Marketing Yourself - Or my life as the Queen of Promotions

Three years ago I was a total stranger, I wanted to change this completely, but I did not know how.

'Marketing' my friends all said, I had no idea what they were talking about. Also, I'm not the type of person to stand up in front of a crowd and start spitting out my mouth, and do not like 'honking own'. Anyway, I had nothing to sell, I have not had a book published. What do I promote?

So I procrastinated, did nothing, just waiting for publishers to come to me. Ha! As if it would ever happen.

But I wanted to write, I wanted to get published, and editors wanted to call me.

I entered egroup of writers and I lurk. I read what he had to say, melted into the background, and I learned. I started to see at the same time the names in time. I started to trust the knowledge of those most active members, and I was learning a lot of new information on writing.

I joined online groups, and has actively participated in some forums for writers. Over time, writers began to question me. I was getting emails from writers on the private forum, I was seen as a mentor, someone to trust. But why?

I do not understand at first, until I analyzed what I had done. What I found surprised me, as I had come to trust the writers more experienced eGroups had joined in, other writers were in touch with me - because I was 'visible'.

I was still pretty shy of 'out' - I prefer to write about anything else, and I sure as hell did not want to sell myself, going to the dentist was more fun.

A little over two years ago, I decided to be really into this thing to write, but I was still a virtual unknown. My biggest problem was I could barely use the Internet. I could not even conduct research easier. (How could never forum I'll never know!) How could the market if I could not get around? So, I spent many months learning as I possibly could use the network.

And yet, the very names that I had seen a year or so earlier were popping up across the network.

I was told that I needed a website. Boy, what a challenge! Eventually, I built a website, but it was small, very ordinary (extremely hard work!) But functional. Then I added some freebies for writers to my site. I searched the internet for useful links and ebooks. I signed up for some really good (and really bad) ezines for writers. I was still learning and growing as a writer. But I still was not happy.

Then, out of the blue, an opportunity arose to have my site reviewed by the editor of a writer of great ezine. I did something I'd never done before, I grabbed with both hands.

In less than a week, I had 350 visits on my site. Got about - I got freebies! Within three months I had a thousand shots. I could not believe it.

I was beginning to see the advantages of marketing myself.

One of my stories has been accepted for publication. A link to my site my profile raised again. I was beginning to get my work published - slowly - very slowly.

I tried marketing opportunities. What's more, I took them! And they were working.

February 2003, I decided to write full time, many people have told me that it was impossible - that would never happen. March 2003 I contacted the editor of a website for women, I got a humor columnist. May 2003 I got another regular column, a travel article for a monthly print magazine. I was in ecstasy. That same month, I was appointed editor for a local newsletter. I was selling more and more my writing. Each month articles have sold at least one or two - a lot of those who were to websites or ezines for writers.

Cynics said I'd never do it, make money by writing was impossible. But they did not have my tenacity, and they were not marketing.

An English friend suggested I start an ezine. After all, I was already trying to help other writers with my freebies and links, why not take another step forward? So did I, May 20, 2003 my first issue came out. I started with ten members, mostly people from eGroups I was away. When the next issue came out, there were about thirty members, and the number grew slowly in each issue.

I started getting requests for interviews. I was very nervous, even though it was all done via email.

My confidence has grown, and I have been actively marketing opportunities. Every day I spent an absolute minimum of one hour of marketing myself. I was writing articles, looking for markets to sell my work, and I have been actively pursuing what ever I could find ways to raise my profile.

August 2003, after the constant suggestions from other authors, I decided to set up a website for writers. Not just a tiny little problem, but a large site with a ton of information and resources. Work has started on site in October 2003, after securing a reliable host. http://www.writer2writer.com is constantly under construction and growing.

November 2003 I had 180 subscribers. I had to swap with occasional other ezine owners, and then I decided to run a race.

I advertised my no-fee contest for writers around the world that I thought writers could get together, have flooded the Internet with my ad contest and swap ads for my ezine. Almost twelve months after the inaugural issue of "writer to writer," more than 650 writers have been signed. This number continues to grow - in December 2004, more than 1,000 writers have been subscribed to the ezine.

If I see a new web site advertised for writers, write to the editor / owner. If I see an appropriate market for my ebook, I have to contact the owner. If I see a good home for my gifts, or anything else that will bring me recognition, I will contact the publisher or owner.

Marketing is an ongoing task, and after a while ', it becomes second nature. Can not afford to be complacent, even for a minute. If you do not have the money to ensure a baby journalist, you are alone. Over the last five months I sold a story to a major magazine in the United States, has published a book non-fiction, has signed a contract for a novel, and performed a series of workshops of short stories (including one for a new writers' website). I also requested four stories from various magazines. A number of publishers have contacted me for interviews, and in a period of two months, were interviewed four times. I was also contacted by a Hollywood film company to submit a writing sample of a possible ghost-write a novel based on an upcoming film. (That still leaves me breathless.)

I also continue with my monthly column and regularly sell travel articles for websites and ezines for writers.

(Do not know about you, but I'm worn out!)

I firmly admit that if I were not on the market, none of this would have happened. And what's more, publishers are contacting me, seeking me out. (Not bad for someone who was a virtual unknown in May 2003.)

What I have learned over time is that writers are a commodity, and like any other product or service, we need to sell ourselves. Marketing your book is good, but the most important part of marketing is to sell yourself. Winning the trust of your readers, your followers, let them know you will deliver, and set out the name recognition.

If you can do, you're on your way .......