social media – Arsenio Franklin

May 15, 2019 was a crazy day. After dealing with a self-publishing nightmare that delayed my novel being published, I got word that it was live on Amazon about 45 minutes before I had to leave for work.

I had to shower, text friends & family who’d been asking me about the book and try to send out social media updates and a blog post. I rushed and got it all done in time for work, but I felt behind all day. I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I was home that night. That was the end (at least to this point) of my self-publishing journey.

What I want to do now is recap where I’ve been throughout this process, from the beginning. Not only for you, but for myself. To take the time and really think about where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going.

As for where I am now, I read Little Big Brother and think it could have been written better. But after sending it to the editor, then going through it once more, I was finished with it. And it was done with me. A lot of writers recommend taking time off from a manuscript after each round of edits, just to clear your mind so you can come back with fresh eyes. Writing a book, creating something from scratch, I could still be making changes to LBB if I allowed myself. I could tweak it to death. But at that point, it was as good as it was going to get.

Part 2 of my self-publishing journey will be posted Wednesday.

When I wasn’t working, I had all day to write. But I never wrote all day. It might be impossible, but that’s not the point. The point is, since I’ve been working part-time I’ve gotten more done than when I literally had the option to write all day. I’ve done this by treating my writing as a business and seeing myself as a business owner. Here’s how and why I did this, along with some of my favorite resources (other writers talking about this).

Scheduling Time to Write

I used to think if I loved writing so much I’d make time to do it. Sounds good, but it was hardly ever the case. The thing is, I love doing other things as well. It’s about prioritizing these loves. I don’t have to schedule a three hour block of time to be productive. Scheduling thirty minutes is enough. That half hour may be a struggle or it may lead to hours of writing.

Consistency

Scheduling time to write once every two weeks probably isn’t enough if you want to take your writing seriously. Unless you’re actually writing all day. Consistency also applies to this blog. I don’t always have a poem or topic ready to go (I’m trying to schedule more posts). Writing something when I know I need to publish it can be difficult, so any time I have an idea or line for a poem, I make a note in my phone. That way when I sit down I at least have a starting point.

Promoting

Why promote my work or myself when I don’t have a following? That was my #1 question when wondering why I should bother sharing my work on social media. Every article I’ve read or video I’ve watched on this topic says the same thing. Post no matter what. People aren’t going to know what you write or who you are without you sharing. If people find you on social media and you have no posts, or no engaging, relevant posts, they’re not going to follow you. Prior to posting consistently on social, I searched for other indie authors and bloggers to follow on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Some of them had very few followers or subscribers, but I followed them anyway because I liked their content. I finally decided that should be me. You don’t go from zero followers to verified overnight (or years in my ongoing case). Every post doesn’t have to go viral, just consistently sharing and participating will get you noticed.