Thursday, May 3, 2012

Developing a Social Platform as an Indie Writer


Developing a Social Platform as an Indie Writer


World Expo, Shanghai 2010
Self-pub information overload!  Absolute information overload!  In true Lillian style, of course I have outdone myself with over-emersion in my latest and greatest passion.  It has all really got me to thinking.  Self-publishing is a long and bold journey where I get to learn new truths about myself, as I share some of the most personal things about myself with the world.

“Branding”, we have all heard the word, but did you know that if you’re going to be an author you should brand yourself?   I have now gone and thought of all of the things for which I stand. I picked a few of them to develop into my personal “Lillian Pierson” brand.   It’s like “who is Lillian Pierson in 25 words or less?” Com’on?!?  My Brand: Environmental Stewardship, Technology, Writing, Spirituality, International Travel, Social Justice, Freedom.  Those are the things that I love, and so that is my brand.  I am definitely open to ideas for how I can title that brand, if you have any…

Here is an off-the-cuff list of things I have heard that I need to do, or have, in order to be a successful self-publisher.  A really hot website, a current blog, a strong social media presence, an editor, a cover designer, ISBN codes, a business license, a teaser, media assistance if possible, et al.  Well, guess what I found out.  That stuff costs money, and lots of it! 

I started to get stressed and anxious until I realized that this sentiment defeats the entire purpose of self-publishing.  Heck, if I can’t pay for all that stuff, I will do it myself.  Isn’t that what “indie” is all about?  I am an engineer; I should be able to handle all of it on my own.  Plus, if I do, I can write about all the tricks that I learn so that my readers can learn to do the same for themselves if they so choose.  It’s a win-win all around!

I have had a real case of information overload going on here.  I had to step back and re-evaluate.  It seems that, with the explosion of internet technology, a person really needs to develop a cognitive model with which to harness new information.  If one does not create some sort of structure and function within the stream of internet information that is available, the lack of organization could potentially render the information useless. 

Keeping in mind all that I have learned, I developed my own strategy and goals.  My mission is to help people by sharing knowledge with them that can change their lives, and consequently, change the world in which they are living.  I also want to help people who are already helping people in that way.  I want to stay focused on who I am best suited to help, and how I can help them.  This is my sole mission, and I don’t want to put any cart before that horse.

If you are going to read my work, then one thing that you will notice is that I am a spiritual gal.  I never prescribed my beliefs on to anyone else, and I seek to learn from the beliefs of others, but at my core I am a spiritual person.  This being said, I have strong faith that I will be shown what to do and when to do it.  The right people will cross my path.  The right opportunities will unfold.  I need to put forth the effort to prepare myself the best that I can, but preparation doesn’t mean stress.  It doesn’t mean competition.  It doesn’t mean force.  To me, this will be a labor of pure love and of nothing else.

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Reader input, anyone? (Thanks for checking out my blog)