I realized the other day; I have been dragging my heels concerning the marketing of these children’s books and my murder mystery which I have completed and have a few proofs of.
 
I tried to think of why I was doing this. In giving it more thought, I realized two things, I value my privacy a great deal, and I am a coward when it comes to criticism.
 
I think you have to have a thick skin to put yourself out there concerning your work. I do what I do because I love to do it. I had a hand-writing analyst tell me years ago that what I do doesn’t come from just the head, but the heart. I found this quite profound because it is so accurate. If I am not motivated, I simply cannot do it, no matter what it is. 
 
So, the choice for me now is, what to do about the marketing. Simply put, I am not doing it. If folks find my books and want them, fine, if they don’t, then that is fine too. It isn’t that I am giving up on doing them. I believe children today, more than ever, need more education and ways to connect with the physical world and nature, and that is why I create these books. I know there are kids out there that don’t know where milk comes from or that eggs come from chickens even! 

I will likely at some point find someone else to do the marketing for a fee. This makes more sense to me.
 
I have never been good at tooting my own horn nor shall I ever be. For some reason, it grates on my sensibilities. Somehow, for me, it feels so awkward and almost embarrassing! It isn't like low self-esteem, it is something else hard to explain.

I know folks who go far because they are so determined. They don't take no for an answer and to me, it borders on harassment. I have no interest in going anywhere near that road. It is like bragging about money. I find it all rather crude. I don't know where I got this attitude or who was my influence. Honestly, it almost feels like I was born with it. I can't imagine pounding away over and over with others until they give in so I can get where I want to go. I am just not that person. It may work for others; all the power to them, however, it just doesn’t feel right for me.
 
Is it the end of the world if I don’t sell any books? Nope, I shall survive. Do I feel motivated still to create these books? Yes, the world is so full of darkness right now. So much greed, so much debasement, so much corruption. It is everywhere. I can’t sit by and do nothing! Even if I don’t have any impact whatsoever, at least I will feel like I contributed SOMETHING positive. To me, that is what is important. Not whether I make money or become known. Simply put, I feel it is more about the journey than the destination.
 
That isn’t to say, I am saying anyone else trying to make a profit and business that works in the Indie world is wrong or bad or anything like that. I am just saying for me, I have made up my mind, it isn’t going to enter my consciousness anymore. What will be, will be. I am just going to have fun creating these books and if something ever happens to put them out there, then super, if not, that is fine too.
 

       I have been reading comments on my blog and a number of people have commented about how they love to write but would never call themselves writers. After watching numerous Youtube videos, taking a Masters Class and reading quotes from famous authors, they all basically say the same thing: if you write, you are a writer! 
      Now, I think there is a distinction between being a writer, and being a GOOD writer, however I also believe if you really want to do something, you might as well do it to the best of your ability. That means if you want to be a writer, then you must write! After you write, then edit, edit, edit.
       I acknowledge I write these blogs and sometimes autocorrect helps things to slip through the cracks. I re-read and try to catch all the problems but once in a while, something will slip through! Well, that is ok, no one is perfect. I have noticed, I have improved since when I first started a few years back doing this. I can't believe I started out writing a blog every day. Seriously, my life is not that interesting! 
     I researched author's quotes and put them on two mugs as a reminder, whenever I find mistakes that I am a writer. One of these quotes is from one of my favourite authors: Richard Bach who wrote "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit."
      That seems to sum things up nicely! This applies to every aspect of life also. If you want to be a writer, an animator, a pilot or whatever it is you want to do, no matter how long it takes, or how any mistakes you make, as long as you are gentle with yourself, take what you feel you need from whatever criticism you are receiving,  then carry on; I guarantee you will get there eventually. 
      Think of it like waiting for a bus. The schedule says your bus will be in at 1 o'clock. You get there a little early to be sure you won't miss it. When it doesn't come at 1, you think, shoot, it came early so you decide to walk down to the next stop to kill time. Instead of just hanging in there a few more minutes, the bus goes zooming by and you miss it!
     That is what it is like to be working on something that takes time. If you don't have the patience to hang in there for the long haul, you may just miss the opportunity or whatever it is, that leads to your success! 
      When I went to the art college, there were "golden students" that the faculty loved. Everyone told them they were going to "go far". I, on the other hand, was told I didn't "look the part of an artist." Too much a down to earth, uninteresting student. Well, years later I bumped into old school mates and I asked about those "golden students" and many were driving taxi and things like that. When I told them what I had been up to; doing commissions, having shows, and creating my own on-line pet portrait business, they were impressed because I was still doing what I loved and making a living from it. Sure, it didn't pay great and I never was "discovered" however it gave me what I wanted: a way to be a stay-at-home mom to raise my son. As a single mother, that is no easy feat but I wouldn't change a thing for the world. I have a fine young man for a son who is working hard towards doing what he loves; animation. I know he will get there because he knows he has to put one foot in front of the other and step by step, work towards his goals.
      So you see, if you want to be something and you feel you can do it, then go for it. Of course there are limits. Somethings require PHYSICAL attributes and we all can't have the luck of Captain America, however there are tons of videos online that show people's progress. One guy wanted to be an animator more than anything but couldn't draw so he did whatever it took, life-drawing classes, online courses, whatever and he was NOT good when he started. Really pretty raw in the talent department however now he works for Disney. Took him a long time to get there, but he wanted it and he persevered and he got there!
       If you write, then you ARE a writer. Now, make a plan and keep going until you are the calibre of writer you want to be!
      Oh yes, FYI, research free-lance writing sites, do the reviews. You will find places that offer courses and actually help you to start being a paid writer. One or two take a fee upfront only and have great supports while others are a bit on the greedy side and want a large portion of the commission as well as a subscription. So do your research, find what works for you and then plug away at it. There are folks out there who have! If you love something, then be smart and find ways to make it happen. You CAN do it.

As I may have mentioned, I have been learning about marketing online. It is VERY time consuming, half of what I learn isn't even relevant and leads nowhere however I must say, in the end, I think it all comes in handy! Sooner or later I am going to need some of what I am learning surely! 

I just set up a Mailchimp account. I want to give away colouring page and drawing activity samples with a sign-up form. Sounds simple enough. Sure, I easily designed a form, even linked the download in it, THEN after it was all done, all I have to show for it is a code! 

Now I know I can embed coding somewhere here for a sign in form, called an "embedded sign-in form" however I just found out, you cannot do the same for a landing page which is what I thought would be simple.

Oh, I could go to where I have my domain name registered and then put it in under "content" so it doesn't take over my website but no, I don't want to get into that unless I have to but I may have to!

And I can do a pop up sign in form which is ok and I might have to resort to since most of the folks who have signed up are basically trying to sell me something! lol defeats the purpose but since I didn't expect anyone to read or find this, hey, pretty cool. I have better behave myself on here! lol

So, basically via Mailchimp I have created a stand-alone website page where you can sign in and get the download. It is on their site and really, I have not been able to figure out the full point of it. I may go into it deeper or I may find another way. Not sure yet. Oh the joys of it all!

I want to do it so that you sign up before you get the download because I have seen on Amazon how some folks are! They put a different cover on the same book and try to sell it again likely thinking they are increasing their marketing coverage. Seriously, if I put on a link to a download, some folks would not only not sign-up, they would remove my copyright logo and use the pages to make their own colouring books! Seen similar things happen before. I am all for being creative however I am no longer interested in doing it at my expense!

So, maybe I can create a way via a button that leads you to the sign up page...it is another step however it would mean only those who are honest will get the downloads.

I have spent the last five hours on and off working on this situation and it isn't over yet. I feel a little closer to the outcome I want, and I will find a way, however, I guess it is all part of the learning curve. Sooner or later I shall get a little newsletter or SOMETHING out there but hey, I am an artist first and frankly we are always sort of lack when it comes to marketing which is likely why so many of us live in poverty! 

I think marketing to an artist is a lot like doing ones taxes on My Account Canada...you have to have a great deal of mental fortitude to even begin to go down that road. By the way, with My Account Canada now, make sure you don't screw up when you sign in (and do NOT autosave anything!) because you will be locked out AFTER ONE ATTEMPT! I know, forgot the caps button on! An hour later, I FINALLY got my address updated and allowed back in again.

If you are anything like me, marketing isn't something one goes into lightly. I have to have the time and patience to get the job done! My advice is to any artists out there who need to promote their work, find someone else to do it! I know, I know, it will cost you and you likely won't have it so if you have to do it yourself, don't drink any coffee or eat anything that may bother your nerves! Take plenty of b vitamins and stay away from sugar. THEN after running two miles come back and tackle it! Good luck!