Why blog? It's a good question I asked myself for more than a year. Probably the most troubling thing for me when I started researching how to get published was the whole put-yourself-out-there thing. Market yourself! I probably read that a hundred times. Why should I have to market myself? I often asked myself this. Wouldn't this be the reason why I'd get an agent? Yes and no. An agent-and granted I don't yet have one so speculating here-markets you to publishers. Their job is to get your foot in the door of major publishing houses. They answer your business questions and guide you through what I imagine is a complicated process. Having recently moved, I think of them just like I do my fabulous real estate agent. I would never want to go through the selling then closing process of a house without a realtor. Likewise, I don't imagine I want to go through the publishing process alone either.
What I don't think an agent is responsible for is marketing. Their not in public relations. Sure, they have ideas and if a publisher picks you up, they (the publishing house) will do some marketing of your book. I think:-) You will have your own role in marketing yourself. I still don't have this thing figured out. I'm still learning too <grin>!
So, back to my dilemma. How do I start this now? It's not easy for me. I'm an intensely private person, hence the hopefully catchy moniker. I'm not on Facebook. I'm not on Twitter. I don't have a website. Although, I am open to all three eventually. Frankly, Jessica is boring and that's the way I like it. I'm decidedly content with my husband and kids, role as a soccer/baseball mom and day job in mental health. Still, writing is a passion of mine and has become even more so as I continue on in the process. I want to have books out there bearing my name. It is my ultimate dream and goal. So, if I have to get involved with social media as one way to do that, I will. Blogging is the first step for me and I'm finding I like it. Fitting it into my life isn't always easy, as evidenced by the sometimes long gaps between my posts. When I first started exactly two months ago, I thought I would do it nearly everyday. I quickly learned that's not always possible. Now, I shoot for 2-3 times a week. If you've checked out my Time Management post from January, you'll remember that impossible daily schedule I blogged about. In it, I only leave myself 90 minutes for writing and that was if I went to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour of 11:00 to start all over again at 6:00 the next morning. I need my sleep, people, or I'm useless to anybody. If I blog, that cuts that time down drastically. So, I think 2-3 days a week is reasonable.
If this blogging thing goes well, and I get an agent or closer to published, I'll consider the other avenues of marketing myself. I'm open to whatever I need to do to get my books out there. I'm determined to make my dream happen!:-0
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