The Sky is Falling on the Indie Authors...NOT

There is clucking on the internet! Chicken Little is making her way through cyberspace, declaring the sky is falling on the indie authors. As with the original children's story of Chicken Little, the sky is NOT falling. Yes, change is coming. It always does, but that is no reason to race around the cyber streets sounding the alarm.

The ways of the first million-sales authors are not going to work anymore. The 99 cent books, the freebies, and the give-aways are becoming obsolete. These are gimmicks. Gimmicks were never meant to last forever. It's Marketing 101. I realize there are thousands, if not millions, of indie authors who have plowed hours of time, and immeasurable amounts of money into these methods, but all good things must come to an end. And, in this case, the end IS near.

Before you run into your shelter to take cover from the imaginary pieces of sky, falling on your head, think. Is the sky really falling? Do you see evidence of pieces of sky lying about on the ground around you? No. What you are seeing is the color of the sky is changing. It's twilight time in the publishing world, the time to prepare for the sun that will surely rise over the horizon tomorrow.

In my research, I have found an important key aspect of promotion and platform building that seems to be largely ignored, or maybe just overlooked in the indie author world. When a large publishing house takes on a new author, what do they do? Start promoting a title or the author themselves? It's a little bit of both, but in the end it's the author that is promoted and the title secondary eg: John Grisham's new book, insert title here.

I have spent the last three years building the Butterfly Phoenix platform. Oh God yes, I have promoted my book, but I have been doing more promoting of myself. People know that Donna R. Wood and Butterfly Phoenix are synonymous. They know my views on humanity and the environment. They know I have a special place in my heart for the unloved, uncared for, and unwanted. They know I have an interest in history. They also know that somewhere in my writing, these things will appear, or perhaps be the very subjects of the prose.

The majority of my Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections, and those on Google+ are not other authors. They are like-minded people who share the same interests as I do. Some are just the curious. Some are those with opposing views. The one thing all of them have in common is they all read. I can't say that every single one of them have purchased Sticks and Bones or will purchase the books in 'The Chrysalis Series', but odds are some of them have, and will.

The best thing you can do at this point is stop hiding behind your titles, and put yourself out there as a person. Build your platform and fan base around you. I have found that it is much easier to promote myself as a package deal. I am a blogger, a writer, and an author. I have a blog, a book, a short story, and a trilogy in the works. If I have to promote each of these separately, I will never get any writing done at all.

Think about this and then ask yourself, "Is the sky falling, or is it only changing color?"

Monday Musings: The Culture of Writing

As a person, I have worked in diversity and inclusion for a very long time. A lot longer than any paying position on a resume could reflect. However, it does not make me an expert on the subject, especially the legal aspects. What it does make me is a more cultured person, not any better or worse than others.

In our present day world, this cultured aspect of life is becoming more important. This is true especially for those of us who choose to write. No longer are we writing for the local or regional market. It is the global market that looms before us. As such, and this is only my humble opinion, it is my duty to ensure what I write accurately depicts the world as it is. Even if I have created a whole new world, such as in The Butterfly Fields, I still must practice diversity and inclusion in my work. Why? Because the market demands it.

What I know to be diversity extends far beyond race. Diversity is the cultures, traditions, lifestyles, histories, and subcultures of every group of people in the world. I once argued that the homeless population is a subculture of the urban lifestyle. It is part of the fabric which creates the tapestry of the diversity in any city. The same is true for the goths, industrialists, hipsters, generations, etc. We all, in our own right, contribute to the vibrancy of the world. This reality of our times should be reflected in our novels, novellas, short-stories, and essays.

People of all walks of life enjoy reading about themselves in a positive reflection of their reality. People like to be included. If we, as writers, are going to appeal to the mass global market, we must gain a satisfactory knowledge of those with whom we share the world. It is really a no brainer when it comes to modern marketing - of any product or service. If the goal is to expand the market base into the global market, the author, business, or organization must first understand those to whom they wish to sell their product.



In the writing of The Butterfly Fields, I acted with intent to include various words from different cultures in the world. I did this to reflect the cultures of the people in the story. I am not clever enough to create an entirely new language such as Klingon or Elven, but I am clever enough to utilize the translation tools available. I acknowledge that one must be careful when using online translation tools. I also consulted various language dictionaries, and people I know who speak those languages to ensure no unintended faux pas occur.

The Butterfly Fields is primarly written in the English language, however there are Irish and French words sprinkled throughout, with references to Romani and other cultures. My understanding of different cultures of the world has given The Butterfly Fields an authentic cultured flavor that we do not see in the usual novel. Or, do we and we just don't realize it?

As  you read your latest novel pay attention to what makes the characters so rich and vibrant. Is it the descriptiveness of their appearance and mannerisms? Or, is it the underlying culture displayed in the character's history, psyche, current or past circumstances, family life, etc?

Diversity is everywhere.