Hello, Posse!!
I hope your new year is starting off great and you and yours are all happy and healthy to start off 2022! This time of year always sees an upsurge in gym membership sales, workout clothes and equipment, diet plans and books, all due to the mass New Year's resolutions people make to start off the year by changing their lifestyle. I don't know about you, but many years ago I made a resolution to never make new year's resolutions anymore and it was finally one I was able to keep. None of the other resolutions ever seemed to make it through March.
While it's not a resolution, my focus this year is going to be a bit more on increasing my marketing reach with my books. I have the last book in this serial to finish writing, Into the West: Family Ties, then I plan to write something that will fall into a more revenue rich market. I love westerns/historical fiction and I love writing them, but I need to start making some reasonable income at this or look for job to get some income. I've put several years into this venture and while things are progressing in the right direction, it is not progressing at a fast enough pace to make a difference. I am still losing money every year.
To be clear, I am not complaining about that, I knew I would be operating at a loss for a while. Every new business does. That was planned, but now it is getting to the point that I need to start seeing growth in my business. To that end, I am looking at new ways to connect with my market base. Not just to sell them things, but to engage with them. I want to make friends with the people who read my books so they will not only want to buy and read my work, but also will share my posts, blogs, and tell others about my work. It's a big dream, I know, but I always like to dream big. There is a saying that you should always shoot for the moon because even if you miss, you still land among the stars.
So that all brings me to podcasts.
I have a few podcasts I love and follow. One of my favorites is Murder, Mystery, and Makeup by Bailey Sarian (<-- apple podcast). I usually watch her videos on Facebook (<--- her FB page) but she also has a YouTube Channel (<-- her YouTube Channel) with all her streaming topics and the podcasts. I love that her take on true crime is so different. It really appeals to me.
First off, I am a true crime buff. I have a degree in forensic criminology with extra emphasis on profiling and sex crimes. My original plan had been to be a firearms and toolmarks examiner, but where I was living at the time I graduated college, there were limited opportunities in that field. I was just starting to put in applications when I had all the brain surgeries. Life took a very different turn from what I had planned. I was no longer able to meet the requirements for working most CSI jobs.
My interest in this field didn't disappear just because I couldn't follow my career plans in it. Many of the cases Bailey has featured are ones I have studied. I love the way she delivers them most of all. Her questioning looks as she says "suspish" and "nay nay" keeps you focused on her and I have to say I love that she does all of this while putting on her makeup.
Growing up, no one ever really showed me how to do my makeup. My mom took me to Mary Kay parties and I picked up some tips at those, but that was about it. I have been pretty clueless about how to do much more than one basic look my whole life. So not only has watching Bailey's podcasts been entertaining, but I have actually picked up a lot of good makeup tips from her videos. Not a bad two-fer! But even if you do not need makeup tips, her delivery is entertaining as hell.
I also got hooked on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (<-- podcast on NPR) when I was working for Barnes & Noble Booksellers years ago. The receiving manager would listen to it in the stock room and since I worked back there, I listened to it with him all day long. I loved it. It is so fun.
For people in my hometown of Wichita, Kansas, you really should be checking out Wichita Life ICT by Landon Huslig (<--- YouTube Channel). I had one of my first interviews as an author with Brian on his podcast. I think I was #8, maybe, definitely in the first ten interviews. His channel has grown so much since then and is a must follow if you want to know about all the incredible things going on in Wichita and the people who are bringing it all to the community.
With all of these great podcasts that keep me engaged, I have been thinking maybe that would be a good way to engage people who would be interested in reading my books. I would talk about books and reading in general and occasionally about my own books specifically, but for the most part it would just be a way to connect to my audience over the shared love of reading. I would want to interview other authors and have them read a bit of their books. Talk to avid readers about what makes them love the books they read and who are their favorites. Even talk to cover designers, agents, publishers, librarians, bookstore owners and employees. Basically anyone and everyone connected to books.
I would still write my blogs on Mondays and Fridays, but replace this blog with a Whatever Wednesday podcast.
Let me know what you think.
Have a great Wednesday, Posse!