Readers need books. Writers want to write. Seems like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it
?
Writing is a solitary occupation. But publishing a book can’t be done without others: beta readers, critique partners, editors (structural, developmental, line, copy) and proofreaders. Take your pick.
Then we need a marketing team: advance readers, blog hosts, friends/colleagues who will tweet and post on social media, reviewers, connectors. All these are needed to show readers that a book exists.If your book is a gripping read, well formatted with a stunning cover and blurb and available on several platforms and in different formats (ebook of various types, paperback, perhaps audio), they you have a good start.
As Cicero said, everybody is writing a book these days. Many are not good, but how to make the diamonds stand out amongst the pile of poo? Once discovered by appreciative readers, much of the work is done. If your books’s any good, they will tell their friends, leave a review and hopefully rave about them generally. And if you write another, then readers will start to give you their love. Be respectful of that – they are spending life hours reading your stuff. Make sure it’s worth it. 🙂
I digress. There’s an old motto in French “L’union fait la force” (Strength through unity). You’re not going to be surprised that it has a Latin source – yep, it’s those pesky Romans again. Gaius Sallustius Crispus, or Sallust as we generally call him, was a Roman historian and politician (86 – c. 35 BC). Although probably more famous for his account of the Cataline conspiracy, he wrote a tome about the Jugurthine War and in Chapter 10 said “concordia res parvae crescunt” (small things flourish by concord). Everybody loves to jump on a saying from the Roman Empire for their national and state motto and several countries have done so.
ALLI authors meet up at the London Book Fair April 2014
For authors, this rule applies. Working together, we can achieve a great deal more than by ourselves. This is why we join writing associations and groups, not just because we are lonely. If you read my Roma Nova blog, Facebook page and follow me on Twitter, you know I talk about my books, hopefully not in a spammy way. But it’s from joint promotion that I gain most. And bringing my books to readers is what counts, not just for the money, but to get my stories to them, entertain them and possibly provoke them. 😉
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO and AURELIA. The fifth in the series, INSURRECTIO, was published in April 2016.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Get INCEPTIO, the series starter, for FREE when you sign up to Alison’s free monthly email newsletter
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