Writing for a Living: A Career Trajectory That Just Seems Right

Here's an update on my efforts to grow in the "Gig Economy."

My online writing services have touched on so many areas and served a wide range of clients in the past few months, It keeps the process interesting and continues to expand my network (and my horizons!)

I've been writing:

1 - "chat stories" for various smartphone apps.
2 - A vision statement for a non-profit organization creating an anti-bullying workshop.
3 - An "executive summary" tracing a corporation's service to a troublesome client
4 - A curriculum for a video production workshop for teens
5 - A logline and synopsis for a short documentary
6 - Narration for another short documentary.
7 - A short story "legend" for a cartoon character serving as a trademark for a clothing company [check out this article from Upwork about Brand Storytelling]
8 - A job seeker's introductory email to a prospective employer.
9 - Several short biographies for corporate websites
10 - Several serialized short stories: a thriller, a murder mystery, action/adventure, science fiction...the list goes on.

Until I jumped into remote freelancing, I hadn't offered writing services as part of my freelance toolbox. Now, they're a major part of my activity (and a growing part of my income. To use the vernacular, writing is my "super power."

Several of these jobs have generated return business—in many ways, that's the key to making this process work. New clients + Return Clients = Positive Cash Flow. Simple equation, but true. One client has hired me for eleven unique, well paying jobs.

At this point, ten months in, I'm still learning best practices to continue my growth. The process is slower than I would hope, but steady and building. Working online may be convenient, but don't believe the hype: it's still hard work.

(If I can be of service, contact me via my Fiverr Account)

Marketing to Make a Difference

If there's one thing I've learned since I've launched my Alexander series,  it's that marketing as an indie author is a long-term game. To a great extent, it's about building up my Brand. I've come to better understand the difference between a Brand and a Product. The books are my Products. Rich Samuels, the author, is the Brand. More precisely, Rich Samuels, an author who has written three books about facing, overcoming and triumphing over fear (or to be more precise exact) bullying is the brand.

Quora Logo

Bringing this a step further, because of my experience in writing about the subject, I can speak with some expertise about subjects involving fear and bullying. Drill down even further, and one could say that as a fiction writer (someone who by trade interprets human interaction) I can provide a unique perspective on the subject that is separate and distinct from (but complimentary to) counselors/therapists/psychologists who approach the issue from a more analytical perspective.

Alexander's journey is all about perception. His response to the world around him changes as his understanding of that world evolves. Fearing the worst brings out the worst in him. With growing confidence, he not only becomes a better person, but helps someone else face his own fear.

One of the steps I've taken to develop my Brand is to contribute to Quora.com, "a question-and-answer website where questions are asked, answered, edited and organized by its community of users." In a few weeks time, I've become a "Most Viewed Writer on School Bullying" answering numerous questions about the nature of bullying. You can check it out here. Some questions were simple expressions of curiosity. Others, it seemed, express a real crisis.

My experience with Quora, and my evolving opportunities to publicly talk about fear and bullying has become more than simply a marketing game. It's an opportunity to reach out and make a difference.

"My Epic Life" Launches; Anxiety Follows

As of today, My Epic Life is available to the public (just paperback, initially). I'm offering it for purchase on Amazon sites around the world. For the first time, I'm also offering it for sale on Etsy.com, a site which will allow me to offer signed copies, the purchase of the three books as a set and, soon, other special packages.


So, everything is in place.

I have now completed what I've recently taken to calling the Alexander Adventures Trilogy. The overall concept, that of a boy's journey from fearful kid to being a self-assured teen, seems to have appeal.

I've also achieved my objective of writing a professional, well-edited work that touches readers emotionally. The books have received positive reviews - for which I'm happy and grateful.

Now I'm facing the next challenge: more effectively bringing Alexander to his intended audience. Putting aside advertising for the moment, I'm hoping to distinguish this marketing effort from those of my previous books by focusing on several areas. These are the ones on my mind right now:

• Coverage across social media platforms, including YouTube, blogs, and podcasts. I had some success in this area with my first book, but not so much with my second. I'm hoping to increase my online presence this time around. I'll also be returning to more frequent blog updates. 
• I need to encourage more reviews than those I have currently. As a relatively unknown indie author, reviews are a great tool, both in number and my ability to quote readers in my marketing efforts.
• Personal appearances at book fairs, events and other venues. These appearances offer two opportunities: I can bring my books directly to potential audiences, and I can share these efforts with my social media followers, which in turn helps further develop further awareness of the trilogy.

This is a period of great excitement mixed with great anxiety—in many ways, this is an important chapter in a process I began with the publication of My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain in 2013.

I like to think of my book-related efforts as akin to kicking off a tech start-up. Right now, I need to capture the imagination of my potential readers. 

I welcome your suggestions and feedback!

Interviewed by a Pro: What Did I Learn?

Recently I had the opportunity to be interviewed about my Young Adult novel, Own the Scrawny, on “Connie Martinson Talks Books,” a small but influential author interview program airing on various local stations across (and beyond) California, and on PBS in New York. This is my second appearance on the program. (You can watch it here)

A selfie with Connie

According to her Wikipedia entry, Connie’s program has been on the air since 1979. She’s almost a required stop on most book tours; her program has featured fiction and non-fiction authors including Maya Angelou, Ray Bradbury, Al Gore, Rosa Parks, Gore Vidal, Studs Terkel, and Joyce Carol Oates. A then-unknown Barack Obama appeared on the show in 1995.

Connie also features relatively unknown authors, too—that’s where I come in. I happened to be working at a studio where she taped some of her shows a couple of years ago, and took the opportunity to ask her if she ever featured indie authors. I told her about my first book, My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain, and she asked me to send her a review copy. Naturally, I had one on hand and gave it to her right away. A couple of weeks later, she told me she loved the book and invited me on her program. I was ecstatic.

Panel Discussion at the Santa Clarita Public Library

I’ve had the opportunity to make other media appearances since publishing my first book, but “Connie Martinson Talks Books” featured my most in-depth interviews, and a great opportunities to build my audience.

What have I learned from the experience? 

Connie’s interviews aren’t typical media appearances; she reads the book. She knows the book. She knows character names; she knows plot lines. In fact, she even stumped me on a question or two. Connie’s not the sort of person that simply invites authors on her program to fill time—she’s interested and enthusiastic. Though I was much more relaxed the second time around, both interviews left me with one important lesson: prepare. 

Having written the book isn’t always enough. My mind is already working on my next book; I’m not necessarily as familiar with one currently in release. Reviewing the book before an interview; perhaps even creating a cheat sheet with names, events and quotes would be helpful. It's worth considering some behind-the-scenes insights into how the book was conceived, and the sources of inspiration for characters, locations and themes.

Helping interviewers share their enthusiasm is my prime mission during any public or media appearance. Finding champions—people who "get" my books, as Connie does— is both key to building awareness of my work as an indie author, and building my skills as an author-entrepreneur. 

The Vlogger Interviews: Josh Rimer [JoshRimer]

"The Vlogger Interviews" is an ongoing series of vlogs and blogs exploring the definition of vlogging – from the vlogger's perspective, If you like this interview, I would appreciate your subscription to http://youtube.com/worldaccordingtorich on YouTube.  

In my latest "Vlogger Interview," I had the opportunity to chat with Vancouver, Canada-based Josh Rimer.  Josh is both a successful YouTuber (4.4 million views; 9120 subscribers), and, as of earlier this year, a YouTube Marketer.

Huh, what's that?  If you've never heard of the term "YouTube Marketer," that's probably because the concept really didn't exist until just recently.  As YouTube becomes more and more popular - and vloggers and other YouTubers being to see what they're doing as potentially a profession, knowing how to actually bring those videos out to an audience has become something of an art.