One Writer's Journey . . .



Loved this picture! And I didn't get to use it when I recently wrote for George Cramer's blog, so in the spirit of August malaise, I'm going to share it and a bit of what I wrote for the blog. While it speaks to my journey into writing, the path could easily apply to anyone who decides to embark on a new or second career, i.e. the stages we go through.

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Viewing my professional life in phases, I would break it down to: the Novice, Middle Management, Top Management, and Retreat. I went through all four phases in my other life, after which I was sure I could just focus on my writing…thinking there would be so much more independence. How naïve I was, finding myself on that same trajectory. After having that realization came the decision as to where to go next…

As a Novice, knowing only that I wanted to write—and I was initially writing for young adults—I set out to learn how to write for that genre (vocabulary, reading levels, etc.). I eventually took my characters into adulthood, writing adult mysteries/thrillers, as well as two standalone novels. But in the beginning, because I knew nothing about publishing, I had to learn what was involved there as well. I took classes, watched webinars, read all the classic books suggested to aspiring writers, attended writing groups, and conferences. Then I went through the query/submit process too many times to count before deciding to work with a hybrid publisher, which turned out to be a learning, but very disappointing lesson, leading me to decide I needed to learn how to become an independent writer/publisher…an indie writer.

That decision having been made, I was entering the whole new world of Middle Management which included learning how to format my work for publication, working with a cover designer, and uploading the work for publication. Of course, there followed the need to set up a website and determine what social media presence might be necessary, appearing on the blogs of fellow writers, and participating in book fairs. I gave next to no attention to marketing per se; like many writers, I was very uncomfortable with the idea of self-promotion, which is sadly a very important part of every writer’s success.

It is only in the last year, as I started writing book #10, that I began to re-evaluate what I was doing—what was working for me and what was not working in terms of promoting my work. What I had to do and what I could skip, keeping in mind what many webinar instructors had stressed: “Consider the long game”.  With the growth of audiobooks as a major vehicle whereby readers now access books, I set my first goal of learning how to record an audiobook myself, as the cost of hiring a narrator for all my books would be prohibitive. (And how could I choose which ones to record? It’s like choosing your favorite child!)

My second goal was to immerse myself in learning about marketing, something I initially dreaded, but have come to see as a challenge. I took several classes and read a mountain of material before experimenting with Facebook ads, with rather poor results. There is a definite learning curve, and I do intend to retry, along with Amazon and Bookbub ads, which others have recommended. In addition, I’ve talked with another writer who is putting his ads on a streaming service. There is so much more to learn, so I’ll be here at this stage for the foreseeable future, but I'm working towards being in charge, i.e. Top Management (or at least understanding what those in charge are doing). I do not see myself in Retreat at any time soon.

Finally, in my current phase, I have to decide which of my present commitments I will keep. I have been committed to a monthly newsletter on my website and will continue with this. I have also been committed to weekly social media posts, but that being something for which I have no talent, I have successfully hired someone to help. I haven’t found book fairs particularly beneficial, so I'm not likely to continue with those. As to writers groups: I've learned a lot, but I will be selective. There is a lot on the horizon with AI, which I've used to help construct book blurbs. There are other new avenues that I'll be exploring, including a Bookbub website and opportunities on Substack. I do think it's important to stay curious!

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Here's what I've been reading by some authors that are not new, but are new to me:

• Between Greed and Manhood by Robert Ryan (2024) - Set in the late 1800s, Finnegan Gilhooley is a Pinkerton agent tasked with catching a killer in coal country in the time of the Molly Maguires. Love the character's name!

• The Wrong Kind by Austin Camacho(2019) - PI Hannibal Jones sets out to find the daughter of a friend and finds himself involved in murder and a gang war.

• Damascus Station by David McCloskey (2021) - CIA intrigue in Syria. Fast-paced, heart-stopping, with some brutal descriptions.

• A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block (2025) - #17 in a series. Retired NYC cop working as a PI solving crimes, interwoven with his experiences in AA.

• The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict (2025) - Five queens of mystery fiction in the 1930s, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, set out to solve a real murder.

• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (2024) - A spell-binding saga of childhood friends growing up with challenges, and how those bring their adult lives to diverge in such different directions.

• The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins (2024) - A remote island in Scotland, a mercurial artist, a lonely MD, and an art investigator. Spooky! I had to read on to know what the title meant.

HAVE A WONDERFUL END TO YOUR SUMMER!