Posts Tagged ‘aspiring writers’

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Writing

Category: People who Inspire, Writing | Author: | Date: July 26th, 2010

It is with much delight that I get to introduce Sean Ferrell as my guest writer for today. I’m still in a state of shock that he said yes and that it only took a few days to get all this in motion. See what two chilled-out people can accomplish? Imagine we put some drive into it, we’d conquer the world. That’s another story for another time, me thinks.

How did we ‘meet’?

I checked out Sean’s book trailer for his book “Numb” which I found clever and funny and left a comment saying:

Funny book trailer. Is that really you, Sean Ferrell, talking? But that Kindle is ugly compared to the iPad. Sorry, I’m a lover of Apple.

Then he responded:

Yes, it really is me talking, and yes, it really is ugly. It looks like something from 1986.

And we got talking and voila, I asked him if I could interview him and the good giving man said yes – thanks Sean – I wasn’t being sarcastic, in the world of publishing everything works well when people can be both good and giving.

So, the interview is below for you to enjoy as well. Later on this week, pop by again won’t you because we have more of Sean Ferrell answering questions on his main character in Numb and how he created his book trailer. So, don’t forget to come back for that. And of course, as always, I’ll remind you.

This is novelist Sean Ferrell giving advice to aspiring writers like me and you:

1) What advice or tip would you give an aspiring novelist still to make it?

Write toward the things that scare you. That’s where the energy is. Low energy writing is hard to pump up, and it will read as inauthentic. If you write to the things that scare you–revelations about you, your past, your family, whatever–that energy that you’ve used for so long to keep that stuff hidden will infuse the writing with energy and authenticity. If you don’t share it with others, so be it, but you’ll feel better and you’ll know you can tackle anything in your writing. And I don’t mean write memoir. I mean, if there is a topic you’re worried you “shouldn’t” try to handle in your fiction, that’s exactly what you should write about.

Also, find your own process. Don’t invest too much faith in any “process that works” touted by teachers or books or famous writers. Find your own way to get the words out. Try everything, adapt, trust your gut.

2) What noticeable thing has changed since you got the book deal?

I discovered I could fly! Actually, no, I always knew I could fly. What did change was I stopped thinking that publication would cure my writer’s insecurities. I still have plenty of opportunities to question my ability, to see the fault-lines and failures.

Publication doesn’t solve anything. If anything it made me realize that I write because I have to. It’s easy to get distracted by goals: if I can only finish a novel, if I can only get an agent, if I can only sell a book THEN I’ll be happy. And that stuff happens and you still find your shoes smell like shit and the dishes are dirty and not much has changed. So nothing changes, nothing is solved, and you still sit down and start writing again. In a weird way, getting published removed the distraction of publication.

3) How do you feel about author marketing? Has it always been that way?

I think that the way marketing and publishing work now puts much more opportunity into the author’s hands than it used to. I say opportunity and not pressure because honestly who would I rather have out there representing me than me? I am by nature an incredibly shy person. I think all my Twitter followers just collectively wet themselves laughing, but it is true. So, as a shy person I find that blogging and twitter have given me a great way to meet readers and writers, and to enjoy talking about books and to sometimes be stupid. Okay, I am often stupid. I am now on the verge of doing some readings where there will be GASP people GASP in front of me and I feel much better about it than I would a few years ago because social networking has made me feel like those who want to hear me will enjoy it, those who don’t won’t, and I can’t control either response so I’ll just try and have fun.

More about Numb:

Numb, a man who feels no pain and has no memory of how he came to be this way, travels to New York City after a short stint in the circus to search for the answers to his past. But when word of his condition spreads–sparked by the attention he attracts from letting people nail his hands to bars for money–he quickly finds himself hounded on all sides by those who would use his unique ability in their own pursuits of fame and fortune. There’s the best friend who doesn’t quite know how to handle Numb’s newfound celebrity, the savvy talent agent who may or may not have Numb’s best interests in mind, the sadistic supermodel whose idea of a good time involves lion claws and can openers, and the blind girlfriend who might actually see something in Numb others don’t. As Numb navigates this strange world, and as he continues to search for clues from his past, he is forced to confront one of life’s toughest questions: Who am I?
(via Sean Ferrell’s website)

Numb, coming from HarperPerennial in August, 2010

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Numb the Character

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About the Book Trailer Numb

Chuck Sambuchino – An Interview: Published Book, Writing and a Writer’s Life (Part 1)

“It is good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy.”

George Lorimer – Editor of Saturday Evening Post

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Daily Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

What I have done:

  • My friend Oosters is to write film reviews on my blog. I have another one ‘Whatever Works’ coming to you tomorrow. Yeah!
  • Author Sean Ferrell is to answer questions that I wanted to know and hopefully will benefit you as well. Hurrah!
  • Author Chuck Sambuchino’s interview as my guest blogger has been confirmed for mid-September. Yeah!
  • Talking to a book group run by another friend to see if they would consider writing their book reviews on my blog. Yeah! You can only but ask, right?

WORD COUNT: Night Walker 133,000 in total. Friday 23 July 1,000 words

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The best way to self-promote that doesn’t offend

Category: Marketing | Author: | Date: July 20th, 2010

As a writer, when it comes to building your writer’s platform, social media is one of the easiest way to interact and build your brand. Everywhere you look it’s sell, sell, sell and you’re encouraged to promote you yourself.

Building a writer’s platform means marketing yourself. And with any form of marketing, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. You may not like the idea that you’re an internet marketer but you are. Unless you stay totally off the Internet, you have to get used to the idea that in your Corporation of One – you as writer, novelist, author – you have a marketing department (yes, it’s just you) and one area of that marketing department gets to work on the social media marketing side of the brand that is you.

Marketing is the process by which companies create customer interest in products or services. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business development. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves. (Philip Kotler, Principles of Marketing – via Wikipedia)

The most important thing to remember is you’re not ‘selling’ as such but building relationships. Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin are just three popular ways to do that amongst the many other options open to you as a writer. Although all three social media platforms are on the Internet does not mean you should treat them the same. Think leaflet, newspaper and magazine. They may seem similar – all paper-based with text and image but they’re very different and you should approach them differently.

Lucky for us writers, there are many articles out there that give us an idea of what to do and what not to do.

Be aware that people are no longer ignorant about the marketing tactics used by internet marketers anymore. They are tech-savvy. Everybody knows what you’re doing – and it’s not a crime to self-promote – but at least do it in a way to avoid alienating the very same people you’re trying to connect with. Because there is a fine line. They know what you’re doing; they understand you’ve got to do it but what they don’t like is you spamming, and screaming down their necks about your book, your blog, your product, you, you, you all the time. The emphasis is on ‘all the time’.

Be aware that not only is there a right way to involve yourself but also there is the level of involvement. There are some people out there who think the term ‘self-promotion’ is like being accosted by a salesman who knocks on your door on a Sunday afternoon when you least want to be disturbed. And with so many internet marketers doing it the wrong way ie spamming, it’s not surprising that digital marketing gets a lot of people fuming.

Some people get very involved whereas others may involve themselves by just doing the minimum. There is no right or wrong way when it comes levels of involvement; just be aware and don’t get upset when people do not respond or get as involved as you do or if they seem to interact too much in your opinion. There are the extreme lurkers (nothing wrong with that – lurker is not a nice word – let’s call them readers and everyone has been one at one time or another – you know days when you think you’ve got nothing to say) and the extreme participators (nothing wrong with that) but be aware you’ll meet the extremes and the ones sprinkled in between.

For example, when commenting on other blogs. Some people only read. Some people read and comment. Some people don’t read, don’t comment and just spam. People take time and effort to write blog posts – if the post helped you or you were inspired, comment and let them know. Every blogger appreciates relevant comments, relevant to the post. If you are going to comment, say something specific about the post so that the blogger knows that you’re not a spammer. I don’t mind people linking back to their own websites to relevant posts. But some people do mind that.

The best way to self-promote that doesn’t offend anyone?

Just hang out, be useful, participate and learn to really know your subject and be an authority on it. If you comment and provide something useful people who are interested will find you, your website and your articles.

What things do people do that irritates you? What advice would you give to aspiring writers so they don’t offend you?

[pic taken from here]

Similar Posts ~

Why Spamming Social Media Won’t Get You Very Far by Jennifer Mattern.

Social Media Etiquette 6 Lessons Learned From One Japanese Company’s Major Twitter Mistake by Neal Schaffer.

8 Twitter Habits that May Get You Unfollowed or Semi-followed by AugieRay.

What is a Writer’s Platform by Jessie Mac

How to Twitter by Jessie Mac

“Each indecision brings its own delays and days are lost lamenting over lost days. What you can do or think you can do, begin it. For boldness has magic, power, and genius in it.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – Poet and Novelist

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Daily Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

  • I saw a website offering a PDF, email and print options for their blog post. Great idea.
  • You can still be rejected even if you’ve published many books before says Rachelle Gardner – The Learning Curve that Never Ends.

What I have done:

  • Read ‘Darkly Dreaming Dexter’ by Jeff Lindsay - watched some episodes of the TV series and then read the book. Enjoyed it.

WORD COUNT: Night Walker 128,000 in total. Friday 16 July 1700 words.

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