Persistence, Patience, Luck, and Finding the Right Audience

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Over at http://www.dreamfarmer.net/?p=433 (which I'm following on my LJ friends page through some mysterious RSS-feed magic) Chrysoula Tzavela wrote, "I don’t like the popularity of the idea that you have to blog to sell fiction. I don’t like the focus put on crafting the perfect query, either. They seem equivalent to me. It might be helpful, but a lot depends on the audience and persistence and luck and patience and focusing on something that isn’t your fiction."

Part of me agrees with her. It's the story that matters, right?

But we all can cite award-winning stories that were rejected time and time again, from A Wrinkle in Time to Harry Potter. This is nothing new--plenty of people rejected Van Gogh's paintings in his lifetime. He didn't find his audience, though eventually his paintings did.  I wonder, if he'd had the internet, might things have been different? 

Another part of me chimes in, still wanting to simply agree with her.  I want to say, "I don't like the popularity of the idea that you have to dress for success. Your work at the day job should stand for itself!"  Even after all these years, it bothers me that putting on a costume (a suit is definitely a costume!) can be enough to convince people to take you seriously. But I know that, so long as the suit's message (that I'm professional and intelligent and competent) is true, it works.

The suit isn't what makes me good at my job--but it matters because it facilitates creating the business relationships that I need so I get to do the day job.

So, what does this have to do with blogging? Over at crowdfunding  , I hear again and again that people are more likely to fund a project or tip an artist if they feel a connection with the writer or artist.  I hear this from the occasional patron who's not too shy to speak out in public, and I hear this from the creators who see, over and over, that people are more likely to click on that virtual tip hat if they like and feel welcomed by the creator.  Like the people who need a lawyer, who want to meet and shake hands with someone before hiring them, many readers and viewers like to get a sense of who they're dealing with before they spend their money on the work itself. 

Will a blog sell your stories or art if the work isn't good?  I doubt even the greatest blog has that power.  After all, the most expensive custom suit won't convince a client to keep a lawyer if they find the lawyer isn't doing a good job.  And unlike the law, when it comes to creative ventures, each viewer is the only expert on whether they liked a painting or enjoyed a story.  If you don't give your readers their money's worth, they'll send that money to someone who does.

But there's lots of writers and artists out there.  A blog can help a reader to decide if the stuff you write is likely to be something they're interested in spending their time on.  And a blog gives people a way to tell their friends how to find you, if (like Van Gogh) you don't have a
publicist to help you find your audience.

One of my current favorite books is Feed by Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire.  It's a zombie book, which is normally the kiss of death for me--zombies are icky, ugly, and stupid.  I don't see the attraction.  But Seanan was blogging, while she wrote the book she was then calling Newsflesh, about epidemiology.  Epidemiology isn't about beauty--but it's complex and fascinating.  I look at a book inspired by epidemiology quite differently than I look at "a zombie book".  Seanan's blog helped that book to find at least one audience member who would have ignored it otherwise. 

Is it worth spending time on a blog instead of your primary art form?  That's a question each person has to answer for themselves.  Certainly a blog is not the only way to be persistent, and it is also not the only way to try to luck into finding the right audience. 

However, when it come to "expected" ways to present yourself to people who might hire you, I have to say blogging beats the heck out of wearing a suit!

Comments

[meeksp.livejournal.com]

I admit that I'm atypical, but for me, it's a lot more important to be able to relate to the characters in a story than to the person who wrote it. I usually won't bother to check out an author's personal blog unless I've already enjoyed his or her work.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Hmm...that's a which came first question. Does the blog help you find readers, or help you keep them?

It was actually Seanan's writing (her song-writing, not her fiction) that first attracted me to her blog. But I became familiar with her songs through friends, so that particular example might muddy the "which came first" question more than it helps.

[meeksp.livejournal.com]

I think the usefulness of a blog really depends on its content. If an author uses it to talk about their writing - posting project updates, previews of upcoming work, maybe inviting discussion of the ideas explored in their stories - that's much more likely to appeal to me than a blog that's used primarily as a personal journal. A mix of the two can be interesting, but for me, the blog has to be tied to their work as a writer in order to be relevant.

[ankewehner.livejournal.com]

Why would that make you atypical? I'm sure across the board more people read books they picked up in a shop (brick&mortar or online) without first ahving read an author's blog.

I guess a blog is similar to publishing more than one book: It's a way for more people to find out you exist. (e.g. the first thing by haikujaguar I found was her Three Micahs blog, now I buy her fiction, not "Oh, I like her business blog, so I'll buy her fiction", but because from her business blog I found her normal blog, which had samples of her fiction, and I liked it.

[meeksp.livejournal.com]

Well, okay. I don't know if that in particular makes me atypical, but I am less 'people oriented' than most.

I do think that a website of some kind is an important marketing tool, but I don't think it necessarily has to be a personal blog. As long as I have a way to keep informed about an author's writing, knowing what else is going on in their life doesn't make me any more likely to support them.

As an artist, I love being able to interact with writers; to share ideas, and collaborate on projects. As a reader, though, it really is all about the stories. A personal connection with the author isn't something I look for.

[ankewehner.livejournal.com]

(Sorry. I think I'd seen to many people write "something is wrong with me because I don't like what you folks like" lately...)

Yep on the website. An up-to-date website where I can find out about an authors books or projects is absolutely neccessary.

(And by up-to-date I mean that the bibliography should actually include all books published so far (and upcoming ones, if there are any), and not end 5 years ago. Not Flash animations.)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Blogging is just another tool of self-promotion. It's not obligatory. You can use it if you find it helpful, and skip it if you find it unhelpful. It does take time and skill, like any other task. It does also give people a way to find your work. Then again, if you piss people off, it may drive away readers.

It's up to each individual writer to decide what works best for promoting their own work. I blog because I enjoy the interaction and the exposure. I like hanging out with rocket scientists and librarians and puppeteers and all the other neato people in my blog audience. This definitely benefits my writing; it's where I host my poetry fishbowls, my second-main writing project of all. I try not to flake off too much time on blogging, but it really is good for my career. It's a comfortable fit for my personality because I can control what I tell people. I write blazing fast, so it doesn't take up an unreasonable amount of time; and I'm a skilled linker, to the point that some people use me as a newsfeed for fun articles. It's not for everyone.

I don't like it when people try to pressure each other into doing things a particular way. I was told repeatedly to specialize, and I told people to fuck off. I mean, WTF? I flood the markets now when I'm writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry across a whole bunch of fields. If I was only working one it'd be a disaster. Sometimes advice is just bad. One-size-fits-all is bad advice. You have to know yourself as a writer, and figure out what works for you. Then do that. Don't make yourself crazy trying to do things somebody else's way.

Re: Thoughts

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree that one-size-fits-all isn't true, and that's for everything, not just clothes (though there are SO MANY things that only come in one-size-fits-small).

And certainly blogging is only one form of promotion.

Maybe we should ask if anyone has done enough of other types of promotion to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of some of them.

[flutterbychild.livejournal.com]

I blog in two separate places: here on LJ about my life, and on Blogger about my art. It's more work that way, but I find that I need the separate places, as my personal blog is more personal than someone who is solely interested in the art would want to read.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Why don't you post links to your Blogger posts on LJ/DW? I don't always have time to follow links like that, but I would drop by at least once in a while.