writer « Robin Writes

I saw a Facebook post by a friend today, something about taking a “What Kind of Writer are You?” quiz. I was perplexed for a moment, because I didn’t know he was a writer at all. And he’s not. But for some reason, EVERYONE thinks they can write a book or an article or whatever.

Why? My best guess is because, well, everyone writes: grocery lists, emails, social media posts, etc. It doesn’t make one a writer, let alone a good one.

A writer writes, yes, but a writer also tells a story, is committed to writing, treats it like a job or career or at least a hobby—in other words, makes time for writing instead of doing it whenever the urge strikes or there are a few minutes of free time.

Now, I don’t mean you have to write for X number of hours a day or have a schedule or whatever, but just because you write stuff, it doesn’t make you a writer.

Just like hammering a nail in the wall doesn’t make you a carpenter.

Think about that for a moment: we all have skills and “can” do numerous things, but that doesn’t make any of those things a career.

Stephen King says that you’re a writer if you wrote something, sold it, and used the money to pay a bill. Obviously, my bills are much smaller than his . . .

Of course, I could also add that you must repeat this process a few times, otherwise you simply wrote something and sold it. I could paint a picture and sell it (probably to my mother), but that doesn’t make me an artist unless I keep doing it. I can also, by the way, hammer a nail into the wall to hang a picture—but I can’t build a house.

Which brings me to my next point, one that I keep hammering into everyone’s heads (ha): you aren’t a writer if you don’t have the basic skills that are essential to your craft. Period. If you can’t spell or punctuate, learn how to do those things. I received a submission yesterday in which the author talked about her Book. No, it wasn’t a typo, it was consistent; even if it was a typo, it’s a pretty inexcusable one. She told me, of course, that she was a Writer.

If a carpenter can’t hammer in a nail, then he’s no carpenter; if a plumber can’t tighten a loose joint, he’s no plumber.

And if a writer can’t spell a word, he shouldn’t use it until he learns how to spell it. And he’s not going to write anything I want to read until he learns the basics.

Some book promo sites want you to have X number of reviews or stars in order to list your book. It’s a chicken-egg thing: how do you get the sales and the reviews so you can promote your book?

Places to sell books:

Bookstores
Other retailers
Restaurants
Professional offices
Grocery stores
Toy stores
Kids’ event venues
Teens event venues
Any event venues
Your place of work
Fairs
Festivals
Farmers’ markets
Museums
Gift shops
Mall kiosks
Bowling alleys
Roller rinks
Ice rinks
Your front yard

Yes, the list is a bit redundant, but the idea is to get you thinking. I knew an author who carried a table, chair, and a box of books around in her trunk and could set up a booth in two minutes flat. And it worked.

The next step, of course, is getting permission to sell books at any or all of these places. You have to actually talk to someone—I know it’s hard, but it’s the only way.

Many of them, you can simply call; they’ll have a policy about these kinds of things and they can tell you right away if it’s allowed.

For most of them, it’s better if you just go there. In person. Come out of your home or office or shell, put on pants, and go. Make a list first and map out your locations and do them all in one or two or seven days. Keep a calendar with you so you can write down the bookings you get. Yes, you’ll get some. Be optimistic!

Sure, it’s a lot of work. You have to call and visit and talk and plan and carry a box of heavy books. And you have to have change and, preferably, a way for book buyers to pay via credit card. Google that.

Is your career worth it? Or is it enough to have written and published the book? If it’s the former, get busy! If it’s the latter, please speak to your publisher and ask if he or she is okay with you sitting on your butt. Go ahead. I dare you.

Another way to sell books is to blog regularly—at least once a week, but not constantly. Pick what works for you and just do it already. However, you also must have topics that are pertinent to your writing career or to your books. Don’t just slap down posts, willy-nilly. And make sure they’re all around 500 words, minimum. Okay, 400. Just don’t do three sentences and call it a day. That’s not a blog post, that’s a status update.

And as long as we’re mentioning status updates, puh-lease—a few a day is fine. Constant posting is annoying. I’ve un-followed established authors for this. Their so-called pearls of wisdom are more yawn-inducing than anything, and they keep me from seeing more interesting stuff.

Also, don’t link all your social media accounts. That accomplishes exactly the same thing—an overflow of stuff from you. First, we get something on Instagram; then LinkedIn; then Twitter; then Facebook; then Pinterest. All coming down one newsfeed. Over and over.

For Pete’s sake, who wants to read your book after they’ve heard you yacking all day already?

And finally, make yourself an expert. In what? I don’t care—pick something. Pick several somethings, just be sure you can back that up. Did you write historical fiction? You’re a history buff. Romance? Whisper sweet nothings. YA? You know about teens.

Add a page to your website or blog and advertise your speaking services. Yes, people will pay for that. Yes, you can almost always sell books wherever you’re speaking, such as schools, business meetings, clubs, and so forth.

Note: I really wish I could find some substantiated statistics on how many sales it takes to garner one book review. If anyone has a link, I’d appreciate it!