Last night, I returned to the Syracuse Arts Academy as a guest, a featured author, to help an elementary school impress to their students the importance of the written word.
And I loved it!
It's been a while.
I've had incredible fortune to be able to participate in conventions, writing symposiums, and other events and try and sell books I've written, or books that that contain stories I've written. I've had the opportunity to sit/stand side-by-side some of the best people I know, authors with varying degrees of talent/gumption/drive working as one, yet working for themselves. The goal--push books, make other's lives better for having read what they wrote.
Years ago I attended several events every year, sometimes six or seven. Now, I' down to maybe one a year. I realized this as I stood behind the desk, product before me, as well as potential buyers. I didn't do great, but sold more than I did at the same event last year. And it felt good to make contact, ask questions, see the love of reading in some of their eyes.
Writing is a juggling act. You must write, but you must also read, market, bark, lower expectations (sometimes...), swallow your pride (sometimes...), and do it all with the hope that all the hard work will be worth it. There are times when something has to give. For me, I haven't been selling, barking, pushing pages. Maybe I'll do better in the days to come.
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