Going Small-Time: Why This Indie Author Does Branding Differently

Hi all,

If you've been following in along so far with me, you might have noticed a change in my online presence over the past month or so. That's because I'm intentionally re-thinking how I (*cringes) advertise to you, especially across social media.

Let's face it, everybody and their meme wants our 5-second (max) online attention span. I attend entire regular meetings focused over the single repeating issue: how can we dissemble our info to you. How can we get you (yes you) to buy our book/come to our writers' conference/order our services/spread the word.

Last June was a flurry of activity for me. I had Trombonist of Munst releasing. I had my bill-pay job's main fundraiser (yes yes, no. Writing and helping new authors is not, in fact, my bill-pay job - although I very much wish it were...). And, most of all, I had the St Louis Writers Guilds' Gateway to Publishing Conference and Convention. All year long, I'd been hard at work with a wonderful team of writers plugging this annual con. I memed. I Buffered. I shared. I posted. I analyzed. I advised. I went live. I designed. I printed. I held up signs.

I came, I saw, I mingled.

And you know what? I realized we want better.

I realized we want more than just drinks and cats. We need more than just funny videos and Youtube Marvel trailers. We crave more than just likes and follows - I know I do, at least.

So I more or less went 'Social-Dark'. Sure, there's still a few of my music playlists bliping up every Monday for you, but that's because I know we all hate Mondays. Everybody knows the monsters can't get you if the music's on... And yeah, I still have the occasional #WriFri on here - because I think what you all do really is awesome. (Really!)

In the 'Dark-Time', I learned at least two things through listening to others:

FIRST, apparently, I think like a non-profit.

I do?

This surprised me, because I don't think I do. I don't like being Ad-y to the point of spam (because, honestly, I'm insecure about my writing - and I'm blown away how anyone reads it and demands I write more.). Apparently, I don't think like a slick-talking business shark. I'd rather help people laugh, smile, and maybe even think... and If IF I just happen to scrape enough $$ together to fend off one of my wife and I's college loan bills for a month, at least I've done something good - something right. Apparently, my priorities are different when it comes to how I (*more cringing) "promote myself".

SECOND