I must ask everyone’s forgiveness. I just realized that my last blog posting took place near the final weekend in November. At that time, I was just putting together my latest book: 30 Days of Advent Colouring Journal, and diving into a busy choir season with Kelowna Community Gospel Choir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEGdI13dZmg
Add to that playing Mom’s Taxi for my daughter’s horse and harp stuff, Christmas events, and the schedule got so full that I’d sit down to my computer and veg rather than dive into anything productive outside of work.
Normally I do some sort of book promotion during December as well. In 2012 I did a story blog tour. In 2013 I did the Google Play Winter Giveaway. In 2014 I did 12x12x12x12. But this year, the thought of getting into the Black Friday/Cyber Monday craze turned me off. The concept of getting in on the Christmas sales put a bad taste in my mouth. It was all I could do to offer a 10% discount through to January 3rd.
Part of the story is that I now have a boarder in the home who is easily swayed by advertising! This person is the epitome of what advertisers direct their imagery and phrase their wording toward! If the wording is enticing, they are enticed. If the packaging looks inviting, they want it. Just seeing something in someone else’s hands is enough for this person to develop near-instant cravings for whatever it might be that appealed to them.
Rather than encouraging me or proving to me that advertising works, and that I should do my best to capture that same type of reaction toward my own books and services, such behaviour has actually bolstered my loathing for marketing and promotion instead. Yes I’ve written content that I greatly desire will get into the hands of those who will benefit from it. But in the current world where traditional, vanity/small press and self-published authors are expected to build platforms and find their target market, build a following and prove interest before agencies will even look at them, the concept of marketing and promotion for many of us is an unwanted burden. Most authors I have met over the past few years don’t enjoy marketing. They don’t enjoy promotion. They’d rather write and hire out to a marketing agency if they can afford that option. Those who can’t are forced into doing it for themselves, which is where I sit.
Even blog writing requires promotion to get blog posts seen and read. I just wasn’t into the whole promotion thing this season, and the very thought that to get a blog post seen meant having to promote it, just added to the gravel building up in my mouth. Blog posts didn’t get written as a result.
Maybe those are poor reasons not to keep up with postings on this site. Maybe my focus was in the wrong place as far as my writing went. But having someone under your roof so easily taken in by the marketing and promotional efforts of others sure puts a new spin on things!
Instead, we engaged in Advent together as a family every night, using the proof copy of “30 Days of Advent Colouring Journal”. The 20yr olds in the house enjoyed the various colouring pages, and discussion brought up by each Scripture passage and advent thought was lively at times.
A grade 5 class that helped proof the concept of this book granted me my first-ever author visit! We read and discussed two devotional thoughts together, and one student in the class ordered a copy of the book at the author rate I gave to their teacher. The order came in the week of Christmas, so hopefully the student will get it before New Year’s and have it available for next year’s Advent.
The Christmas season was capped off in amazing fashion when my daughter was asked by a local professional Oboe/English Horn player who just happens to be both our landlord, long-time family friend and Sister in Christ, to join her in providing Christmas dinner music for a church’s Christmas Day Dinner! I went along as the mule and took some video clips and photos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ5c1KXuhlk
Their portion of the evening was captured by a local reporter and used to highlight the event visually when their article made the 11pm news: Dinner for Hundreds (my daughter’s website is http://ashgrove.fa-ct.com)
Now we are here, on the Sunday after Christmas, and it’s time to look back, then forward. To that end, there will be a series of blog posts this week to cover everything, I just felt an apology was necessary before I dove into the reflections and forecasts.
I pray that your own Christmas went well, and that as you wind down from the holidays and begin your own time of reflection and forecasting, that God will lead you into a blessed 2016.
