Hi everyone,
Years ago when Highlights for Children started its line of children books, Boyds Mills Press, the publisher, KENT BROWN, set up a table outside to show off copies of their very first titles. A young assistant editor told me she couldn’t believe that the publisher would peddle books like they were baskets of corn at a farmers’ market. As I recall, she quit her job.
What the young miss didn’t understand is that things created must be sold, be they work of art, music, or books. Most artists make little money from their efforts and must spend a lot of their time finding buyers for their products. In the case of writers, we attend conferences, visit schools, speak before local civic groups, remain active on social media, and sign in book stores.
Some writers are outgoing salesmen by nature. They are adept at hawking their wares and do it routinely. We may at times grow weary of their constant sales pitches, but we also tend to buy their books. Other, perhaps most, writers have quieter dispositions that makes it difficult to talk about themselves and develop smooth sales pitches about their books. It’s hard enough to submit their work to editors, much less brag about themselves and their work.
This week I need to focus on marketing. I’ve fallen behind in submitting some manuscripts that I like. I dread the process because it’s so time consuming and my hopes aren’t high for finally finding homes for them. They’re like leftovers in the refrigerator, still tasty but running out of time.
KATHY TEMEAN created this blog spot for me in 2009 and I’ve used it heavily all these years to talk about my work. It was made specifically for this purpose. If you grow weary of my nattering on about what I do, I apologize.
Children's Author David L. Harrison's Blog 