As a writer, I have the belief that writing is divided into two different and distinct areas: the art and craft of writing and the commerce. I'm not a writer who decries the fact that my book has to compete against other books to get attention. Also, I'm not a writer who bemoans how the politics about which books are supported by their publisher and which books are left to sink or swim can determine your ultimate success.
My philosophy is that when you are writing your book, you should concentrate on writing the best book possible. But when you are done, you should think of every damn thing you can to get your book in the public's eye as possible. Assume your publisher is not going to do jack to publicize your book, and you need to depend only on your efforts. So if you need to wear a red nose at booksignings to get people to buy your book, then wear a red nose. As long as it doesn't compromise you as a person, you need to market your book as much as possible.
In that vein, as I finish my final edit, I will now turn to how I will get Friends With Benefits into the hands of 100,000 happy paying readers, when most books sell 5000 books if they're lucky. It's going to take some ingenuity, gimmicks, and luck to do it, but hell, you're lucky to get published in the first place, so why not shoot for the moon?
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2 comments:
hi law,
hi law,
i am also busy writing my own sutff right now, at the same time i am busy learning to speak and write a proper english on my own, i can't wait to lay down a few words in that language.
i am making it a priority to translate my work into 2languages to reach a larger community of readers.
i am a native french speaker.
i don't have the possibility to get a copy of your books over here in europe.
i have one question tough, i am little scared of people putting the "black literature" pin on my work. you know what i mean.
my editor appreciate my work, but for some reasons he does not want me to keep the exotic touch on it. so basically i do not have the right to mention any exotic fruit or names. well i find it hard to make it look transparent. and i know they would not let me do some artwork on it.
any way i want to know how you all work in the US
by
Thanks for the note! I think that all black writers both embrace and distance themselves from the term "black literature". I'm proud to be listed in the pantheon of black literature greats, but I also think editors shouldn't try to limit a black writers work to just the black community. After all, black people throughout the Diaspora are IMMERSED in white western culture, so in some ways we are racially bilingual. So themes we write about are not necessarily exotic, but a part of the fabric of the country we live in.
You should ask for explanations to why your editor wants to take out certain things in your story. Is it because he/she doesn't feel it adds to the story, or that they don't understand? If you think it adds to the story, I say to keep them in.
As for my books, you CAN get them. All you have to do is go to Amazon.com. Where do you live?
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