IWSG – Book Release

Today is the first Wednesday of the month, so you know what that means…

Insecure Writer's Support Group day!

I've been missing the blogging world lately, and I feel bad I haven't been able to visit all of you who still follow me! But between college, friends, boys, and writing, things have been quite crazy lately. In fact, I even stopped writing for a bit.

DON'T JUDGE ME.

It wasn't intentional, it just became difficult to balance school, a social life, and writing. And I used to be more of an introvert, but sometime in the past year that changed. I know because my best friend and I took the Myers Briggs 16 Personalities Test a few weeks ago.

And extroverts need more social human time than introverts, generally.

So I wasn't writing much, spending time with other humans.

Over the summer, I started writing again. Well, editing actually, since it has been taking me forever to finish my second novel.

But now, my moment of victory has arrived!

I have completely finished The Inferiors, and as of September 4th, it has been published! I have not yet made it available on Amazon.com or any other distributor because I'm trying to set up a release party for the official release date, which is on Monday, September 18th.

So coming to why I'm insecure this month, I'm really nervous about my book release. Apart from the normal fears (what if people don't like it? Will they like how the story continues?) I really don't know how to market my book.

There's a guy I've been friends with for the past year, and he didn't even know I'd written a book until about a month ago. It's not something I talk about really, it's just something I love to do.

The biggest fear I have this month is for September 9th. I ordered 50 copies of my first book, and they're supposed to get to my house on September 8th. But I have this local author festival thing at my library on the 9th, and if my books don't come I'm going to be there with no books to sell. So…that's quite nerve wracking.

Anyway, I'd like to thank Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting the IWSG every month! Click here to visit more people in the IWSG!

Thanks everyone!

P.S. I'm going to be posting this week about a blog hop for my release party, so stick around!

–Jess

Marketing Is Scary

I guess my plan for blogging more over the summer didn't go down so well.

Either way, I'm done with excuses, because there's really no excuse, nothing I have to say in my own defense as to why I didn't write more over the summer.

Anyway, what's done is done.

Okay, so I'm sort of nervous.

See, I love to write.

I mean, obviously.

Then again, you wouldn't say you love to breathe. You only do it because if you didn't, you would die. I live to write, and write to live. My world, and writing are dependent on each other. It's become a fact of my existence, I guess.

The thing is…

With my book out, and everything, I have to worry about marketing now.

And I don't like marketing, I just like writing.

Let's put it this way.

I'm not really a "people" person.

I'm a writer because I'm not a good speaker.

Although I could probably write a good speech for myself, there's no guarantees I'll actually say it well.

No, really, all I want to do is write.

And meet some hot male protagonist, but that's beside the point.

So my mom has kind of taken the role of a marketing advisor, and been helping me get my books into local book stores. Actually only one bookstore so far, and I haven't even given them the copies they requested yet, but hey, it's a start.

I'll admit, it scares me a little.

Like, a lot.

And it makes me wanna go like this "ASL;DKFJAS;DFJKL" all over the keyboard.

Seriously though…not that I'm going to have one any time soon, but…what exactly do you do at a book signing? I mean, besides sign books? Do you have to answer questions? Are there certain questions that people tend to ask?

Ahhh I'm making myself nervous.

Please, though, if you have any suggestions let me know.

–Jess