The Promotional Quagmire

     It was midnight, and my critique partner and I were still discussing the science of promoting books. Both new authors, it was AP Physics for us. Someone suggested we join Twitter. We became clicking fools, clicking away at the follow button. She was better at it than me. She’d clicked over a thousand followers compared to my paltry three hundred and fifty. I was jealous.

     “April, do you really think this is going to help? All we’re doing is following authors. We need readers.”

     She responded with a sigh, “I know, but the authors have followers.”

     “It’s not going to help unless they share our tweets. Do you actually think they’re going to do that?”

     “Just click,” she responded.

     We were thrilled when we received a follow from someone with ninety one thousand followers.

     We spent fifteen minutes talking about how that’s even possible.  He must have a program that does it for him, we concurred. I Googled him to see what wonderful author had that many followers.

     “April, he’s a porn star,” I lamented

     “Oh my, should we unfollow him?”

     “What happens if we do that? I’m going to unfollow you. Let me know if you receive an email informing you of my despicable action.”

     I hit the unfollow button. I was anxious to know what punishment Twitter would dole out when I did this. There were a few unfollows I had my sights on. For those of you out there who thank your followers without a follow, it’s very irritating. I received great pleasure in hitting the unfollow button for these writers who made me feel like an outsider.

     Nothing happened with the unfollow click. It snuck by under the radar of the twitter police. I went to town on my unfollow button. Oh it made me feel better, not to mention it improved my ratio of follows to following. Yes, we tracked this like good statisticians.

     Next, we zeroed in on WordPress. I count my blessings every day that I found April for a critique partner. She pulls me kicking and screaming through the world of blogging and posting.

     “I can’t blog,” I whined.

     “You have too. It’s one of the musts to get the word out.” April advised

     “If they read my blog, they’ll never buy a book. Trust me on this.”

     April was busy posting beautiful poetry and I had a blank page. Heck I’d better do something. I wrote a blog. Of course, my brilliant partner had to put it on WordPress. I had no clue how.

     “It’s working. Blogging helps.” She told me just last night. “I’m getting likes on Twitter and Facebook.”

     “Wonderful,” I respond. This time, I seriously had to hide my jealousy. I’d just checked my blog, which still had zero likes. It had three on hers. Who does that? Why not like it on the writers…so rude?

     “Write me a poem,” I begged.  It must be her poetry that’s bringing in the fans. After all, anyone who writes poetry must be a fabulous writer.

     “About what,” she asks.

     “I don’t care…a horse. I just need a poem.” I knew if I got a poem on my site, they would come in droves.

     And so it goes. It’s a nightly thing with us, trying to work through the secrets of promotion.

     Does anyone out there have a poem for me?


To find Stolen Hearts on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Hearts-ebook/dp/BooE3LMF71
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorPHudson
http://www.twitter.com/AuthorPHudson
http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/meet-patricia-hudson/
Books:
Released 2014
Stolen Hearts
Coming in 2014 by Soul Mate Publishing:
The Call    April, 2014
Love on the Double T   May, 2014
Moody Gallery   Summer, 2014
The Exchange   September, 2014