I came across this article today about the Oddest Jobs of 2008. And I found it just after talking to friends about how much I love writing but how hard it is.
Looks like my alternatives - at this point - are a Yawn Counter or a Kitty Box Decorator.I'd love to see the job descriptions on this one. And do you get paid by the yawn/by the kitty?
As always, 1,000 questions pop into my mind:
How do you even get these jobs?
Are they listed on Monster.com?
How do you interview for them?
What is your career path?
Although after talking to my husband, I realize he has held some crazy jobs in his life. Yes, he is British but I found out he has been a:
turkey plucker ( i assume this is not the live ones but I did not ask)
newspaper boy (no so bad unless you live in the cold wet lands of Wales?!)
marzipan maker (I am more of a chocolate person myself)
bathroom cleaner (for an assisted living home! I'll have to remember this one next tim eI have to clean the house. No more bathrooms - Yay!)
rock collector (he did get a PHD in Topography - whatever that is :)
What's even crazier is that I find my hubby even cuter for these odd jobs which probably says alot about me - huh?. In addition, I now understand why he is so great with our kids. He obviously can stomach anything. I on the other hand - no so much. I think I have an underdeveloped gag reflex and an overzealous imagination - those 2 DO NOT mix well!
My point? Oh right - my point.
I am more thankful to be a writer. It is a great life. I don't know if I can really call it a "job" yet, but I'm determined to get there.
Maybe now, I'll appreciate the hard times a bit more.
I am fine with reading it aloud - but to whom? (impressive grammar huh?:) So what are my options:
1) Critique Group? - Yes I have a fabulous critique group that has read about 2/3s of my book BEFORE i just replotted and rewrote the entire thing. So I cant really start over - can I? After all - to get through 35 chapters - meeting twice a month - is another 17 months! I don't want to wait that long. Call me impatient but I am ready to birth this baby and introduce it to the world.
2) My poor hubby! He'll probably be the one drafted in the end - and he would not object for fear of sleeping on the couch - but I feel sorry for him. Having almost married a well-known writer myself - I know what it is like to spend your weekend(s) and nights across long hrs drudging through dialogue over and over. My hubby has already listened to many chapters read, redone, replotted, tweaked, and then re-read again. I am pretty sure he is over my book at this point. I don't blame him. He is always supportive and probably would not admit it but I am pretty sure that he is that kid in class that when the teacher asks a question. He waits to see if anyone else will raise their hand first. BTW - everything to him is "great writing sweetie" or "I think it's a bestseller." Call me crazy but I prefer people to RIP it apart!
3) My mom? Thank god for Moms! They will listen to their kids spill on about pretty much anything. I think my mom listened to me spouting on about platypuses (or is it platypi?) for a long period of time (this is a whole other blog topic but I am obsessed with the platypus right now. Fascinating creatures.) My mom is a great reader but I cant read aloud to her - no time nor patience. She does ask alot of questions so it would probably take twice as long as my critique group (sorry mom!)
4) Friends? - none of which really read let alone "children's books". I prefer to use them for to complain about my impossible schedule, to cry on their shoulder, laugh, buy my a cup of coffee when I am broke, or other unplanned favors :)
5) Family - too loaded with personal issues and baggage. And its the holidays - I need to keep things simple.
Where does that leave me - I guess me and my dog, Bud, my really old Jack Russell "Terror" who I just now remembered in COMPLETELY DEAF? In this case, I guess that is lucky for him :)
I have not blogged since last week and it is already Marketing Monday.
Here are some ideas on how authors can raise their MQ (Marketing IQ) and "Begin Marketing Your Book":
1) Time in = Books Out If you cannot put 30 minutes in a day on average to promote your book, then you should not expect to sell any. Be sure to document everything you find. Keep a spreadsheet of contacts, places, magazines - any ideas you have to market your book.
2) Web-ify Always create a web presence. Get a web site up and running. Godaddy offers inexpensive options. You can get a domain, hosting and web site cheaply and get your site up within a couple hrs. Get a web site tonight account which is very user friendly. It walks you through each step on building your own. Start with an AUTHOR web site for you - create a 5-6 page web site - home, books, tour, bio, extra. Be sure you begin thinking about a brand.
3) Smart Brands Pick a way to brand yourself and create that brand using other materials. Make postcards and biz cards - be sure to think of ways to do them differently, yet professionally. For example: instead of 3 1/2 by 5 postcards, do 6x9. Instead of white biz cards with black type - change it up. Be creative and stick to your brand. Vistaprint.com or iprint.com offers good beginner deals. How can you stand out?
2) Who? Who? Look for 3-5 different target audiences - different groups that would want your book. Find out how to reach each audience: What magazines do they read? What clubs/groups do they belong to? Conventions? Festivals? Ezines and web sites? School visits and book signings are NOT the only way. They are only one way.
3) Blurb it? Who are the popular authors in your target audiences. What does their marketing consist of? Can you get a blurb? Look at all sides of your book - non-fiction, fiction etc.
4) Be a Celebrity. You should know all book store managers - independent especially - before book comes out. Also - what are the local newspapers, magazines, neighborhood newsletters, local events. Talk to local biz owners - tell them you are in the area. People love local celebrities!
5) A Neat little kit In this you will need a press release - play up some interesting angle, a bio, a professional photo (not the one from your sister's wedding!), and something about your book (postcard, book mark etc), business card.
Follow these and you can create your own Marketing Miracle!
Let me know if you have any questions of topics on marketing or pr that you want me to cover!
Good question. I have no good answer. I guess because I speak marketing all day so I dont think about it at night.
As some know - my day job is that I have my own marketing/copywriting business www.bilaninc.com - founded in 2000. I have done marketing from Corporations (Spanx, Goody Hair Products) to Nonprofits to Small Businesses to Authors. I have been doing Marketing since I left Auburn with my MBA in 1995. (you do the math (Boo hoo!)
I've decided to start a weekly blog (Maybe Marketing Mondays!) that will offer marketing tips and help you to "Increase your MQ (Marketing IQ)."
This week's focus - tips for pre-published authors You will hear me say you do NOT have to be published to start your marketing. Focus on your marketing on the days you want to write but can't. It will help you move through writers block and force you to be thinking baout your book.
1) Find a great hook for your book - this can be used in query letters, submissions, elevators, prayers (Dear god - please help me sell my...)
2) For writer's sake - create a web site! I don't care if you are not published. Get a web presence - get one now!. Create a web site that you can grow. You will not have time once you get published so why not start now. 3) Creating a strategy for your book. Take the book you are trying to sell and create a marketing plan. Think about target audiences, the best way to reach each group, and contact names. Again, you wont have time to do this after you get published. 4) Create a blog. Why not? Again - it forces you to write something when you cant write anything on that huge YA novel. I know of a few authors who got an agent because the agent or editor SAW THEIR BLOG and loved their writing. You just never know. 5) Think about yourself as a brand - who is your market, how do you want to present yourself. How do you sell yourself to an agent, an editor, and so on. Marketing starts even before you go out and try to find an agent. I came across this quote to sum it all up.
"You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can not get them across, your ideas will not get you anywhere - Lee Iacocca"
