Round 2: Have I Learned Anything?

Probably not, is the answer to that question.

On the other hand, of course I have. The practicalities of putting out a self-published book are less daunting the second time around (after all, I’ve done it all once before, and succeeded). I have networked a great deal more since the first book, and word of mouth reaches farther with more ears listening.

During a tough year without hard deadlines, I accomplished nothing. I could say that what I learned is that I need hard deadlines, but I already knew that. What I have learned is that it’s okay to forgive oneself for taking necessary time, without pressure, without guilt. Fighting the writer’s block only exacerbated it.

With a demanding day-job, it’s difficult to find the time to work on a manuscript and keep up a writing blog and maintain an email newsletter and a regular twitter account and promote a new novel. The lesson here, I think, is one of slimming demands and prioritizing.

Stay tuned as I move to an email newsletter model of news-sharing and re-align how I use my blog. I’ve been enjoying the family history posts and the odd short story, and will have time to keep adding once I’m between contracts again. I might even have time to add a post about setting up and then growing my mailing list—once I figure out how to master a proper landing page.

I invite my small audience to learn the best use of a blog as I try to grow my book-reading audience. Is there a place for polls? How do I diminish trolls? In my coverage, have I left any holes?

Meantime, join me on July 13th at 8pm online at Ignite Your Soul Author-Signing Event when I will be taking over the site on Facebook. If we are all lucky, I will be revealing the cover for my August book release (the very exciting epic historical romance that I finished last summer and have been sitting on due to… life).

The Author-signing event is happening August 13th, and that is now my deadline for having copies of the new book in hand.