My Favourite Series, Marketing and Being a Loser

Good morning, Readers!

So, last night Episode Ten of Nights at the Round Table was uploaded.  This time we discussed Gardens of the Moon , Book One of The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.  I've raved about these books before, and this episode saw absolutely no change in opinion from me.

I love these books.  Love them.  Anywho, you can watch me fangirl over the first book if you like:

This morning I read THIS article by an author asking other authors to shut up about their books already.  I have written on this subject before, but I hate self-promotion.  It feels too pushy, too gross, too bully-ish for me.  I was told, however, when beginning this journey that I was required to scream, "Buy my book!" every half hour or so (not in those exact words, but almost).  I try not to, in all honesty, because it makes me so very uncomfortable.

It's nice to see that I'm not the only author to feel this way, and I'm equally glad to see that in this day and age, my suspicions about being drowned out anyway were pretty much true.

So what is an author to do in order to get noticed in this world?  Well, write, and write well.  Then hope to high hell that Lady Luck smiles upon you enough to get a foothold, and that people spend a few moments to discuss it with friends, review it online, share your work far and wide, because you know what sells books?

Word of mouth.  That's it.

So readers, if there is a book you absolutely loved, leave a review (Amazon, however I dislike their business practices, is a powerhouse for getting the word out.  Goodreads is another place that is great for getting the word out).  Tell your friends.  It makes a bigger impact than all the advertising strategies anyone has ever come up with in the history of trying to sell books.

Last night was the last winter martial arts class at Carleton. I managed to get a migraine yesterday afternoon, so I had to skip.  It sucks, but I was not well.  It was a pretty powerful ache, with the fun of nausea.  I'm feeling better.  Thanks for asking.

As is often the case when I'm feeling low, I got to thinking about the failure I sometimes feel I am.  I mean, It's been five years of writing seriously and it feels like I'm no closer to making a living wage from it than I was when I started.  I'm still fighting for recognition and respect.  There are days (or weeks), when I look back at my "career" and see myself as a hamster in a running wheel, pumping my chubby little legs and never getting anywhere.

So sometimes I get very down on myself.  Sometimes everyone needs a little time to wallow for a bit.


I was having one of those moments last night.  Then I stumbled across this song:

It instantly cheered me up.  It is now my anthem.  I hope it helps you, if you're having loser issues as well.

Now I have to go learn some more Welsh.

Ciao!