What about lunch? by Emily Owen

 

"Will you read my story?" my seven-year-old niece asked me last week.

As she asked the question, she was already leading me to the sofa. She knew I’d say yes.

And so we curled up together and I began to read aloud the story she’d written.

Will you read my story?

It’s a simple question.

I need to learn from my niece, I think.

Jesus did say become like children! (Matthew 18:3)

My version of ‘will you read my story?’ when I’m at events, or meeting people, or anytime books crop up, really, goes something like:

“Well, um yes, those are my books over there. Feel free to have a look, but no pressure. And if you’re not interested in them, that’s fine.”

All said with a vaguely apologetic air.

Note that I’m often so stumbly that I forget to even mention genre.

Not so my niece: will you read my story?

Look and learn, Emily.

I don’t have any quick-fix answers to those of us who struggle with marketing. Sorry to those who thought – or hoped - this blog might have solutions to the M dilemma. Anyone who has such solutions, feel free to share them in the comments below.

Full disclosure of my marketing style: I was once in a shop, as a customer, when another customer started chatting to me about wanting to read a memoir. We went over to the shelf together, and browsed. I recommended one to her. The one I recommended was right beside my own memoir on the shelf. Literally right next to it. My recommended book accompanied her from the shop, while my memoir remained on said shelf.

Marketing is part of writing, we can’t deny that. 

You might assume, from this blog, that I am needing to do some marketing at the moment. Well, no, I’m not. No more than I usually should, anyway. I don’t have a book coming out imminently. I’m not fishing for marketing tips here.

In fact, I’m not really sure what I’m doing, other than to simply acknowledge that marketing can be hard. And I know, from people I meet, and comments in Writer’s Groups, that many of us find it hard.

Sometimes, perhaps we focus on what we should be doing marketing-wise, and on sales numbers, and various other stats. We feel we must to do more events, and blogs, and articles. And maybe that would be a good plan. But I think, before we go down the ‘marketing-musts’ route, it can be helpful to sometimes allow ourselves to pause and acknowledge that it’s ok to find it hard. And that we are not alone in that.

Of course, people who can help us with marketing, and share their expertise, and are brilliant at sales are invaluable, and I admire them and appreciate their help very much.

But sometimes ‘this is hard’ works, too.

‘It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, 

easy words like, ‘What about lunch?”

Winnie the Pooh

I hope Winnie the Pooh will allow to me to rewrite that:

‘It is invaluable to have people who are good at marketing, 

and it is invaluable to have people who say, ‘I find it hard, too.’

I’m tempted to apologise if this is an Eeyore blog, but I rather like Eeyore. I’m sure you’d never have guessed…