Time Spent Promoting A Book Is Not Only Time Well Spent; It's Necessary!

Of course it's fun having a book that is sparking the interest ours is.  It's also fun having friends and family tell you they've read, or are reading, the book, and think it's a great read.  We've done podcasts, been interviewed by a major newspaper, and "Together in the Dream" is now being sold in the #1 independent bookstore in the Chicago area: Anderson's Bookshop.

That would be enough for some who've been lucky enough to have a book published.  But, there are so many self-published and vanity published books deluging the reader's market now, unless you have the marketing campaign of one of the top five publishers, you can never stop promoting it on your own.  Certainly, our independent publisher has made our book available on Amazon.com and Kindle, and he's let reviewers, etc., know it's out there. Plus, if you go on the themeparkpress.com website, there it is on the cover page, in full color, available for sale right there.

We know, though, ("we" being my beloved husband, R.J., and I) that we can't stop looking for ways to get our volume known, and reviewed, and read by more than just those who love us already.  So, we go on all social media sites: Facebook, Linked In, Twitter our blogs, R.J.'s website, on a daily basis to let our followers know what's happening with the book - and us.  It's extremely time-consuming, but most definitely worth it in the end.  To date, it has yielded thousands of followers, netted us podcast interviews, and speaking engagements.

Even though we have been self-employed for many years now, our writing is now the prime, motivating work of our lives.  R.J. has already been asked to do a second book, which he's busy writing now, and we've just been encouraged by our publisher to write a sequel to "Together in the Dream".  And we have lots of ideas for other work as well.

Spending our days researching and learning ways to "get our book out there" has become as important as penning the new stuff.  It's even what's kept me from posting on my blog since before Christmas.  It is possible to make a living at being a writer - but it doesn't just land in your lap because you get a positive review or you sell some copies for a few weeks.  It's a full-time job - and we think it's worth it.