I didn’t write this post, but it was such a GREAT one that I absolutely had to share. There was not a re-blog button on The Book Designer’s blog page, so I did the next best thing. I hope you get as much from this as I did.
We all struggle with this balancing act and Gila Green’s advice is golden! Please take time to visit her website and take a look around.
By Gila Green
We hear it all the time, “How can I possibly market my existing book while writing my next book?” or “I don’t like marketing. I just want to write.” But the reality is that to be successful as an author, most of us need to continually do both–marketing AND writing new books. The good news is that it is possible to do both. In today’s guest post, Gila Green offers suggestions for how to manage our time, develop a strategy and succeed—on both fronts! I think you will find what she has to say helpful.
Time is like the sweet table at a bar mitzvah; depending on your gender, age, and weight, there’s either way too much of it or never enough of it. The kids can’t believe how quickly it has been devoured and at least half the adults can’t figure out why the chocolatey temptations haven’t disappeared already.
Books are Written Between the Margins
If you’re an average writer you have a day job and writing is your second job. (I’m not even going to get into family responsibilities, that’s another post.) Balancing your time while you try to succeed in two jobs is hard enough, but what happens when your second job splits in two?
For writers who have published a novel and have to deal with the momentous task of marketing it, coupled with producing a second novel, time management becomes an enormous challenge.
It doesn’t matter if you’re setting up a Facebook account, diving into chapter two, or pitching to reviewers, part of your brain screams: you should be working on something else!
It seems equally critical to market your novel, especially in its first twelve months of release, as it is to write a new one (because everyone knows the best way to market your novel is to produce another one—more on that below–and some writers may have signed on to write a sequel or a series.)
For writers suffering from marketing-writer split, you either have three jobs or two second jobs. Either way you slice it, it’s tough to chew on without breaking your teeth or worse, losing your mind.
The situation can seem even tougher if the novel you have just released is in a different genre and/or aimed at a different age category from the novel you’re writing or vice versa. I know plenty of authors with young or middle-grade books out who working away at an adult novel. The worry over wearing two hats just turns up the heat on the writing-marketing split.
So what’s a writer to do?
Here are four ways you can succeed…
TO CONTINUE: https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2018/10/the-writing-marketing-balance/
Canadian Gila Green is an Israel-based author, editor, and EFL teacher. Passport Control and King of the Class are among her published novels. Gila’s White Zion collection will be available in April 2019. She is also currently working on a young adult eco-fiction series with the first novel in this series, No Entry, coming out in September 2019. She has been teaching flash fiction online since 2009 at WOW-womenonwriting. Visit Gila: www.gilagreenwrites.com
This was brought to us by Joel Friedlander, The Book Designer.
https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2018/10/the-writing-marketing-balance/
Dear Jan,
Thanks so much for reposting my article. It’s very gratifying to read that others find the advice helpful and that I’m not alone, as I have often felt overwhelmed between writing and marketing. I’m letting you know that I’m busy building a brand new website that should be ready by November 8 and I hope to put a lot more writing blogs and vlogs there from my own writing experiences. I’m open to suggestions for my new site and I hope all of you will visit. The address remains the same. Thank you again! Gila
I am so glad that you didn’t mind me reposting the blog. It was SO full of great information. Of course, I gave you full credit, as I would never think of doing otherwise. How awesome to learn that you are building a new website. I will visit and follow. Thanks so much for leaving a comment and a way for everyone to keep up with you.
Jan,
I sent you an email about this post but maybe it’s been lost in your SPAM.
Please contact me.
Thanks!
Shelley
Hi, Shelley. Sorry. I am just now seeing this. I checked my SPAM email and didn’t find anything from you. Please feel free to contact me at rijan21@gmail.com. Thanks!
Excellent article, Jan. Thanks.
Thanks, John. I’m happy you stopped by.
For sure, Mae. Thanks for stopping by.
A great post by Gila. Writing and marketing is indeed a balancing act all writers struggle with!
I totally understand, Teagan. I have a hard time finding margins as well. I know you are exhausted. We all get that way because the list of things to be done never ends. Good luck with Nanowrimo! I’ve never tried it, but maybe someday. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by. Hugs!
Oh goodness…. between the margins indeed. Lately I haven’t had any margins, and I’m exhausted! LOL.
I’m getting ready for my yearly National Novel Writing Month… For once I’m going to be sensible and do the editing version. Pip and Granny Phanny want their third book out there — A Ghost in the Kitchen.
Thanks for sharing this Jan. Happy hump day. Hugs.
Wow great post, Jan. Thanks for sharing. I feel so out of control and haphazard that this structure really sounds like a great way to organize my time. I don’t think I’ll follow it exactly, but I like the idea of structuring my writing versus marketing time with more planning and some guidelines… instead of just winging it, which is what I do now. I’m going to do this today. 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad this was helpful, Diana. When I read it, I knew there were some parts of it that I immediately needed to incorporate into my world. Like you, I have been haphazard and most of the time feel like I am chasing my tail. I do think there are some valid suggestions here. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment!
It really motivated me to get some structure around my time and efforts. Lots of brainstorming. 🙂
I just know this article is going to help me to make sense of it all, thank you so much for sharing it…
I certainly hope so! Thank you so much for re-blogging, Jaye and Anita!
our pleasure…
Reblogged this on anita dawes and jaye marie.
Thanks for the useful article and the excellent advice. I agree entirely that the notion a writer “should never” write in more than one genre is gibberish. It may make marketing sense to write novels in a series, but that doesn’t mean you should, especially if you’re inspired to write in other areas. The two books I’ve published are about as different genre-wise as you can find, although I imagine my writing style is recognizable in both.
Thank you so much for your comment eidswick. I’m glad you stopped by.