Marketing...

 After writing about writing, I feel I should cover the other side of it if you want your book to be seen by anybody.  Marketing. There are writers who probably enjoy it, but many do not-- especially those of us who are introverts.

To be an introvert when it comes to writing, it works well. We are not prone to partying, like alone time, enjoy researching (which writing can need a lot of), and like having a few close friends, but don't need a lot. As an introvert, I like studying relationships and how people tick-- again works well with creating characters for plots.

But how does an introvert do when it comes to working with crowds, trying to get people to take their work seriously? That's where extroverts excel,and we introverts prefer to stay in the shadows. Let someone else take glory or fame. We like the work but that next part of it, not so much. Maybe that would work better with split personalities. 

 

This meme showed up recently from several writers, and I so related to it. It's funny, but also true. It's funny because nobody really buys books because of the writer saying, pretty please lol. Readers buy books by finding them in a category they know they enjoy. 

This has been a surprising month for me in book sales. Try zero. Yes, not one single book sold. Last month and the months before, there had been sales. Maybe not a lot by some standards but good enough to feel at least a few people wanted to read my work. This month, start with the first, yep, nada. 

When there is such an abrupt decline, a writer, even one who hates the idea of marketing has to wonder why one month suddenly had such a drop off in numbers-- like into a dark hole. 

We had some ads up, although not a lot as ads have to pay for themselves unless someone is independently wealthy. Mostly I've let ads get paid for by sales... Not going to happen this month.

There are some possible reasons at least for one of the distributors. They changed categories. They also might have changed algorithms, that we never really know about.

If someone came here hoping I had some answers for marketing. Sorry as  got nothing. I believe in my work but marketing-- different thing.

I do though have a brand new picture of me while considering what went wrong. I rarely put up pictures with glasses, as I prefer contacts, but when working on the computer, these are my go-tos *s*

None of this was AI generated-- although I don't know about the meme.

Cheating Yourself

 Lavender and one of my sculptures

 For Saturday's blog, I had in mind writing about my second paranormal, fantasy romance. Something else came up though that I felt demanded more attention. 

For some time there has been concern over what AI will mean for our culture. I think Stephen Hawking, before he died, expressed concern over it being destructive for mankind. I had my doubts as a machine can be destroyed if that is so desired. What about when it's not? What about when some feel they can profit from Artificial Intelligence? Teachers right now have to express concern whether their students wrote the essays they submitted. Writers worry about books created by ChatGPT, relatively new to the game, flooding the market and kicking human authors to the curb.

Well, the genii is out of the bottle and AI is here whether some like it or not. I have heard some authors say it does a better job writing their blurbs than they can do-- and faster. 

For a long time, people have used computers to check spelling or find out if a word was used too many times. That's not the same as a whole book written by a computer and submitted under someone's name to earn money or maybe even fame. What do we do about that?

One thing to realize, if someone desires to be a creative person, I believe that using AI for an essay or a book is cheating themselves of the genuine creative experience. For students, learning to research and then writng an essay expands their abilities. To use AI instead is cheating themselves as well as the system.

As a writer myself, I don't worry about it as I think that human emotions and plots with the kinds of twists that don't come from a formula, will always satisfy more than something generated out of a system that only knows rules. 

At my age, I don't depend on my writing to provide a family's income. Lucky me. I can write for joy, which I do, and recognize that formula writing, which is what AI can do, won't do what I do. I also recognize that many readers are happy with formula writing. It's dependable at least. That's been true for a long time, since in the 1800s, readers could grab those cheap dime novels and get excitement even if it's repetitive.

Part of what decided me to write a blog about AI, where I provide no answers, is believing when we know what something is, what feeds our souls or just passes time, that will help us find meaningful material to read. Maybe it won't be my books, lol but there are plenty of good authors out there, who are writing from their souls. Just keep in mind what passes time doesn't always benefit the writer or the reader.

I decided with a kind of dark topic here, I'd have some of our wonderful flower pictures from spring, something that does feed my soul. 

Check out this link for more thinking on AI and where it's taking us.

Writer's Digest what is yet to come with AI

Sky Daughter -- why this book?

 

 

Having written last week about mysticism vs. science, I thought I'd write a bit about my experience with mysticism. It's not so much direct although there are some dreams that I can't explain. For each of the books in what I regard as a mystical series, I did a lot of research. Some by talking to people, who have experienced things I have not, and some with what I've read through searches.

The first book I wrote about a mystical possibility has much about the human elements on how they can lose touch with reality with a desire for power. When I wrote Sky Daughter, I debated how realistic to make the 'other' side. There were different ways to proceed, but eventually I knew the answer for making this book as real as I could. 

Sky Daughter, with its romance, adventure, and mysticism  is available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Daughter-Rain-Trueax-ebook/dp/B0083YU2FI

 

It was in the 1990s when I first wrote this story with no interest at the time in finding a publisher. I wrote a lot back then for the pure joy of putting together characters with plots and seeing how it all worked out. Some years later, along came the option of self-publishing as an independent author and it was one of the books I reworked to bring out for readers who might share my interests in stories.

Some of the inspiration for the story came from trip we had made to Montana, sleeping in our Astro van. I had the radio on as we entered Idaho on our way home and a talk program came on. It eventually found its way into a powerful part of the plot-- not the actual speaker but the ideas. I had spent some time in various parts of Idaho and it became the perfect setting for an imaginary town that was isolated from much of the world. 

As for the rest of the story, I did create a trailer that depicts some of what came together. Such videos are fun for me to create. Check it out. Images bought from CanStock, Deposit Photos, Vikkas, or my own photos. Music I had purchased from Jewel Beat, which unfortunately doesn't still exist. Glad I bought their music when I did.

Sky Daughter Trailer

Science vs Mysticism OR is it the other way around?

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all. 

Joni Mitchell

Mankind, no matter what the ethnicity or even gender, has always tried to control what is around them. This began very early with mystical powers to protect from evil or even nature in the form of predatory animals or a nature out of control (in human minds). Today, there is still a conflict between the two ways of empowerment... or hopeful empowerment. I almost added nature to the title but then realized it'd take a book to explore all the elements from the beginning or even for today.

Why write about this? Because I woke up one morning last week thinking about it. On a simpler scale than major scientific achievements but instead thinking how life, surrounded by nature, seems so basic and simple. Eating from nature. Enjoying time in nature. And finally, dust to dust. But what about the magical side of life where so many people believe in a god who will fix whatever went wrong, who directs their choices for good. 

Some think of magic as all about a set of rituals possibly designed by a shaman or even witches. They don't recognize religious rituals or traditions as the same thing. It's a way of giving up power in one sense but also of gaining power as that mystical being will make it all better without much sacrifice. Of course, at one time, it took sacrifice. Now, it's more about physically better or worse if you don't follow the directions.

As for science today, well, it improves our lives in many ways, like electricity. It enables travel in ways earlier generations could only achieve if wealthy. But the word science is often used in other ways, to control by projections. I am married to a scientist and he constantly looks for answers  to all kinds of problems, how things work,even when now retired... not that scientists ever retire in my experience. 

For many people today, science is "the god". It will resolve problems before we even knew they were there. The word science is used by those who seek control over human behavior and often based on projections more than pure science which is observable and repeatable, like our electricity. If the word science is used all must bow before the wisdom-- even when it's later proven to not be true. 

As for mysticism, well, it depends on how it's used. Many consider witches to be evil, but the creed of witches is what they do will come back three times; so do good. Whether all who do spells think that way, well, who knows. If there is power in those spells, the ones believing in a god also have an answer-- the devil. Not that we have good and evil within us depending on how we use it, but some spiritual being with only evil intent. 

So, what do I have faith in? I am no mystic, have never done spells unless prayer can be considered one. I am also not a scientist. I am just one who questions and have since being a child. Too many questions I've been told. Oh well, not likely to change now...