This week, we’re visiting with C. L. Swinney, a man who burst onto the writing scene with such great enthusiasm he overwhelmed some of us. He reads, he writes, he blogs, he writes poetry, he writes mysteries.  And having worked at this, he has something to say – about the real work of being an author today.

There’s so much to being an author- most of it happening AFTER we’ve put words down, and that alone can be a monumental struggle. In today’s market, where everyone believes they too are the best authors on the planet, you must search for your own voice, niche really, that isn’t already being used by a thousand other writers. I tend to try to relate this madness to what happens on American Idol. Thousands of people line up truly feeling they can sing, but within seconds, they become the laughing stock of television and only one in a million make it. For writers, it’s the same; about one in a million will make it. Roughly 85% of authors who get published or publish their own work will sell less than a hundred copies, and this includes friends and family (our biggest fans). It’s a sad reality, but one many of us choose to subject ourselves to it. Nevertheless, we thrive on the dance we play with our writing and readers. It keeps us writing, reading, and trying to be better at our craft. We’re glutton for punishment and tend to stay caved up in our homes. It’s the introvert lifestyle that stymies real potential to reach hundreds and even thousands of new readers.

 So, in as few words as possible, I’m going to break down what I think is necessary to break out of your slump and embrace 2014. I believe you will sell more books, but more importantly, make new friends if you consider these points. **Disclaimer-BE FOREWARNED, I DO NOT HOLD BACK PUNCHES.

 PLATFORM:

 Been there, done that. Type the word into Google and see how many thousands of definitions materialize. What does that mean? It means it was a buzz word that continues to be abused by small publishers trying to squeeze everything they possibly can out of the authors they already take to the cleaners. The Big Five call this promotion-they pay for it and do it for their authors.

 BLOG:

 Today there are literally hundreds of blog sites and millions of blogs. If you don’t have superior content or pictures (best would be including both), know about SEO, back-links, targeted websites, or have several thousand real email accounts YOU ARE WASTING YOUR EFFORTS. You would be better served having a website. Don’t use free templates. Pay someone to make yours at least as good as the next author.

 READINGS:

 This, to me, is a MUST. I’ll tell you why. As my good friend John Brantingham explained to me, people don’t buy your book from the actual reading, but they will POSSIBLY buy your book based on your message. Can they relate to you? Do they find you interesting? Ask yourself, do I even have a message? If you don’t, you should. As far as the nerves that accompany standing in front of people and reading your work go, suck it up. Deal with it. Stumble and get a dry mouth, freak the hell out. It’s GOOD FOR YOU. And, it shows you’re human. Humans relate better to humans, not robots.

 SOCIAL MEDIA:

Again, you MUST do this. I’ve been talking about this for years and I’m really tired of hearing people saying it’s too difficult to do. Guess what, use Hootsuite. It’s free and does the work for you. You can pre-arrange messages written one time that will automatically push out to all of your social media sites at once. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be doing this. If you don’t think some of the sites are useful, don’t use them. However, I challenge you to find a single bestselling author not using social media.

 I’ve got plenty of more tid-bits that I’ll be sharing on guess blogs over the next few months. Please feel free to email with questions. I answer them all.

JIM:  Okay. There you have Swinney’s take on the work after the writing.  Leave a comment or a question.  Swinney won’t shy away from answering.