Scott Floyd's Blog
December 10, 2019
Marketing
I think I'm a pretty good writer. The few people who have read my work say they honestly enjoy it. Key phrase here is 'few people'. It seems a self published author must also know how to be his own pitchman, market strategist, and advertiser.
I used to naively think that as long as I wrote a good story, it would eventually be discovered because it deserved to. That belief has gone out the window. The self publishing world is a place for countless hacks, geniuses, and everyone in between. It's an ocean of words and book covers that readers must pick and choose through. The chances of your work being found without pushing it is pretty much zero.
I've been on Wattpad lately, trying to get some interest in my work. I'm still learning how the site works, but so far it seems to be a place for authors to gather who say "You read my stuff and I'll read yours." Honestly, I write way to much to read other people's work.
Of course getting an agent would alleviate me of all this, but as long as I remain a self-publisher, the struggle continues.
I used to naively think that as long as I wrote a good story, it would eventually be discovered because it deserved to. That belief has gone out the window. The self publishing world is a place for countless hacks, geniuses, and everyone in between. It's an ocean of words and book covers that readers must pick and choose through. The chances of your work being found without pushing it is pretty much zero.
I've been on Wattpad lately, trying to get some interest in my work. I'm still learning how the site works, but so far it seems to be a place for authors to gather who say "You read my stuff and I'll read yours." Honestly, I write way to much to read other people's work.
Of course getting an agent would alleviate me of all this, but as long as I remain a self-publisher, the struggle continues.
November 10, 2019
The Reward
Writing is its own reward. It has to be, especially when you are self-published and unknown. Unless you are a celebrity, chances are no agent will ever touch you. Believe me, I've tried. I'm still trying, always trying. While writing, in itself, is a pleasure, I can honestly do without the rest of what an author must do. Quite frankly, preparing a packaged product and sending it to an agent, only to get a rejection form letter, is a waste of my time. Yet, I continue to do so.
So why write at all? Why bother? Simple, something drives me. I live a life of solitude which does not suit me at all. When I write, I can escape reality. There's a whole different world inside my head, and I like it there better. Writing is its own reward, and honestly, most days that's good enough.
So why write at all? Why bother? Simple, something drives me. I live a life of solitude which does not suit me at all. When I write, I can escape reality. There's a whole different world inside my head, and I like it there better. Writing is its own reward, and honestly, most days that's good enough.
