Savoring marketing and promoting

Self-promotion and marketing is the bane of many writers’ existences, but I’ve decided I like that aspect. Being somewhat of an extrovert helps, and I really do feel for those who just want to write and are stretched uncomfortably by tooting their own horns, public speaking, technology, and all the rest. Here are my top 5 thoughts (or “brain droppings,” as George Carlin would say) about marketing and promotion at this point in time:

# 1 – Acceptance. Most of us authors have to market, particularly those of us who are self-published. Happily, I’ve moved beyond lamenting and railing against this situation in the constantly evolving world of books and publishing. “You get what you get, and don’t pitch a fit,” to quote the line my little grandson heard everyday in daycare until he accepted that he might get a blue one when he really wanted red.

# 2 – Humility. Simply declaring myself a writer was a journey, and I well remember feeling that promoting my work was arrogant and involved too much vulnerability. I have grown in that regard by praying for “true humility, the humility of Jesus and Mary.” In this understanding, my purpose is to be God’s child, using the gifts I have been given with neither timidity nor conceit.

# 3 – Challenge. Technology skills—lack thereof—is the single biggest hurdle for me in promoting and marketing. I have been able to pay professionals on occasion but have mostly had to learn, learn, learn. The learning is usually fun and satisfying with “how-to” resources readily available. Hard to believe how far I’ve come technologically—and hard to imagine how far I have to go!

# 4 – Persistence. I love the balance I’ve reached of not giving up on my writing enterprises but not fretting over how they are developing.  I keep plugging joyfully on, in the midst of being overwhelmed by technology, fits of low self esteem, and low-to-no book sales. Generally, I am peaceful even on those days when I just can’t do it, for whatever reason. Probably tomorrow things will happen.

# 5 – Rewards. And things do happen, big things like speaking engagements, little things like selling a book out of my trunk to somebody next to me in line in a store. Every time I venture, something is gained.

And here is a new venture, through which you could gain. Now that I’ve finally learned to process comments (not difficult, just a readiness thing), I want to encourage comments and dialogue on my blog. To that end, I will be giving away a boxed gift set of the Sunday by Sunday series. Each time you enter a comment between now and June 30, your name will be entered into a drawing for the gift set. And on we go…

    

Surrounded by happy people talking in other tongues

My friend, a young man of the Montagnard tribe of Vietnam, graduated yesterday from an ESL program, and I was honored to be among the guests. English was the order of the day, of course, but after receiving their well-earned certificates of achievement, the students narrated PowerPoints showing the flags, foods, weather, cities, natural beauty and resources, and so forth of their native lands, and native words and expressions came forth.

Speaking more than one language strikes me as a wondrous accomplishment. My two years of high school Latin provided a linguistic foundation I continue to enjoy, and I went fairly far with French in h.s. and college, but “if you don’t use it…” Acquiring a second language is on my sure-would-like-to-if-I-had-the-time list, but since there has been no necessity to do so, I never have. And so, I am especially impressed by those who have worked hard and applied their intelligence to master this feat. And I was surrounded by them yesterday.

After the presentations in the auditorium, we celebrated in the cafeteria, with their colorful folk costumes, singing, dancing, and conversation. The room was alive with joy, gratitude and—what’s the other word I’m looking for here? Ambition, I think. I loved talking with a civil engineer from Ecuador who was born in China; with George from Georgia, whose hero is Ronald Reagan because of his part in breaking up the Soviet Union; with a Chinese woman describing stands by the side of the road in her country where people sell “tea eggs,” hard-boiled in tea with anise, a quick breakfast for many on their way to work or school; with my Vietnamese friend, who scored 100% on his naturalization test a couple years ago and whose next goal is earning his GED, then on to college.

Oh, and the food! Don’t forget the food, an important and yummy part of the cultural bridge, served with pride and eaten with delight. Borsch with sour cream, shrimp rolls, chocolate bread and black bread and tortillas and blini, peanut soup and carrot soup, thin and silvery noodles, little zucchini pancake-like treats, tea eggs (described above), guacamole, rice pudding, and many more dishes.

Heavens, I think back to my 1950s elementary education and being entranced by the story and pictures of Pimwe, the jungle boy of the Amazon in our social studies book. We’ve come a long way from those times, when such stories were other worldly and exotic to being able to hear and see people from faraway places on pretty much any street corner. I love it.  

Preparing to write--by reading

Tuesday last was heavenly, truly a day off. I had to report to neither of my day jobs, the weather was a sunny 80˚ with blue sky and no humidity, and I read several hours away. The next book I will write is in the conceptualization stage (in that “mental crockpot,” as I recently heard someone describe), and reading is a fine and fun way to move that process along. The Gendarme by Mark Mustian (2010, Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam. Available everywhere) is serving well to stimulate and inspire—and help me keep in mind what good writing is.

How can I develop a character like Mustian’s Emmett Conn/Ahmet Kahn, who is immediately intriguing, human, entertaining, and sympathy-inducing despite—even because of—his flaws? How can I develop a story that is this electrifying and filled with mystery, even for the main character himself? How can I change scenes and travel back and forth through time crisply and clearly like this? How can I write dialogue that sounds this natural as it crackles with meaning?

At the 2010 Lutheran Festival of Writing, Mustian recounted “the making of” The Gendarme, drawing us into the horrible history of the annihilation of one million Armenians in Turkey at the beginning of World War I. His Armenian ancestry was part of his reason for writing the book, though none of his immediate forebears were directly involved, having immigrated to the United States long before. Again, in response, I entertain the possibility of using other times and places and perhaps my own ancestry in my novel. Right now, I don’t think I will do that; nevertheless, I appreciate being opened to bigger, broader vistas. I also prize this model of compelling composition that is bold to tell the truth, even the hard and ugly truth. And, most importantly, perhaps, I am affirmed in my passion for using humor and surprise and artistry to weave bright threads of redemption throughout. Thank you, Mark--and all other writers. Each of us has something to teach.

Phantasmagorical surprises at volunteer appreciation day

I halfway didn’t want to go to the volunteer appreciation breakfast at the senior retirement center, expecting the event to be dry and perfunctory. My expectations were undeniably shaped by a reading I had given there the week before. I had to fight the giggles at one point when I looked around the circle and seven of eleven of my audience were asleep. I maintained composure and focused on the four lively, interested listeners, but couldn’t help asking myself, “What in the world am I doing here? Surely this is a poor use of my time.” So when the breakfast began with a Bloody Mary and ended with an eye witness story about Janis Joplin, I was surprised, delightfully so.

The main delight was fun with the three other volunteers at my table. Our little group was graced with that rare moment when all present are as interested in each other as they are in themselves. And so, we enjoyed scintillating conversation balanced equally among us. Over scrumptious veggie quiche and homemade biscuits, connections sparked and popped. Hardy is involved through his church in collecting gently-used children’s books and distributing them to schools along South Carolina’s infamous Corridor of Shame. Shelley is employed by the public library system to deliver reading materials to people whose mobility is limited. Marvin helped establish Columbia’s Jewish Community Center and has lived all over the country, working in community organization. They were interested in my writing enterprises. Hardy is going to recommend me to the activities director of his congregation. Shelley accepted a set of Sunday by Sunday in large print with confidence that some of her readers would like them a lot. Very cool.

The program was cool, too. The Life Enrichment staff presented each of us with a certificate and then invited us to describe what we do. The descriptions were straight from the heart and humorously humble, and then staff members added appreciative and often amusing comments and anecdotes. A dear friend I have made there gave a fine endorsement of the Sunday by Sunday series. This amazing woman is herself a volunteer and shared the moving information that she sings, upon request, for people who are dying, 21 people so far. Another resident volunteer serves as librarian for the center, and I happily contributed an LP set--and she wanted to know where people could purchase them, if so desired. Great connections.

And then, there was icing on top of all that cake. As I said, Marvin has been around and told this story that occurred in California in 1967 at a camp for kids he was directing:

He had worked with Peter, leader of Big Brother and the Holding Company which was featuring Janis Joplin at the time. He gave the group a week of room and board at the camp in exchange for them giving a concert. After hours one night, the musicians were swimming in the pool. When Marvin and his wife got there, Janis was the only one still swimming, and his wife asked if she could take her picture. Janis hopped out of the pool in the buff, shook the water off, and said, “No. I don’t think my agent would allow it.”

Wow, what a story—and what a good adventure, this volunteer appreciation occasion. Hard to believe that I actually considered skipping it!

Rose Harris helps to form and nuture future preachers

If Rose Harris, protagonist in my Sunday by Sunday series, were a real person, she would have gloried in being with a classroom full of seminarians yesterday. She would have, I believe, enjoyed the laughter when I read one of her phone conversations with granddaughter Stephanie Rose from book one--the conversation where the pregnant and emotionally fragile Stephanie had fixed herself a vegan delight Dagwood sandwich and set it on the patio for a minute and a raccoon ate it.

She would have also understood the change of mood in the classroom to sober silence upon the recounting of her Sunday afternoon in Sam Benshaw's room in the nursing center from book three. Rose was totally unprepared for Sam's stunning confessions. How could this kind and dignified 100-year-old friend and poet ever have done those things? And then, Rose would have been deeply gratified by the students delving into that story based in the lessons for the third Sunday of Easter and connecting her and Sam's encounter with suffering and joy and resurrection.

As the author, I was surprised and delighted by the students' discoveries. Some of their insights I had never considered, so their obersvations were great examples of the writing coming to the writer from beyond. Yes, 'twas a precious and sparkling time. I fiercely admire the courage of these seminarians, these people of faith willing to pray and do their best to proclaim the Word of God for and with the people of God.

Speaking at LTSS again

Dr. Shauna Hannan, homiletics professor at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary has invited me to speak to one of her preaching classes as she did last year, and I am, once again, delighted. Dr. Hannan wrote the Foreword for Sunday by Sunday III which I deeply appreciate and consider perfect to the purpose. She also introduced the book at its debut last All Saints Day at Incarnation Lutheran, Columbia. Playing on the main character’s name, Rose, she declared that any pastor would love to have “a dozen Roses” in the congregation. Fun and gratifying!

The class is tomorrow and is made up of people preparing for public proclamation of God’s Word, people diverse in many ways and all committed to that goal, among other tasks of ministry. The topics/themes Dr. Hannan has asked me to address are Preaching and the Christian Year and Scripture and Preaching. ‘Tis a great joy and a deep honor for me to use my works of fiction in this way, a satisfying whole circle kind of experience, as the writing is always meant to glorify God and build up the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. My prayer is that our time together tomorrow will do that.

Very cool surprise about my book

My 5-year-old grandson excitedly reported over the phone last Saturday, “Grammy, when we went into the library we saw your book. It was right there on a table!” Very cool, especially his excitement! My daughter wasn’t sure why Sunday by Sunday III was on an exhibit kiosk. Maybe a display of local authors?

Excited myself, I took a Sunday afternoon stroll to the main Richland County Public Library in downtown Columbia to behold my work. As I entered, however, my mind was centered on a book I was seeking, and I forgot to look for my own. But after finding and checking out Joseph Cardinal Bernadin’s The Gift of Peace, I remembered to check for S by S.

Not there anymore. So I checked the catalog and found that it was checked out with one person waiting. And book I was “In transit,” which means en route to a branch where it had been requested. Book II was also checked out. Yee-haw. What fun to know that they are circulating.

In the challenging and oft frustrating context of marketing and promoting, this development was a nice and needed boost. Other welcome boosts lately include a couple invitations to speak and notes from readers, including this from Sandra Penrod in Melbourne FL:

Cristy,
I just finished reading Sunday by Sunday III. I wish I could have read your books as intended, Sunday by Sunday, but once started I just couldn't wait for Rose's next journal entry. I looked up some verses as I went along but mostly read them as novels. I've marked special sections to use as devotions. Our Adult Sunday School Class is studying Mark and I got a new and enlightening look at some of the scriptures we are studying… Thank you for your delightful and thought provoking insights and for Rose.

Wow. Thanks so much, Sandra! Doubts and anxieties concerning my writing enterprises are common and powerful—and, I think, typical of the writing life. The affirmations are equally powerful, though, and how grateful I am for any and all encouragement!