Indie writers are always looking for exposure

I have always (well, for as long as I can remember) wanted to be a writer. I still have several of the notebooks I kept as a teenager with my stories, poems, etc. And every now and then (particularly when I'm about to pack up and move again) I stumble across them and leaf through, promising myself this time I'm going to get rid of them, but I never do. And maybe that's good, because it shows me how far I've come.

Like most wannabe writers, when I was younger I dreamed of landing a big contract, becoming a best-selling author, and having legions of fans breathlessly awaiting my next book. Then I got older, watched the print publishing industry start its slow decline, and decided if I ever wanted to release my babies into the wild, I was going to have to do what I've done in every other phase of my life--do it myself. That's when I made the conscious decision to become an indie writer.

Besides, fame and fortune isn't everything it's cracked up to be. Look at Lindsay Lohan.

That being said, you can be the best writer in the world (and I know I'm far from that) and it doesn't do a damn bit of good if no one but you reads your writing. Writers, for all our introverted neuroses, want to be read. Creating something and throwing it into a dark drawer to rot in silence is like saying I'm not worthy. We need validation. And for a writer, that comes in the form of readers.

The big question is, how do you get them? There are loads of people online and in print doling out advice on this subject. Get a blog. Plaster yourself all over social media. Run contests... 

All good advice, and extremely important for marketing anything you have to sell (even if it's yourself). But every hour you spend blogging, tweeting, and liking stuff online is an hour you're not writing (like now). There was a time, back in the day, when publishers kept a staff of publicists to promote their writers, thus freeing up said writers to do what they do best, which is write. Today...not so much. Even if you manage to land a traditional publishing contract, there is just about zero chance of a publisher spending money to promote anyone but their A-list writers, who, by the way, don't really need it since they're A-list writers. Think about it--when have you ever seen a Ferrari commercial on TV? Yeah. So, whether you are traditionally published or an independent writer, the burden of self-promotion lies with the writer.

I may have been writing since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, but I've only recently (in the past two years) dipped my toe into the publishing pool, so I don't have any good advice here other than I wish someone would invent a day stretcher. I started out with Amazon (Kindle and CreateSpace) with the my first published book, Being John Bland. Created an author page, linked up my website and blog, Published my second book (Lucid),  found my way to Goodreads (thank you, Cassandra) and Barnes & Noble, published my third book (Return of the Light), found my way to Kobo and Smashwords (thank you, Suzan), blog, tweet, and like, and wait for lightning to strike.

It hasn't. Not yet, anyway, although now and then I think I hear thunder rumbling. In the meantime, I'm learning the ropes. Paying my dues. With every book I publish, I learn new ways to make it better, new ways to streamline the publishing process. New ways to promote my writing. So, I don't have any magic bullets or sage advice for anyone looking to break into the writing and/or self-publishing game other than the best teacher is always experience. Get out there, make some mistakes, have some fun, and keep trying.