Spent three days last week at a conference soaking in marketing knowledge and discovered that most marketers consider their books only as a stepping stone, a way to get in the door. Their real goal? Lucrative speaking engagements. Selling themselves, their products, their expertise, their services, their ideas. I realize these are non-fiction writers, but is this something that can and should be applied to fiction too?
Here's my paraphrase of a speaker's advice: Write one book, then spend the rest of your life promoting it. It evidently worked for him. He's a New York Times bestselling author.
For me, though, the be-all and end-all isn't sales, it's the writing. It's the thrill of seeing another book in print. The joy of playing with words. So maybe I'll always be a fingerpainter, mushing around in a creative muddle of color for the joy of it rather than hanging in a prestigious art gallery. Which is the better choice, I wonder. Thoughts anyone?
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