First, let me apologize for failing to post a blog last week. I was stricken with a rather nasty illness and in no mood to do any type of writing. And you know it’s bad when I can’t bring myself to write! That being said, I’m feeling much better now and ready to wow you once again with my literary prowess.
If you’ve been reading this blog since the beginning, you know that late last year I joined an online writer’s community. With my young adult manuscripts having been rejected by agents and publishers alike for so many months, I decided I needed to find a way to reach my target audience and see if they agreed with the countless rejections that had come my way.
Though I joined the site in December of 2010, I didn’t begin posting my first story until February of this year. Early reviews were good but slow to come in. I was a bit discouraged until I realized I needed to give a little to get a little. In other words, I couldn’t just post my story and expect the readers to flock to me. Being that I was an unknown author on a popular site filled with an endless supply of top notch stories, I needed to network to build my audience. In all honesty, I should’ve considered this much sooner than I did. If you think about it, networking on this kind of web site is akin to providing an agent or publisher with a marketing plan for your manuscript. Still, the light bulb finally came on and I was off and running. I participated in numerous forum discussions in which authors read and commented on one another’s work. At one point, one of my friends jokingly pointed out I was the eleventh most active person on the site. I never confirmed this, but I believe her.
My zealous approach to gaining exposure for my novel has paid off tenfold. I’ve steadily gained a fan base that I’m pleased to say continues to grow each day. My fans, I’m delighted to say, are rabid in their consumption of my story. Of course that’s a compliment. They devour each post in short order and always ask for more. I never imagined I’d have any fans that weren’t confined to my friends and family so this has been a real treat. Because many of these fans are young and a lot more computer savvy than I am, they maintain blogs and websites in which they feature their favorite authors and books. I’ve had the privilege of being interviewed by three such webmasters which has given me added publicity for my work. I’ve even had the pleasure of one of the site reviewers reading my story and giving it an exceptional review which they posted on their blog as well as Face Book. And speaking of Face Book, I’m always getting friend requests from my fans, which I’m happy to accept.
When I started this journey, I only wanted affirmation of my talent. I wanted someone to tell me I was good and I wasn’t wasting my time. Today, I’m proud to say, I’ve gotten that and so much more. My participation in this site has far exceeded my expectations.
As of the writing of this post, I have 1,005 confirmed fans. Here’s to 1,000 more! Thanks Wattpad.
No comments:
Post a Comment