Now that I’ve launched The Divine Meddler, the art of marketing looms ahead. Writing I know. About marketing I’m clueless. I’d love to sit back and say, “if God wants this book to sell millions of copies, He’ll make it happen.” But I don’t think it works like that. It’s more, “get out of the boat and do the work.” I feared I’d drown, so I registered for a marketing webinar for writers.

Mindset

I don’t have many writer friends who like marketing. If we writers enjoyed marketing, we’d be in sales and not scribbling away, conjuring characters to put into impossible situations. When the marketing expert talked about changing our mindset from marketing to simply making new friends, I knew I could do that. I like people and the more friends, the merrier. That’s when the marketing picture for me changed.

Still Work

Yet concrete marketing tasks remain. But now I approach them with a positive mindset. Who knows? I may enjoy some of them!

The first challenge is to grow an email list so I can communicate with my readers who are now friends. Before, that seemed self-serving, as if I would take advantage of having those addresses. (Even though one can always unsubscribe.) But now I see it as a way of sharing the latest with my friends.

If you like to read, you’re my kind of people. If you read my book and liked it, we’re friends even though we haven’t met. If you didn’t like it, we’re still friends and please tell me what could have been better. If I have something special to offer (and I do have something in the works) I want to share it with you. But first, you need to know about it—and having your email address will let me tell you.

Keeping Readers in the Loop

I can share right now that I’m about halfway through the first draft of The Divine Meddler’s sequel, Sheol Rising. According to Young’s Bible Dictionary,[1] “sheol” is a “desolate place, no- country underworld.” And our hero is up to his neck in mounting troubles…and he just might drown in them. With an email list, I can send out progress (and other) blasts to my friends.

And there’s more to come!

You Don’t Have to Wait

If you enjoy checking in every once in a while to read some of my blogs, you already can subscribe from my webpage. Blogs, latest updates and future goodies will automatically appear in your mailbox. Also, at the bottom on my webpage there is a contact email address to reach me. I would love to hear from you. And stay tuned!

[1] Young’s Bible Dictionary, G. Douglas Young, PhD. © 1989 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.