Through all of life’s challenges, we have shared experiences. Through the pain of an abusive relationship and toxic divorce, I had a desire to write my story for others.
It isn’t easy to share your vulnerability with strangers, but it was something that I felt compelled to do. Initially ignoring that desire, I finally did it and believe me when I say, it was not easy.
It took a lot of soul searching and at times for me mentally, was like opening up pandora’s box. I learned a lot through the process. Learning to balance the amount of detail and the type of reader you are hoping to reach was very eye-opening.
I had many more details to share, but it would have set the tone perhaps for a different audience. I knew my own family would read it and so I did soften the edges so to speak, to leave their minds open to imagining the details.
I ultimately decided to use a pen name to keep my writing separate from my professional career. While I had some personal reasons to keep them separate, it initially made it more challenging to market. I didn’t want to hide, but I wanted to be able to put myself out there without judgment.
My primary motivation was not about any financial reward; it was truly about the desire to write my story. To get started, however, I needed to be ready to financially invest in the process. Planning and putting money aside would have balanced that out a little bit. However, I have no regrets about the financial investment.
I had false hope that my book would take care of itself. I did the writing, pouring out my heart and soul. Now let’s let the book do the rest. Well, that doesn’t happen.
You must own your marketing and be intentional. It takes work. I have found that balancing a full-time career doesn’t give a lot of time for marketing. So, I can say, work smarter, not harder. Use the information and tools out there to help you and be creative while connecting to readers.
One thing I have realized is that if I want to position myself to be seen as an author, I must put in the work. I am still early in my writing career and have much to learn, but I have already gained perspective to help me grow.
If you are thinking of becoming an author or are like myself, still early in this work, do your research on what is out there and how to leverage your brand.
What makes you unique? What do you offer others that they can benefit from. I am not the only one to live in an abusive marriage and get divorced, so why would they choose my story to read?
You must market yourself as an author, as an expert. I may not feel like an expert, but for my story, I experienced it, and I can tell you what that was like. I can tell you what lessons I learned.
Building connections, being relatable is one factor that can make you stand out. With the millions of writers, books, social media pages and posts, how or what makes you appeal to others?
