It seems as if everybody, from young to old, uses Facebook for either personal or business reasons. Then there are a ton of others who use it for self-promotion. Social media is the fastest, easiest, and most effective way to connect to people all over the world. So, in this vast sea of Facebook pages, how do you make yours stand out? Here are three crucial tips to remember when promoting yourself as an author. 1. Post content to encourage people to interact with you. Incessantly posting about your book leads to annoyance and boredom. People will begin to ignore your posts or even hide them from their feed. You need to post remarks and pictures that induce thoughts, questions, and laughter. Bonding with your followers on a general level leads them to actually pay attention to your posts. Also, Facebook came out with a great feature called, "Facebook Questions", which allows you to create a status update that acts as a poll. People love polls and they are more likely to interact with your question rather than post a comment. 2. The color of your posts does matter. Did you know that pictures with any shade of blue actually commandeers attention? Yes, you read that right! Blue invokes a tranquil feeling that causes the body to produce calming chemicals. People tend to be more productive in blue rooms and weight lifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms. Think of the sky and what do you feel? Now the opposite, the color red, triggers a feeling of power and grabs your attention but not in a good way. Red increases heart rate and makes one feel confrontational. On the other hand, the color yellow, is the most hurtful to the eye. People in yellow rooms become aggravated quickly while babies cry harsher in yellow rooms. Those colors leave your follower with an unsettling feeling. 3. Reward your faithful followers. You need your faithful followers to feel special and appreciated. These are the ones that always leave comments on your page and interacts regularly. Have a "Fan Only' night. Choose a particular follower and do something special for them such as a free copy of your book, personalized bookmarks, pens, magnets, etc. This will get word of mouth flowing and let's face it, that goes way further than an social media outlet because a personal opinion really does carry weight.
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Everyone has heard of the term "starving artist" but those two words can encase a multitude of meanings. First, there's the literal translation which is an artist that barely makes ends meet because there isn't much monetary return for his works. Then there is the more philosophical point of view. An artist suffers for his works emotionally by pouring his heart and soul into them. These explanations only touch the tip of this iceberg. Let's be realistic. There's no guarantee of a dependable income when it comes to the arts and writing even if you are well established. So why do we do it? Why do we continue to indulge our passion if the outcome can possibly be bleak? Personally, I can only explain it as this fiery invisible force that drives me to continue my quest. Quite simply, it is a passion and with any passion comes love, hate, joy, anger, hope, and frustration. Like many other writers I am trying to get my foot in the door. I'm stuck in no man's land. I have tried to get picked up by a traditional publisher but that's hard to do when you're new in the game. Thankfully, indie publishing has gained momentum and is easily accessible. Yet, I don't have the funds to self publish or hire an agent. What's a writer to do? Even with these obstacles writers and artists alike still embrace their passion. Are we stubborn? Maybe. But artists always have and always will "starve" for their art. When I was diagnosed they thought I had Multiple Sclerosis and was treated accordingly. Yet after many tests, doctor visits, hospitalizations, and studies my diagnosis was tweeked to Atypical MS/Neuromyelitis Optica. A mouth full, I know. It's also known more simply as Devic's Syndrome. I was a lab rat being studied like some interesting oddity. That's alright though because my personality is to always meet an obstacle head on and keep pushing forward. Along with my impenetrable persistence and a team of top doctors I finally had my answer. I knew Devic's was rare and therefore I would be a bit more isolated. I never did fit into that little golden box labeled "normal" by society. What I honestly never expected was to be turned away by a few MS support groups on Facebook. Apparently, I didn't fit into their "guidelines" also. They told me what I had wasn't normal MS. I pose this question: What, if anything, is normal about MS? I assume this is due to neurologists still debating whether Devic's Syndrome is a form of MS or not. Diseases isolate people enough let being further rejected. It's not like I was a cancer patient looking to join an MS group! Basically, I have been a victim of disease discrimination! I never even knew that such a thing existed. I realize there's a law protecting the disabled but there's no law against people with diseases discriminating their own kind. Has mankind become this petty? Aren't other prejudices, such as race, color, and religion enough to separate us? Though out history at least one common thread has been repeated and this is up to individual opinion whether it's a negative effect or a positive one. A common enemy unites people like nothing else. Usually this enemy threatens physical and/or psychological harm. It was my understanding that MS and it's variants would unite people like myself; MS being the common enemy to my kind but maybe I was a tad naive. As you can tell this has left a sour taste in my mouth that, like with all wounds, will heal with time. I do refuse, however, to let the ignorance of a few demolish my faith that they are still genuinely kind individuals in our world. I don't know if I am the only author that finds editing to be a torture tactic implemented by Satan himself but I find this to be vaguely true, at least in my mind. If hell was full of sinful souls that had to be damned to edit for eternity, well my friend, I would honestly consider becoming a nun. I find this process to be grueling and frustrating. I am usually a pretty patient person but when it comes to editing my fuse is unnaturally short. I don't mind the part where I rearrange my ideas, emphasize on thoughts, and delete unnecessary dribble that muddles my story. I enjoy that aspect because I want the reader to live vividly in the world I am creatively trying to depict. It's basically the proof-reading and grammatical corrections that just seem to suck the creativity out of me as if you would suck chocolate milk through a straw. When inspiration strikes, my pen can barely keep up with the thoughts I am trying to pour out onto the page. It's thrilling and exhilarating! So when I go back through these thoughts it is necessary to tweek them because sometimes I cant even understand them myself. Now I know what you are thinking. This is the job for your editor. And yes you would be correct, but not entirely. Even famed and established authors like Stephen King have to go through their initial manuscript before handing it over to their publishers. Authors want to make sure their vision is represented to their liking and approval. Mr. King has even been quoted as saying that an author should store away their initial manuscript for some time before going back to it. It's brings in a fresh perspective and enables you to keep it true to your vision. I find it more productive and useful to edit a few pages a night. If you are like me and loathe editing then this procedure might be for you. Sitting at a computer for hours on end fixing grammar mistakes and inspecting every tiny aspect of your manuscript can make you go insane. You just have to inclement a schedule and stick to it. Easier said then done of course. Writing isn't like a 9-5 job that clock in and out of while being supervised to make sure you do your required functions. It's more flexible and in there lies the curse. You tend to become lazy, uninspired, distracted, and occasionally deal with writer's block. Sometimes you do have to treat it like a 9-5 job and push yourself to do the task at hand. Otherwise, the threat of your story never coming to life begins to materialize. So I guess editing/proof-reading is a necessary evil. I would absolutely enjoy know what you think. Take the poll below to voice your opinion. I was recently contacted by a Ms. Maggie Danhalkl from the Healthline company. She asked me to help spread the word about a very innovative campaign to raise contributions to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It is called the "You've Got This" campaign. But this campaign is not asking for monetary contributions from yourself. Healthline will provide the contributions in exchange for just posting a video on their website. It is targeting people who live with MS to shoot of video of themselves to provide hope and inspiration to newly diagnosed MS patients. I find this campaign to quite the gem. Not only are you providing a way for much needed funds that can help the MS Society in its mission, but you are also providing help, support, hope, and inspiration to those people who were just diagnosed. As a person living with Atypical MS/Devic's Syndrome I remember vividly of how scared and isolated I felt when I was just diagnosed. This provides a forum for newly diagnosed MS patients to feel hopeful, less fearful, and most importantly not alone in their battle. As you might know the MS Society uses the money they receive to fund research of MS and treatments, help to MS patients, and many other important services that are needed on a personal level. All you have to do is shoot a short video of yourself detailing your own personal story of living with multiple sclerosis. The main theme here is to provide inspiration and hope to so many that may feel that their new diagnosis is the end of their world. Anyone living with MS is free to do this, but even if you don't have MS you can help just by spreading the word. For each video that is posted Healthline will donate $10 to the National MS Society. Also, Healthline will select one winner from the top five most viewed videos and that person will receive a $50 American Express gift card. This whole campaign is a win-win situation. So, warm up your cameras and start recording. For those not living with MS, warm up your fingers and spread the word about this wonderful campaign. Below, you will find the link for this campaign. Just click on it and follow the site's instructions. http://www.healthline.com/health/multiple-sclerosis/youve-got-this Please feel free to leave me comments, share your video, and your story right here on my site. I would love to hear from you all. |
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