The unknown author

What is fame? And why do so many people crave it? It is not enough for people to know of you, they must hold you in esteem or else it has no meaning. For an author, to be unknown is for your work to be unread.

When I moved out here a few years ago, I didn’t know anyone. And I learned a hard lesson: when people don’t know you, they don’t want to know you. Such is also the case with the work of an unknown author.  The quality of the work is irrelevant if no one reads it.

And that is the great challenge. There are hundreds of books out there. Why would they want to read yours? This is a question every author should ask themselves. And that is why it is important to have a strategy for promoting your work.

Put yourself into the mind of a reader. What would a writer have to do to get your attention? From the cover art, to the presentation, to the quality of the work itself; one must cover all bases in order to be successful. It is important to be honest with yourself: would you buy this?

You don’t have to be something you're not. Readers will see through such pretense. Rather, take your own qualities and learn to market them. You would be surprised at how much attention can be gotten by just being yourself.

Eventually, I made a few friends here… and I cherish them all. Sometimes, it just takes time; but don’t let that be an excuse to rest on your laurels. To be successful, you must be ready for the opportunities when they come. Or else, they might just pass you by.