I just read a post about marketing plans for writers. Before the age of the Internet, a writer just had to write a book and then find a publisher. Now, writers have lots of options, but they have to be able to market their work, even if they find a publisher for their work. There are some writers who feel that the publisher should do all the work, including the marketing. However, as I have learned with the state of publishing these days, the publishers need the writer to show up and do their part. If readers don’t know who the writer is, then they won’t have any reason to try the new writer’s book.
On some level, I think the writers who say they want the publishers to do everything are reacting with fear. Most writers don’t know anything about marketing. I know I don’t know much. In fact, the behavior of most humans eludes me, and marketing is about understanding human behavior. However, I am not intimidated or afraid. I know that I just have to try. I can fake it until I make it. That’s all the publishers really want. They don’t want a marketing major to write a lousy book. They want a writer to just show up and try to have a presence. I think I can do that.
It’s also my philosophy about life. I’ve have been hurt and I suffer from severe PTSD. The last few days have been difficult. There’s always a part of me that just wants to give up. I sometimes just want to run away, go off somewhere away from everyone, and be alone. Life without having to interact with people seems like a peaceful existence for me. Yet I know that what I think I want isn’t what is best for me. I want to try my best to be the person that God knows I can be. So, I keep trying. I feel like I keep failing all the time. I know that I can’t be perfect. I know that there’s no goal to reach. There’s no reward or punishment at the end. This is it. All I have is my faith. I have faith that somehow my life will have meaning because of the love I felt, because of the life I experienced, and because I kept trying to live no matter what happened. I know that God has a plan for me.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
