There Are Days When I Want to Give Up Writing

There are days when I want to chuck it all in and start over. I find myself wishing I had a different calling and that I wasn't hopelessly addicted to writing. I would like to do something – anything, to make the voices in my head talk to someone else.

But they won't be still and I know I can't give it up for anything. Even if I'm the worst writer in the world, I can't stop. I love what I do. Nothing pleases me like putting words down, creating order from chaos. I just wish I got paid better for doing what I do.

It gets discouraging to put in hour after hour and get pennies in return. If I were better at talking up my own work, I would probably make a lot more money. I am the world's worst at tooting my own horn.

Unfortunately, horns must be tooted loudly to draw attention to our work. If readers don't know that our books exist, they can't very well buy them. There are all kinds of clever marketing ploys – contests, drawings, and giveaways. However, because there is so much competition, everyone tries to "out swag" one another. There are authors giving Kindles, Amazon gift cards and jewelry galore.

Except for some discontinued Mary Kay products and a few copies of my books, I don't have "swag".

Finding creative ways to market isn't easy, but I'm open to suggestions. If you have a marketing method that works for you, post it here. Let's share our ideas and pool our resources. Together, we can make it work.

I am happy to participate in blog exchanges. If you'd like to host me, I will host for you. You can contact me here or through Facebook. ~ Dellani

For more of Dellani's books, check out Indian Summer, Lone Wolf and The Ninja Tattoo on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

© Dellani Oakes