Less than an hour ago I posted an entry about some of my alter-ego Jane Seville's online activities.
You know what? Every time I do that, or mention it, or even think of it, this little voice goes off in my head.
you shouldn't be doing this.
you're selling out.What shouldn't I be doing, according to the little voice? Promotion. Marketing
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But wouldn't having a "following" before the onslaught of a following be a good thing?
If you're proud of your accomplishment: LET IT OUT!
*icon*
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But, the fanbase has to start somewhere. And, without you saying "Hey! Page is live", etc, there's no way for word to spread, etc., before word gets out.
Granted, I'm kinda looking at this from a music standpoint... one of my favorite bands is completely independent and, without updates from them, there's no way to pass on the news.
One, you're advertising for the publisher and the other authors on their list, which is awesome.
Two, you're starting your fanbase with real people - I've witnessed some "fanbases" which are entirely fictional - that you trust with the true story.
Again, I really don't know... and it makes sense in my head.. but I fear the allergy meds are blocking the clarity ;)
Either way: \O/ Congrats!
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I don't think there's anything wrong with getting these things started now, especially since your publisher can't assist you. And having a friend like Paul to help is all that much better. Maybe some day will come when YOU won't have to deal with these "other" aspects of your work. But getting started requires that you have your hands on everything so that 1) You know exactly what is being put out there, and 2) you completely understand all aspects of your business.
Keep forging ahead - you're doing great! and yes, I'm prejudiced. :-)
Dad
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If they don't want to be a working artist that's fine. Art can be a private passion, writing can forever be an unpaid hobby. But if you want a CAREER, it's not going to get handed to you magically. Marketing and promotion are important.
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But back to your issue. There is something you didn't mention in your post: the issue of quality. If you have a bad product, no amount of promotion will work (whoops...I just remembered Ann Coulter...) But your work is excellent, Ms Seville, so not only should you be out there getting it into as many hands as possible, but you should be PROUD of your work and everything you accomplish.
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And I saw on HuffPo today that Ann Coulter's book sales are down. HA!
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Ugh, GOD, that sounds just like all of the Fine Arts majors at Ringling. They always bitched about the Illustration majors saying we were sellouts and not real artists because we were *gasp* producing something mass marketable for magazines, books, etc. for money. And marketing ourselves. The horror! We always bitched about the Fine Arts majors for being pretentious jerks for thinking their wax slathered rocking chair stuck in a corner was art but our illustrations weren't ( ... )
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Many of my friends from college were fine art majors, and none of them ever said that kind of crap.
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Not all of the fine arts majors at Ringling were like that, but the loud ones sure as hell were (enough to give the whole department a rep to the rest of the school). God forbid you market yourself as a business entity that can produce the desired product for the client. That's totally selling out. You need to suffer for your work or else you are not a True Artist.
And speaking of being pretentious, I saw a fantastic bumper sticker last week: "Just because nobody understands you doesn't mean you're an Artist." X)
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