I have always considered myself a pretty resourceful person. I worked in the Career Counseling Center in college. I manned phones and helped people find information. I worked at DEED, our state’s unemployment office, helping people navigate through the system and find career resources. I even wrote a column for a year and a half on how to manage job interviews. In high school, I helped my friends pick classes for their schedules.
I knew what questions to ask. I knew how to approach the hunt. I could figure out which direction folks wanted to go in. I could help them find resources they needed.
Physician, heal thyself.
I was the cobbler who had no shoes. I tried my own advice in the job hunt, and hunted and hunted. I worked on the same promotional blueprint that I talked about in my classes, but neglected my own website. I did not have an elevator speech for my novel, though I tasked my students with coming up with one over the lunch break. I had no problem shouting out others on social media, but my own accomplishments went into the ether and died a lonely death.
How to fix this? The only way that I could really see to get myself out front, to be my own best cheerleader, was to take a break from cheerleading others. Don’t get me wrong, if I see something, I’m still going to say something. But I am spending less time these days working on helping other people’s dreams come true, and more time on my own dreams. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I’ve given most of my life to other people, always feeling like some day I would just get my chance.
Well, here’s the rub, darling. The chance doesn’t just appear. You have to create it. You have to make that chance. You have to sing your own song, toot your own horn. You have to be the one who gets out and does the thing for you! Not just for other people. Spend some time brainstorming for your own best case scenario. Give yourself your creative energy. And then, others might join in. That is a beautiful thing. And yes, certainly support others. But do not do that at the detriment to your own passion, your own work and your own dream.
In my head, I know this is true, though it has taken me years to try to put it into practice. I hope that you will support me in this endeavor!
So here I will be sharing my words, yes. But also my advice. Some of the things that I gleaned from working on literally hundreds of book campaigns during my 20 years in publishing. I know that some things have changed, but others decidedly have not. I will do my best to give you the most useful advice. And if you like what you see, please do share and consider supporting my efforts by yes, buying me a coffee!
Thanks, in advance. I’ll see you there.
Photo Credit: Linda White, A foggy day in Stromness, Orkney, 2017