Things are popping here in the Patricia Fry and Matilija Press offices. As many of you know, I’ve been trying my hand at writing a novel this summer. I’m soliciting readers and hoping for meaningful feedback.
I am preparing for a busy weekend November first through fourth with two speaking engagements at two different California events plus two birthday parties for grandchildren. I made final arrangements yesterday to do a webinar for authors in a few weeks.
I’ve decided it is time to refresh my online downloadable freebie. So I am writing a new one. And I’m writing speeches for the November events, researching publishers for the novel and trying to formulate my first query letter for a novel.
I’m also working with three clients on their projects, spending time with my 90-year-old mother every week and preparing for out-of-town guests this week and a family gathering here celebrating three birthdays.
Today, I’ll need to prepare something for the webinar, which is on building your author’s platform and rehearse the presentation for the Cat Writer’s Association Conference while walking, if the predicted rain holds off. The Cat Writer’s talk is on self-publishing—a dozen things to consider before getting involved.
While, of course, some of these activities are social and family-related, I’m also spending a lot of time building credibility as an author in my field and bringing attention to my array of books and services for authors. This is what you should be doing, as well.
Sure, life goes on. You may have a job, family and other obligations. But if you are also an author and you hope to sell books, you must be continuously address your readers any way that you can.
My latest book is out. I haven’t seen it, yet. It should arrive in my office this week. And then I will be busy, busy, busy sending out copies to my contributors, getting it up on my website, changing my brochure to include it, soliciting book reviews, notifying my massive emailing list and so forth. For now, I am eager to see how the new cover looks. You can see the book and read a little about it at Amazon.com and a few other sites. But the cover you see is not the correct cover. I actually vetoed this cover, claiming it should look different from my other two books by Allworth Press. The publisher actually listened to me and came up with a new design, which I really like.
Since the book came out, I’ve talked to them at the publishing house and they are “on it” as far as replacing the original cover image with the new one at their own website and Amazon.com, but it hasn’t happened, yet. I know that Amazon sometimes takes a while before making this sort of change. But it should be changed already at the publisher’s website.
The book is Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More. Let me know if you want to be on my mailing list to receive information about this book and how to purchase it.
Or am I just a tad impatient. As you can see, I still juggle quite a bit in a day for someone in my age bracket. I have to do those mundane and necessary tasks like most of you do, such as talk to the bank about getting a cheaper business account, get fitted for hearing aids, tend my winter veggie garden (we were visited by gophers yesterday), clean the house for guests and so forth. But I still always, always—for nearly 40 years—have time for writing and promoting my books. For me, it is a way of life. It can be for you, too.