Thanks, Denise. I will do, for sure. I have such a dislike for the horrible way marketing is taught. And it doesn't even work very well. Works better than nothing, of course, but it's not the best way. Knowing that had kept bread on my own table for 20 some years. :)
Selfishly, I'd like to know how to reach my audience. I've serious doubts that much of one exists. Meanwhile, you seem to have found yours so please keep on writing what moves you. :)
Oh, that's not selfish at all Jay! Honestly. It's the most service oriented approach, ever. I do think there's a huge audience on the topic you mentioned in email. Prenatal and perinatal psychology and birth trauma are things I think could use more voice and would find much interest. It's all in approach, I think. Do you have somewhere I can see your writing? You can send it by email, or post here if you're comfortable with that. :)
Thank you for your kind offer. A large part of what I'm doing now is adjusting to a different writing style, one that would seem to be more appropriate to Medium.
All of them. First - finding your audience. Then make income writing. Then stop marketing your book. All your stuff is good so I have no doubt I would like all of them.
lol. Thanks, Laura. That's my goal for the next year or so. Finish them. One by one. But I know me by now. I'll just start more. Turns out ideas aren't the hard part. Finishing is the hard part. Another vote for the audience one. Thanks!
Finish 'stop marketing your book' -- how to define your market, which newspapers, social media influencers, etc. to approach for book reviews, how to prepare for Zoom book fairs, book signings, etc. Please get this written as soon as possible.
Charlene, you are just delightful. That last sentence made me really laugh. My favorite client says that a lot. Here's the kicker. The path you outlined is one path, for sure. But only one. There's so many more, too. It's like hats. Whole bunch of hats and the writer needs to pick the one that works for them. Thanks for adding your vote. :)
There sure is. Just reply to my newsletter and it will come directly to my email via substack. Then I can reply and give you my actual email address. :)
Love this piece! I can totally relate to the piles of notebooks and a story or post started in the middle of the book. I have a huge stack of notebooks. Some coil,which I took stories out and stapled them and put them in a file folder,. The only question is, which one?! Augh! I didn't know you're Canadian, eh? Awesome. We're a quirky bunch.
As to which one to finish first? :S The one nearest completion? Lol Your favorite?
Robin, you're just the best. I didn't know you were Canadian, too. We are a quirky bunch. People who get paid to do statistics and surveys and such confirm that we Canucks are a creative bunch. They say it's our winters. I dunno. So how does that explain the Dakotas? lol.
Had to laugh. I made the mistake of taking a bunch out and stapling them, too. That's a separate stack. But we won't talk about that. lol. Those are article ideas, not book beginnings. Crazy town. :)
:). I think anywhere there's a long winter, the creativity will help us navigate our sanity, ( what's left of it). Are you in the east or west? Or the prairies? :/. .
You have a flair, so I'd read whatever you put out there!
Thanks, Robin. Did you ever see that Jennifer Aniston movie with the "flair." lol. I'm a prairie kid. Born on a farm. Spent a decade in Toronto, but I'm back on the prairies again, with the river walking distance away. And you?
:) I'm not sure if I saw that particular movie. I grew up in Calgary, moved to a border city in Ontario, then moved to a tiny town in the middle of no man's land lol. Hoping to make my way back west in the future. The mountains are calling me.
Finding your audience, please. In the bigger scheme of things, I haven't a clue why people subscribe for more of what I write. My mother always called me a doubting Thomas! Thank you Linda x
My mother always called me stubborn. Bless our mamas for zeroing in on the essence of us. Now we just need to decide what to do with it, right? First vote for the audience book. Thanks! :)
lol. Let me tell you what I tell my daughter. I tell her to write all the things she's deciding between on index cards or paper. Put them in a box. And then just as she reaches in, she'll know which one she's hoping to pick. That's the winner. Not the chicken dinner. I should take my own advice. This was delightful. Thank you! :)
Third vote for the audience book. This has been such a great experience. I wasn't sure what would happen if I asked but figured it never hurts to ask, right? Thanks for adding your thoughts. Nice to see you again and hope you're well!
Hi Amanda. What a nice thing to say. If you're on Medium, feel welcome to share your link so we can come read your writing, too. Lots of cross following happening in here! Thanks for the vote, too! :)
Ah, my friend. I wish it was that easy. I did as you suggested and read it out loud. None of them shot their hand in the air like the kid in third grade with the answer to the hard question. Sometimes I think I've worked with clients so long that I am too used to having my priorities set for me. That's a horrifying thought, isn't it?
How have you been? Medium has messed up my feed and I have not been seeing any of the people I read on my feed. I need to come check up on you. Is the weather cooperating?
You haven't missed much from me. I've only posted four in two weeks, but I am back with my Route 66 stories later today. The hiatus I had taken came to an end.
Yes, Medium has messed up big time. I don't know what they were thinking, or maybe this what they really want. I don't know. I am coming up on my first anniversary, so I am working on my reflectionsite post, and it's not going to the way I had originally planned.
This year has been an interesting one, to say the least, for me. Better than I expected. So there will be changes. I have another three months worth of Route 66 reflections, so another 100+ posts over the next there months while I work on my YouTube channel and maybe build a little following through my reflections, and then depending on that I'll decide what i want to do with Medium. Maybe the two will support each other grow, who knows.
Maybe I'll look at the feedback on the Route 66 reflection posts and see if I figure out a way to use them for book.
I wish Substack let me put in heart icons. You know, a few weeks ago someone on Medium asked me what's the secret for why my substack rocks. I didn't have an answer. I think I do now. I think I can write the article I've been pondering a couple of weeks. This. This entire thread. I'll expand more when I write it.
You're absolutely right. Freelance found me, too. I've never run an ad. Hell, I don't even have an active site and haven't for years. My writing brings me work and I've always written. And you're right -- it's so easy to do the "work for hire" and cuss as we try to find our own path.
I'm going to do the cards you and Rasheed both suggested. In an oddly different way that just occurred to me. But it feels like we're on to something.
This entire thread is such an amazing example of how life works. None of us is an island. We just push, pull and drag each other along. And somehow, we make some kind of progress. I appreciate you! :)
I like that you do that. Every winter, I re-read Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning. Seems like I get something different out of it every time. Bet you're finding the same!
For what it's worth I'm also re-reading The Tin Drum by Günter Grass with a very very very slow first reading of Where The Crawdads Sing. When I go to the beyond, I am going to re-organize things to a 48 hour day with 2 hours sleep. As it is not there is not enough time. At least not for me.
I wish we didn't need to sleep. Just plug in and recharge. Preferably while reading. 48 hour day sounds great. With universal income so we can stop the bread jobs and figure out what we love. I loved Where the Crawdads Sing. So good. Just ordered The Tin Drum. Thanks!
Finding your audience. I know you've written some Medium posts about this topic, and I found them informative. Go for it. Finish the damn book. Your voice is engaging...
As usual, the responses from others make me feel less alone. You know I would read any book you write because I know you'll answer questions I didn't know to ask.
In my case, I am at the stage where I don't know how to find my audience. I write and respond from my heart. I know that's not a strategy. ;)
I vote for “how to make an income” so that the extra time hunkered down can be put to good use. Of course, I’ll take whatever you’ve got to give and be happy for it! 😉 Thank You!
"Stop Marketing Your Book" would be the most useful to me. Let me know when it's available!
Thanks, Denise. I will do, for sure. I have such a dislike for the horrible way marketing is taught. And it doesn't even work very well. Works better than nothing, of course, but it's not the best way. Knowing that had kept bread on my own table for 20 some years. :)
Selfishly, I'd like to know how to reach my audience. I've serious doubts that much of one exists. Meanwhile, you seem to have found yours so please keep on writing what moves you. :)
Oh, that's not selfish at all Jay! Honestly. It's the most service oriented approach, ever. I do think there's a huge audience on the topic you mentioned in email. Prenatal and perinatal psychology and birth trauma are things I think could use more voice and would find much interest. It's all in approach, I think. Do you have somewhere I can see your writing? You can send it by email, or post here if you're comfortable with that. :)
I've sent you an email with an attached PDF of a report relevent to this topic. I've also written a few articles published on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-greathouse-b46344181/detail/recent-activity/posts/
and samples of a couple of newspaper articles under the 'Featured' section:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-greathouse-b46344181/
Thank you for your kind offer to see some of my writing.
Thank you for your kind offer. A large part of what I'm doing now is adjusting to a different writing style, one that would seem to be more appropriate to Medium.
Linda, it all sounds amazing. Seriously. Start anywhere. PLEASE! pull one out of that pile. Eeny-Meenie-Mini-Mo works. I can’t wait.
Oh Kerry, you are just a gift. Thank you.
All of them. First - finding your audience. Then make income writing. Then stop marketing your book. All your stuff is good so I have no doubt I would like all of them.
lol. Thanks, Laura. That's my goal for the next year or so. Finish them. One by one. But I know me by now. I'll just start more. Turns out ideas aren't the hard part. Finishing is the hard part. Another vote for the audience one. Thanks!
Finish 'stop marketing your book' -- how to define your market, which newspapers, social media influencers, etc. to approach for book reviews, how to prepare for Zoom book fairs, book signings, etc. Please get this written as soon as possible.
Charlene, you are just delightful. That last sentence made me really laugh. My favorite client says that a lot. Here's the kicker. The path you outlined is one path, for sure. But only one. There's so many more, too. It's like hats. Whole bunch of hats and the writer needs to pick the one that works for them. Thanks for adding your vote. :)
Linda, is there a way to private message or email you?
There sure is. Just reply to my newsletter and it will come directly to my email via substack. Then I can reply and give you my actual email address. :)
Love this piece! I can totally relate to the piles of notebooks and a story or post started in the middle of the book. I have a huge stack of notebooks. Some coil,which I took stories out and stapled them and put them in a file folder,. The only question is, which one?! Augh! I didn't know you're Canadian, eh? Awesome. We're a quirky bunch.
As to which one to finish first? :S The one nearest completion? Lol Your favorite?
Keep up the awesome newsletters!
Robin, you're just the best. I didn't know you were Canadian, too. We are a quirky bunch. People who get paid to do statistics and surveys and such confirm that we Canucks are a creative bunch. They say it's our winters. I dunno. So how does that explain the Dakotas? lol.
Had to laugh. I made the mistake of taking a bunch out and stapling them, too. That's a separate stack. But we won't talk about that. lol. Those are article ideas, not book beginnings. Crazy town. :)
:). I think anywhere there's a long winter, the creativity will help us navigate our sanity, ( what's left of it). Are you in the east or west? Or the prairies? :/. .
You have a flair, so I'd read whatever you put out there!
Thanks, Robin. Did you ever see that Jennifer Aniston movie with the "flair." lol. I'm a prairie kid. Born on a farm. Spent a decade in Toronto, but I'm back on the prairies again, with the river walking distance away. And you?
:) I'm not sure if I saw that particular movie. I grew up in Calgary, moved to a border city in Ontario, then moved to a tiny town in the middle of no man's land lol. Hoping to make my way back west in the future. The mountains are calling me.
Finding your audience, please. In the bigger scheme of things, I haven't a clue why people subscribe for more of what I write. My mother always called me a doubting Thomas! Thank you Linda x
My mother always called me stubborn. Bless our mamas for zeroing in on the essence of us. Now we just need to decide what to do with it, right? First vote for the audience book. Thanks! :)
Write all the topics on the face of individual playing cards. Put them in a lunch sack and shake it up. Pull one out. Winner winner chicken dinner.
lol. Let me tell you what I tell my daughter. I tell her to write all the things she's deciding between on index cards or paper. Put them in a box. And then just as she reaches in, she'll know which one she's hoping to pick. That's the winner. Not the chicken dinner. I should take my own advice. This was delightful. Thank you! :)
My vote goes to "finding your audience." The internet is vast and full of garbage. How do I help potential readers to find my writing?
Third vote for the audience book. This has been such a great experience. I wasn't sure what would happen if I asked but figured it never hurts to ask, right? Thanks for adding your thoughts. Nice to see you again and hope you're well!
4th vote here! I would love to read that NOW. Love your work, Linda! New fan, but rapidly loyal fan.
Hi Amanda. What a nice thing to say. If you're on Medium, feel welcome to share your link so we can come read your writing, too. Lots of cross following happening in here! Thanks for the vote, too! :)
Here is my honest answer. Read your article out loud as if someone else had written it, then share your opinion.
Ah, my friend. I wish it was that easy. I did as you suggested and read it out loud. None of them shot their hand in the air like the kid in third grade with the answer to the hard question. Sometimes I think I've worked with clients so long that I am too used to having my priorities set for me. That's a horrifying thought, isn't it?
How have you been? Medium has messed up my feed and I have not been seeing any of the people I read on my feed. I need to come check up on you. Is the weather cooperating?
You haven't missed much from me. I've only posted four in two weeks, but I am back with my Route 66 stories later today. The hiatus I had taken came to an end.
Yes, Medium has messed up big time. I don't know what they were thinking, or maybe this what they really want. I don't know. I am coming up on my first anniversary, so I am working on my reflectionsite post, and it's not going to the way I had originally planned.
This year has been an interesting one, to say the least, for me. Better than I expected. So there will be changes. I have another three months worth of Route 66 reflections, so another 100+ posts over the next there months while I work on my YouTube channel and maybe build a little following through my reflections, and then depending on that I'll decide what i want to do with Medium. Maybe the two will support each other grow, who knows.
Maybe I'll look at the feedback on the Route 66 reflection posts and see if I figure out a way to use them for book.
Stay blessed and be happy, my friend.
I wish Substack let me put in heart icons. You know, a few weeks ago someone on Medium asked me what's the secret for why my substack rocks. I didn't have an answer. I think I do now. I think I can write the article I've been pondering a couple of weeks. This. This entire thread. I'll expand more when I write it.
You're absolutely right. Freelance found me, too. I've never run an ad. Hell, I don't even have an active site and haven't for years. My writing brings me work and I've always written. And you're right -- it's so easy to do the "work for hire" and cuss as we try to find our own path.
I'm going to do the cards you and Rasheed both suggested. In an oddly different way that just occurred to me. But it feels like we're on to something.
This entire thread is such an amazing example of how life works. None of us is an island. We just push, pull and drag each other along. And somehow, we make some kind of progress. I appreciate you! :)
Funny you mention Kafka. I happen to be reading The Burrow now. Just so's ya know, ya know.
Well that's fun. Synchronicity is delightful when we stumble across it. Are you enjoying it?
I am. It's my second reading. Last time was some years ago. Every once in a while I go back and re-read those writers I like or love.
I like that you do that. Every winter, I re-read Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning. Seems like I get something different out of it every time. Bet you're finding the same!
For what it's worth I'm also re-reading The Tin Drum by Günter Grass with a very very very slow first reading of Where The Crawdads Sing. When I go to the beyond, I am going to re-organize things to a 48 hour day with 2 hours sleep. As it is not there is not enough time. At least not for me.
I wish we didn't need to sleep. Just plug in and recharge. Preferably while reading. 48 hour day sounds great. With universal income so we can stop the bread jobs and figure out what we love. I loved Where the Crawdads Sing. So good. Just ordered The Tin Drum. Thanks!
Agreed. Hope you enjoy the book. as I do and did.
Finding your audience. I know you've written some Medium posts about this topic, and I found them informative. Go for it. Finish the damn book. Your voice is engaging...
Kafka story, VERY interesting. And your answer: CHEESE.
:)
As usual, the responses from others make me feel less alone. You know I would read any book you write because I know you'll answer questions I didn't know to ask.
In my case, I am at the stage where I don't know how to find my audience. I write and respond from my heart. I know that's not a strategy. ;)
Winter arrived early here in MInnesota. ❄️🥶
I vote for “how to make an income” so that the extra time hunkered down can be put to good use. Of course, I’ll take whatever you’ve got to give and be happy for it! 😉 Thank You!