February 10, 2012. It was the last time I’d written anything on my blog. I remember being so excited about that last post. I was going to market my non-fiction book, Seasons of Writing. After all, it took work to write it, I already had it up and running on Amazon, I enjoyed writing it and I thought it was a good first try coming out the gate. But mostly, I felt it would be helpful to other writers.
My strategy was perfect. I would visit local bookstores, hit up a few book clubs and create a KickStarter fund to raise money to get more books printed. I began with finding the perfect bookstore. I reached out to an old acquaintance that I used to work with who had a friend who just opened a bookstore in Manhattan Beach. After a bunch of calls and emails to one of the owners, I was finally sent a waiver which I excitedly signed. In a couple of days, I was on my way to Manhattan Beach with my little 28-page book. Unfortunately, after meeting the owner, she didn’t seem overly excited about me or my book and I left feeling let down that my small but powerful book would be tucked away into Never-Never Land—tossed in a corner where no one would be able to see it.
Not one to stay down too long, I looked to KickStarter. I would start a fund to get more books printed so I could go to other bookstores that would hopefully make me feel more welcomed. I created a beautiful PowerPoint slide with music and VO (voiceover). Thirty days later and 40 bucks richer (it might have been less) I realized that I am not the kind of person to reach out to my friends to ask for help in funding my own project. I mean why should they? Forget about all the other people I knew who’ve raised thousands of dollars for their projects. But was that the reason or was my book just not that interesting?
Two years later and I haven’t done much with my book and I can’t remember why. Did I get discouraged? Did I become too busy with work? And what happened to writing on my blog daily? After all, I kept telling myself and others that I wanted to be a writer. And if that’s true what’s the holdup? Don’t get me wrong. I’ve definitely done a ton of writing between 2012 and now. I got myself an editor for my novel. I took a class on screenwriting at UCLA. I wrote a pilot. I finished a screenplay and started work on another. I’ve entered numerous contests; submitting short stories and screenplays. I’ve accomplished a lot. But with all that, I still haven’t been able to break into that career called ‘writer’ that I so desire. So what did I do next? Stay tunned for part II of Stepping Out...
My strategy was perfect. I would visit local bookstores, hit up a few book clubs and create a KickStarter fund to raise money to get more books printed. I began with finding the perfect bookstore. I reached out to an old acquaintance that I used to work with who had a friend who just opened a bookstore in Manhattan Beach. After a bunch of calls and emails to one of the owners, I was finally sent a waiver which I excitedly signed. In a couple of days, I was on my way to Manhattan Beach with my little 28-page book. Unfortunately, after meeting the owner, she didn’t seem overly excited about me or my book and I left feeling let down that my small but powerful book would be tucked away into Never-Never Land—tossed in a corner where no one would be able to see it.
Not one to stay down too long, I looked to KickStarter. I would start a fund to get more books printed so I could go to other bookstores that would hopefully make me feel more welcomed. I created a beautiful PowerPoint slide with music and VO (voiceover). Thirty days later and 40 bucks richer (it might have been less) I realized that I am not the kind of person to reach out to my friends to ask for help in funding my own project. I mean why should they? Forget about all the other people I knew who’ve raised thousands of dollars for their projects. But was that the reason or was my book just not that interesting?
Two years later and I haven’t done much with my book and I can’t remember why. Did I get discouraged? Did I become too busy with work? And what happened to writing on my blog daily? After all, I kept telling myself and others that I wanted to be a writer. And if that’s true what’s the holdup? Don’t get me wrong. I’ve definitely done a ton of writing between 2012 and now. I got myself an editor for my novel. I took a class on screenwriting at UCLA. I wrote a pilot. I finished a screenplay and started work on another. I’ve entered numerous contests; submitting short stories and screenplays. I’ve accomplished a lot. But with all that, I still haven’t been able to break into that career called ‘writer’ that I so desire. So what did I do next? Stay tunned for part II of Stepping Out...
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