Can you believe this?
Hi again,
I read a post that left me sort of stunned.
The writer is Russian. Came to America as a teenage exchange student, staying with a host family. But his parents, his family are still in Russia.
He said they believe there is no war. Apparently, everything we are seeing here in the West is fake. The attacks on civilians are staged by Ukrainians themselves. That’s what his family believes.
Can you believe that?
Here’s another one. Seemingly unrelated, but not.
Last summer I wrote “An Open Letter To The Man Whose First Book Is Dying On Amazon”
Nearly 9 thousand claps later, I guess a lot of people resonated.
Basically, here’s what I told him. I told him his book is being buried because it didn’t get sales when it went up. He did not have a strategy to get some sales right after uploading the book and going live.
That’s how Amazon works. If you upload a book and it gets sales, they boost visibility. If you upload a book and get no sales, they decrease visibility. The algorithm favors books that get sales when they go live.
When he chose “self-publishing” he became the publisher. Self publishing means whatever a publisher would do is now on you. He didn’t even know that.
Can you believe that?
Last one. I read a post this week by a new writer on Medium. He was desperate to get to that “elusive” 100 followers so he could get paid for his posts.
So he joined this “follow each other” group. Got his 100 followers only to realize none of them were reading his work. They were just people who followed so he would follow in return. But none of them were reading. So he earned nothing and got no views. Here’s the stupid part. He was was actually shocked.
Can you believe that?
What we believe really matters. I think it was Ford who said whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.
There’s some truth to that. But there’s another element.
Overalls.
Know what I mean? You’ve got to roll up your sleeves and do the homework. Doesn’t matter if it’s a book on Amazon, a war, or growing an audience. It’s astounding how doing a little homework, a little digging, can change what we believe.
I don’t know why that’s so hard.
More reading… (Links to read free)
Women’s Day Is Not A Frigging Hallmark Moment. Go Ask Alice.
7 Tips To Outsmart A Plagiarist Because Humans Are Smarter Than Robots
P.S. If you are reading this in email, you can click the title to see the online version, where you can leave comments, just like on Medium.
xo,
Linda
Here’s one I heard this week.
A writer shared he’s pitching his book idea to agents for traditional publishing, so there’s less work to writing and marketing it. I was aghast but said nothing. I don’t know where he got that idea.
My book is published!
Yesterday it ranked as the 28th best-selling audible in the domestic partner abuse category for the second time. I’m marketing it on TikTok and Instagram. One of the ways I’m doing that is by going live with large-account creators in the same niche. We use the book as a foundational topic to discuss some aspects of abuse. The reviews are coming in and are glowing. ☺️
Yes, I’m working as hard as ever, just in a very different way.
Oh, and based on your advice, my website is updated and now addresses the same felt-need as my TikTok/IG accounts (offering support for narcissistic abuse).
Seriously, Linda, a huge thank you!! ❤️❤️
I can't belive the family in the US who think the entire war is staged. I might understand if they lived in Russia with no access to outside news but wow.