I'm still here

No, I haven't given up and quit. I've been so busy working on my next novel that I haven't had the time or mental energy to think up blog posts. Yeah, that's it... *nod nod nod*

But I had to stop in and mention this post I came across, on the blog of literary agent Nathan Bransford, since it specifically addresses the main subject of this blog -- how to promote your own book. And while you're there, check out the rest of the site as well. It's full of helpful advice and information.

Now, back to work...

Harsh Reality

I cannot truly fail unless I give up and quit. Therefore, my greatest enemy is me.

When I walk into a bookstore or library and see how many books there already are in the world (and I know what I'm seeing in front of me is but a glimpse of the true reality), I often get overwhelmed. What the hell am I doing? The last thing the world needs is yet another book. Written by me, of all people.

And yet...

Think about the last book you read that you really loved. What if the author of that book hadn't written it? What if he or she had focused all his or her efforts on becoming a doctor or a lawyer or a shoe salesman instead? Think of the hours of enjoyment you would have missed out on!

Lots of people are capable of selling a particular pair of shoes. But nobody else in the whole world can tell the particular stories that live inside my head. If I don't tell them, they will never be told.

Not everyone will read my book. No doubt fewer still will love it. But some will. For some, my unique voice will encounter their unique heart, and there will be that thrill of recognition between kindred spirits. A bond will be formed. Will that make all my labor and heartache worthwhile? For me it will.

But what if I don't make it that far? What if I spend the rest of my life writing novel after novel, and one after another they end up in a drawer or a box somewhere, never to see print at all? Will I have failed?

Fellow author Joe Konrath has said, "There's a word for a writer who never gives up - published." My gut tells me he's right. I hope he's right. Because I'm not going to quit. Screw the career I might have had, if I focused on something else. This is what I do.

Even if he's wrong - heaven forbid! - and none of my books are ever published, I still won't have failed. I will have spent my life following my heart and doing what is most important to me.

There are worse fates.

My Intentions Were Good -- So Why Am I In This Handbasket?

When I started this blog, I was very excited about it. I was bursting with ideas. Then I suddenly realized something: people are going to read this. People I know, strangers -- people.

It could be argued that I knew this all along. That is, after all the point, right? It's not like it came as a surprise. More like the realization suddenly sank in. And I panicked, a bit.

My reaction could perhaps best be described as a flashback, of sorts. I've spent most of my life trying very hard to be invisible. It's how I survived my difficult childhood. But though this strategy served me well when I was a child, as an adult I have come to realize that it's holding me back. Among other things, if I react this way to doing a blog, what will happen when I finally see my very own novel in print? Will I have a complete nervous breakdown? What fun would that be?

So I'm back. If I have to keep telling myself it's okay, and make soothing little noises to myself, and eat extra ice cream and chocolate to cope, so be it. Because I'm in training. I'm taking small steps now to get ready for the day when I have to go out there and do a book tour. Preparing for the day when a total stranger (or even worse, somebody I know) comes up to me and says, "I read your book..."

It's Alive!

After much hard work and dedication -- mostly on the part of my favorite graphic designer and best friend Niki -- my website is now online and ready for visitors.

If you'd like to check out the novels I've written so far, you can go to juliegallagher.com, where I've posted sample chapters of Computer Games, the novel that's finished and looking for an agent, and Surface Lies, my current work-in-progress.

I'm still working on material for the "For Writer's" part of the site. Hopefully, that will be worth visiting very soon. (Suggestions for what can be included are always welcome.)

Having a website makes this all seem much more "real", ya know? I love it!

Why They Don't Sell Write-by-Number Kits

When I want to do something I've never done before, I love it when I can find a step-by-step list of instructions, written by someone with more experience, telling me exactly how to complete the project or reach the goal. This saves a lot of time otherwise wasted on trial and error. Sometimes it makes the difference between actually doing something and throwing up my hands and giving up because I don't know where to even start.

But it also occurs to me that blindly following instructions is a bit like doing paint-by-numbers. And as anybody knows who has ever completed one of those kits, no matter how carefully you fill in each tiny numbered space with the correct pre-mixed color -- the result ain't ever gonna qualify as fine art. You'll get a nice picture that looks like what it's supposed to be (especially if you stand far enough away), but nobody will ever mistake it for the work of Rembrandt.

If you want to create a work of art, you have to become an artist. You have to not only learn but understand the principles behind what you're trying to do. You have to make a thousand small choices, and you have to be able to make many of them by feel, not by rote.

It's the same with writing a novel. You can't just cobble together a bunch of elements and expect the whole to flow in a way that will engage the reader and have them cursing your name when they show up for work the next morning with bloodshot eyes, because your story kept them up half the night because they couldn't put it down.

And it's the same with marketing your work. From the query letter to the marketing campaign, the greater your understanding of what you're doing and why, the more skillful and effective you'll be.

So, even though what I hope to create eventually is a coherent how-to manual for anyone (including me) who wants to sell more books, I hope you won't follow it blindly. Put your heart into it. Just like you did when you were writing the novel in the first place.

To be really successful at something, you need to understand it. Otherwise you're relying on other people to do all your thinking for you. Or on dumb luck. Neither of which is very empowering.

I don't know about you, but I want as much control over my own destiny as I can get. When something goes wrong, I want to know not only what, but why -- and how I'm going to change things so I get the outcome I'm looking for.

Think about it...

So Far, So Good

That's what the guy is purported to have said as he passed the 15th-story window after jumping off the 30-story building -- but I digress.

Today is the one-month anniversary of the first day of my new life. For one month now I have been what I like to think of as "gainfully unemployed."

I quit my job because, quite simply, I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't stand waking up with my head full of ideas, and instead of pursuing those ideas, or at least writing them down, I had to rush off to arrive at work at the ungodly hour of six a.m. Except on the weekends. When I was so focused on trying to cram my entire life into two days per week of freedom, I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do first, and so ended up doing nothing. Except chores. Always the chores. Because being responsible was EVERYTHING.

Some thought that quitting my job without having another one to go to was completely irresponsible. To which I replied, "Having another job to go to would defeat the whole purpose of quitting this job." I needed a break. A Sabbatical. A chance to stop the madness and spend time examining what I really want to do with the rest of my life -- before it's too late.

So I decided to take some of the money I've so diligently -- and responsibly -- saved up and invest in myself.

It was my friend Niki who pointed out that my last day at my hated job happened to be the first day of Spring, in the year of my 50th birthday. She found that significant. I hadn't thought of it quite that way. I chose that date because it was exactly three months before said 50th birthday. And that seemed like a nice round amount of time to spend finding myself, as they say. But the whole "first day of Spring" thing is pretty cool, too.

All I know is, I want the second half of my life to be better than the first. To that end, I have shifted my priorities.

So far, the results have been positive. I am sleeping soundly through the night, for the first time in years. I no longer feel homicidal urges when I go to the supermarket and somebody who apparently has all the time in the world is blocking my access to the frozen peas. And my cats have never been happier, now that I'm available to serve them throughout the day.

Will I be able to maintain this new lifestyle permanently? I don't know. But I'm sure as heck going to try!

Marketing and the Art of Writing, or, Why I'm Taking This Approach

I've been looking into copywriting as a way to make money. I mean, who doesn't want to earn six figures? And to earn it for writing? Heaven!

To be a good copywriter, you have to know a lot about marketing:

• How do you convince people to buy something?
• What psychological buttons do you push?
  
• What do people want, and how do you give it to them?

As I was studying all this, I kept remembering all the times I'd read that non-fiction is a lot easier to sell than fiction. That if you want to actually make a living with your writing, you should write a book about a new weight loss plan, or a car repair manual, or a blueprint for how someone can open their own bed and breakfast. That a book about a specific and useful topic is, for example, a lot more likely to get PR coverage than some unknown writer's first novel.

In other words, it's a lot easier to identify the target market for a non-fiction book, and to convince those people that your book will give them the information they need to make their lives better in some way, than it is to sell a work of fiction, which tends to get lost among all the other thousands of novels out there.

This reasoning makes sense to me. But I wasn't satisfied that it was the final word. I couldn't stop thinking, "Why can't I apply this to fiction?"

I firmly believe that the world of marketing has a lot to teach a writer of fiction. If nothing else, the intelligent application of marketing principles can make your query letters stand out from the mountain of queries that all agents and editors receive every day. But there are already lots of books and articles on that subject. I want to go beyond that.

So I have decided to start exploring further, to see how many different ways I can find in which to get my novel noticed by as many readers as possible. Which will make my publisher -- not mention me, and my creditors -- very happy.

So stay tuned -- film at 11...