Hi Everybody,
I hope you’re keeping well in your part of the world. It’s a good couple of months since I was last here. I’m so sorry for the delay. I’ve been focusing on a few projects that had taken me longer due to my level of dyspraxia only making it possible to take on one project at a time. This can hamper in sticking to other tasks (like putting up regular posts) but these last couple of months have helped me to work at a possible solution around this.
I’ll come to that solution at the end of this post. Suffice to say here that it means that I should be posting up more regularly, and able to focus on all the wonderful blog posts that I enjoy reading more.
NEW PROJECTS
Website
My new author website is up and running now. I’ve got to make a few edits to the text and replace some of the stock photos still, but I’m reallly happy with it. I’ve struggled to merge this blog with the website, but I’ve got a good friend looking into this problem now. So, hopefully it’s just a matter of time before it’s sorted.
Please feel free to have a peak at it: http://www.waynemullane.com
It’s been a real education in learning how to get a domain name and build a website. I really felt out of my depth at times. But when all is done, I can appreciate that I had some good people to teach me and I’ve gained lot more knowledge.
Social Media
I’ve found the likes of Facebook and Twitter a minefield. Thankfully, I’ve been able to hire some very reasonably priced freelancers on Fiverr to help me to get my author accounts on social media going. It’s now focusing on putting out good quality posts that’s the next challenge. I’m learning all the time, and it’s good for me as it’s helping me to connect as well as grow as a person.
I’ve included my social media handles in the ‘About Me’ section of this site.
Marketing
This has been really tough. Normally, I’m the kind of person who’s happy to sit in front of the keyboard and write away for hours on end. But writing a self-published book has so many other aspects that take up time. Plus, I’m quite shy by nature, so having to promote my book to magazine editors and other groups (even via email or telephone) can play havoc with my brain as I think endlessly about the right things to say.
I’ve had a few magazine editors say that they’d kindly promote the book. Such things do give you a boost as there’s a constant stream of people to contact including podcasts, charities, social media groups, libraries…the list keeps growing. Pitching a book can mean that you’ll get rejections or no replies. This means sending two or three rounds of emails. So, for the ones that do reply and do offer you an outlet for promotion, it makes the whole experience so worthwhile.
What’s Next?
As well as continually working on the things above, I’ve got a week long book blogger tour coming up in the middle part of October. I’ll do a separate post or two about that nearer the time.
I mentioned at the top of this post that I had a new strategy to commit to doing more posts and following other bloggers here more regularly. One thing I’m going to do is write a few posts in advance, spending a day here or there just dedicated to this blog. Dedicating whole chunks of time to this is better for my dyspraxia as it means I’m still focusing on just the one thing.
I’m at a level now with developing my website and social media skills that makes dedication to my blog easier as well. Plus, at times when I’ve been focused on other projects and not written for a while, this blog has assisted me in refocusing my efforts and reconnecting with so many lovely people.
Next Up is a post about my recent hiking holiday in Northern Ireland!
Thanks for reading, everybody. Stay safe and well. Peace and love to you all!
Looking Write Back at You 