AUTHOR'S CORNER:

TALENT IS AS TALENT DOES

Okay, so here I am....THE TALENTED!  The writer, the one who can conjure up worlds and stories and fantasy that will transport and illuminate the minds of the masses!  I am the enticer of minds, the provoker of emotions, the mistress of the magical world of the imagination....The word is my sword and I use it well, in it I am skilled and my verses ring in the hearts and souls of men!  My words are the equivalent to what Mozart's music is to the ears!  I delight and thrill, I awaken the senses and ignite love and yearning in the hearts of people....I AM A WRITER!  THE ULTIMATE THINKER!  

Q:  SO HOW COME I AIN'T ABSOLUTELY FAMOUS YET, SURELY BY NOW I SHOULD BE ON PRACTICALLY EVERY SINGLE BOOKSHELF IN THE LAND?

A:  BECAUSE IN THINKING YOU ARE SOOO TALENTED, YOU'VE DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT LOVE!

'But wait,' I hear all you writers say, 'of course I have done something about it; I've written a book, I am writing other books, I have a published book! Surely I've now made it?'

UM...NO!

Because (and I know I'm not supposed to begin a sentence with because, but I am the author) if that is all you have done, then you have not done enough, you haven't even scratched the surface yet!  In (quite rightly so) admiring your own talent and thinking that others will, you have probably forgotten or neglected to self promote and to self advertise!  BIG MISTAKE BABES, BIG MISTAKE!

LET'S EXAMINE THIS......

Unless you have landed a multi-million pound deal; your publisher isn't made of money!  I know that most people are under the illusion that publishers have literally millions to back you with; but the sad truth is...they don't!  In this current climate of blogging, self publishing, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and all other social websites that are floating around, where every Tom, Dick and Harry are sticking their work up there, and promoting themselves, where you can command a following of thousands by attracting people to your webpage.  Where bookshops don't readily stock new authors, and the monopoly on the market is centred around celebs who have actually and truly appeared on Big Brother, or some other reality show!  The competition is fierce! 

BASICALLY AS IT STANDS, YOU ARE JUST A TINY DOT ON THE SCALE OF THINGS!

Q;  WHAT CAN I DO NOW?

A:  YOU CAN SHINE AMONGST THE MANY ASPIRING STARS OF THE WEBPAGES!  

Q:  AND EXACTLY HOW DO I DO THAT?

A:  BY SHOWCASING YOURSELF!

Unless you've been told by fortune tellers that you will make it big in the world of writing and that absolutely nothing will stand in your way, and that the word 'Writer' is engraved in the palm of your right hand and the word 'Famous' engraved in the left....and you've sealed the deal by signing a contract with The Devil in your own blood!  Unless you've experienced all this, don't be too sure!

YOU CAN'T MAGIC IT UP!

SO HERE'S SOME OTHER ALTERNATIVES YOU COULD TRY....

1.  Showcase yourself, blog, Twitter, Facebook!  Anything that offers you a platform will serve as advertising.

2.   Don't just blog once and leave it because you haven't had more than one page viewer.  Persist and sooner or later you will get people's attention!

3.   Just as your talents and creativity shines through in your novels, so it should in your blogs.  Don't be sheepish about being clever with your style, after all, you are advertising yourself!

4.   Promote yourself, tell people how great you are, tell them where your book can be found, they really want to know!

5.  Be clever, be witty, be sophisticated, be the writer you dream of becoming!  In other words, be extravagant and in their faces and 'ooh so sure of yourself darling!'

6.   If people like you, they will follow you and they will tell their friends!

7.   If you are talented, then you are a talented being and therefore your creative juices don't just stop with a novel!  Create concepts, create ideas, create an ambiance for your public!

8.  Bombard the web market until your name becomes second nature to the web surfers!  Make friends on Facebooks, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, have debates with people (not just about your book) make jokes with people, wish them happy birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or whatever their event may be.  Be sympathetic to their problems and engage in their conversations - people like interaction!  Soon they will switch on just to see what you're up to!  

9.   Never be rude or abusive, never say anything bad about someone, because talented people don't do that!

10.  Just be a devil of a talent!