No Business Cards?

     My jaw drops e-v-e-r-y time a writer or an artist comes to meetings without a business card to share. I hear them explain, "I don't have a business card." "I left them in the house." "I need to make some," etc. The opportunity for the exchange is gone and I may never get their information.

     If you are not ready to network, what sort of connection are you planning on having? Last month, I asked a journalist, at her office, for a business card and she mentioned that the newspaper did not pay for business cards. Did it not occur to her to have some printed? She handed me a piece of paper with her information (simply not professional, in my opinion).

     I highly recommend to come prepared with business cards. Be ready at anytime and anyplace. It will be crucial to have a card the day you meet the right person in your industry. Nobody knows when that will happen; hence, the importance.

     On average I give a business card to a different person every day. Impossible you say? Not really. If ten people attend a meeting, that is ten cards that I am giving away. It is free advertising for your business they may keep for a very long time.

Case in point: A co-worker discovered that his mother knew me when he saw one of my business cards by his mother's dresser. He was shocked and so was I because that particular business card was seven years old! Incredible, but true.

ElenaMartina 11.30.10

Multitasking for Unknown Authors.

What do you do with your time beside writing your book? I know writers that manage blogs, write for publications, offer presentations, and some do even more. As a committed author, your current project may not land you with the right people unless you add to your list. Writing is not enough for unknown writers, so start contributing in different arenas.

Get published in any newspaper, magazine, internet media, and get paid.  Writing for your community and seeing your name out in the world can only help your platform. Free submissions are good too, but these could categorize you as a not-so-serious writer.

Network when you attend writers meetings. Do not be afraid of becoming a member of a writing club and use their communal stand to your benefit. I attend MeetUp groups as often as I can, talk to new people and exchange business cards. I also go to Open Mics to read, not to sit around. If that is not what you wish to do, fine, but go and network. Through the California Writer's Club, I have met people who know about writing a book or a blog.

Attend conferences or writers retreats: Not everyone budgets for these, but you could meet your future book agent! It will cost you more not to go as valuable information is shared and key literary connections are made.

To back up what I am saying, I currently post two topics on my blog per week, plus one poem per month, submit two articles monthly to a local newspaper (and get paid), update my facebook page daily, and constantly network on there (last week I got interviewed by someone who works for KCNL, a local radio station), and I never-ever stop marketing my book.

Say it with me: "If she can do it, so can I!"

ElenaMartina 11.26.10

poem a-m-e-r-i-c-a

absolute

mesmerizing

elegant?

rich
iconic

"cool"

america.

ElenaMartina 11.25.10
On celebrating Thanksgiving Day.

Choosing to Self-publish Your Book.

When I started writing my book, publishing it was the furthest thing from my mind. I was sure that a publisher would simply discover me and pay me for writing. Very delusional thinking, right? Well, some writer friends think this way. I was not too far off.

I soon recognized that my ideal process was very unrealistic. I bought a book titled: "Jump Start Your Book Sales" by Marilyn & Tom Ross, and looked up an author friend for advice and to help me understand the process. And boy, that smart move opened my eyes.

My friend, who wrote three Christian books,  encouraged me without hesitation to self-publish, as he had done. For his second and third books he had a literary agent and a traditional publishing contract.

His disclosure took me by surprise and I decided to self-publish. I searched and emailed three publishing companies: X-libris, Dorrance Publishing, and AuthorHouse. Out of the three, AuthorHouse offered me the best publishing package to fit my budget. They were running an end of the year special, with 50% off for their packages.

The traditional way of publishing your book is highly regarded and ego boosting. However, many writers choose self-publishing as they are not willing to wait months or years to be discovered (I do not blame them). It takes time to send out multiple copies of your finished manuscript and wait weeks for a positive response, or a rejection letter.

Do not waste precious time. You can work both techniques if you like, but get your product out. A publisher or literary agent can still sign you even after you self-publish. Do not keep your literary masterpiece in the attic for years, have your book printed and share it with the world!

ElenaMartina 11.23.10

Poem: "Forever Me"

I was the preschooler

without friends,

the adolescent

that didn't like her name,

the girl

that missed her prom,

the teenager

too skinny and tall.

I transformed into a model

a beauty contestant

a college student

and a church attendant.

I was the young foreign bride

the lucky mother of two

who became

a  divorced woman

and have been 

the other woman.

I am the strict parent,

the forgotten mother,

the rich aunt, and godmother,

the new wife,

and the hated step-mother.

I am the cool writer

the adventure traveler

the family photographer

and mistress of my poems.

Take it or leave it,

that's who I turned out to be.

ElenaMartina, 11.19.10

Can You Write Fiction?

     
     In the beginning, I was enthusiastically writing a nonfiction book. I had always enjoyed true stories and backgrounds of real people, not mysteries sagas or fictional characters. My nonfiction idea needed delicate attention, as it is a true story, but I did not feel comfortable hurrying the project for the sake of publishing a book.

     That is when writing fiction came into my head.  "I can write fiction. How difficult is that?"  I did not realize it then, but to my sorrow, I have answered that question many times since.  I chose fiction, and wrote "Clinging To Deceit," a novel about two families dealing with their children's arranged marriage and a dowry that causes pain and misery. Since I had never met anyone with that life story, I gathered my life experiences and mixed them in the book to help me construct the theme.  

      The story came alive as I typed and typed for months. I started remembering forgotten aspects of my youth such as my godparents failed dating arrangement between their son and I, family member deaths, sibling divorces, fights between brothers, domestic violence between my parents, deception, white lies, and cheating.  I had enough material to write fiction, even if those things were real to me.

     Fiction now was attainable, and a little easier to write.  Living out the experiences in the book became intense and it took ten long months to write, four weeks to edit, and will take three to four months to get published by AuthorHouse.com  The final product could have been available sooner had I not been distracted with facebook, myspace, linkedin, and a relocation.

    Challenge yourself to write fiction - even if it is not in your comfort zone. Use your writing abilities to include past experiences in your product, as I have done in "Clinging To Deceit."

     ElenaMartina 11.19.10

Creating a Professional Blog?

     

     I created this blog this year but did not launch it properly. I did not have any idea what blogs were all about and it took me a while to figure that out.

     The first blog drafts, were all about "me", and what was "I" doing, or where "I" was going. But, who cares, right? I see blogs like that and say: What a waste of a blog! (unless your name is Narcissus, then you are fine) So now, I have enough information to make this blog shine (crossing fingers).

     Here is advice to get your professional blog ready for readers:

     1. Personalize it by giving it a name and a design (do not choose the easiest design settings), put photos of your work (not your beach trip, unless that is what you are selling), write blog appropriate posts and gather followers.

     2. Choose to post daily, every other day, or weekly, otherwise your blog will simply die of readership starvation.

     3. Write your entire blog in third person format (recommended by other bloggers), put pictures of you (nice ones) for face recognition (a very good marketing technique), and choose a background that makes an impact that is relevant to your area of interest (change it when you want to spice it up).

     4. Make sure to give the general public sensible advice (about topics you know best) without being long and/or repetitive.

     The job is not done for me (not by a long shot) because a blog is a work in progress. You should invest a decent amount of time to benefit both your blog and your readers.

ElenaMartina, 11.17.10 

Book is being reviewed by the editor.

The book took ten months to write, you can read its excerpts by clicking "Book Excerpts" above. It will take another two weeks to come back from the editor, and another week to send it to AuthorHouse for next year's publication.

"CLINGING TO DECEIT" comes out in 2011,AuthorHouse.com

Synopsis: Two families deal with the arranged marriage of their children, but the notion of happiness and the acquisition of a dowry brings one family to deceit, violence, and murder.

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