazine article writer. A few years later, a publisher accepted and produced my first book, Hints For the Backyard Rider. So by 1978, I had one book and dozens of published articles to my credit. I was also writing a business column for a local newspaper.
And then 2 things happened to seal my future as a writer: I decided to write the first (and so far, only) comprehensive history of the Ojai Valley, California. After 5 years of research and writing, I established my publishing company, Matilija Press, and produced the 360-page book myself. This was in 1983. And this is when I began to learn about the necessity of promotion and exposure. I quickly discovered that, when I made a public appearance (book signing, lecture, book festival—I even had a booth at the huge county fair), I sold books. When I had a write-up in the newspaper or a regional magazine, book sales increased.
Of course, I already knew the concept of and the value of promotion and constantly putting yourself out there as a freelance article-writer. My articles were published only after I came up with the idea, focused that idea to fit a particular magazine, wrote a compelling query letter and then delivered the article I promised. It was no easy process. Getting published over and over again was my goal and it took constant self-promotion. It took a willingness to follow protocol, to continually create and present viable article ideas and follow through. It took a business head as well as a writer’s heart.
The second thing that happened to chart my course as a writer and an author was my divorce. It was then that I made a startling discovery and a serious decision. I wasn’t making enough money from article-writing and book sales to support myself. Since writing was my life—my passion, I knew I had to find a way to make it pay. And I did two things, I lowered my standard of living and, while working at an 8-5 job, I worked hard to establish a more solid writing career.
In 1988, I quit the job and went to work full-time writing articles for magazines, producing books and doing whatever freelance work I could find within the community. And don’t you know that heavy duty promotion was a part of the program? So, for me, promotion was tied into my very survival. I had to combine the writer’s heart and the business head in order to create the perfect balance.
So promotion has always been a strong part of my writing program and, if you want to sell your work, you, too, must develop a business mindset to accompany your writer’s heart.
It is within the last 8 years that I’ve realized and that I began to apply another aspect to my repertoire. That’s when I discovered that I know stuff—stuff that is of value to other writers and hopeful authors. That’s when I began to recognize my burning desire to teach, guide and support other writers and authors as they approach the path toward their successful publishing journey. And I do so for FREE through this blog, my website (check out the resources for writers and numerous articles), articles in over 75 writers/authors’ magazines and ezines (many of them FREE) and through my contributions to the SPAWN website, for example. I also conduct workshops at writers’ conferences nationwide.
As you know, I’ve written several books related to writing and publishing, I teach online courses and I offer editorial services and consultations. Learn more about me, Patricia Fry, my work, my background and my offerings at: http://www.matilijapress.com