Welcome bloggers. Grab a cup of tea (or other beverage of choice) to enjoy with today’s topic, though I promise to keep it succinct.
I'll start
with a question: Have you ever accomplished something important only
to learn you could have reached the same results by following a more direct
path? That’s quite how I felt after writing my memoir last year and publishing it independently.
When I read
D’vorah Lansky’s email in April inviting me to join her 30-day Book-Marketing
Challenge, I felt certain I’d missed the boat: that is, I’d published without a
clue as to what I would do next—not to mention that it’s an e-jungle out there.
How could anyone claim to have a direct path for writers to reach their zenith,
never mind their next rung on the book-marketing ladder?
Could D’vorah’s course help me? With the phrase “learning the hard way” looming large in my psyche, I signed up for her challenge.
Probably the single most unexpected outcome has been this marvelous
lesson: D’vorah creates a judgment-free
zone where information is helpful regardless of where a participant falls on
the learning continuum. Her forums are fun and informative even for less
gregarious types.
Another impressive aspect of this course is that day after
day D’vorah offered articles by subject-matter experts, and augmented these with
live calls, audio presentations, checklists and other handy materials, making
this a substantial learning experience. In particular, I will be applying two
key strategies: collecting honest book reviews and guest blogging. Perhaps my
loudest call to action will be to publish my book online (I hope within the month), as I
now feel equipped to do. Did I mention this was all FREE (though for under $100 you can upgrade for even more features)?
So, how did D’vorah change my vision in her 30-day
challenge? She and her team of experts catapulted me from a seemingly gormless spot
by equipping me with knowledge, an action plan, a road map, AND many interesting acquaintances; for these gifts I
am grateful!
About my memoir
Water’s Edge: Growing Up in the Heart of a New England Village is set in pastoral Western Massachusetts and the Adirondacks during the 1950s and ’60s.It is a daughter’s introspective answer to the question of what happens when a woman gives up her dream of becoming a nun and marries a self-proclaimed Bohemian. In this poignant memoir of a young, inquisitive girl’s coming of age, we peer through a compassionate lens at pivotal events and conflicts fueled by her mother’s peculiar strictness and her family's legacy of secrets.
