What Works and What Doesn't?

c2011Shalako

After not selling a book in about eight days, it is nice to discover that I sold a book, on Amazon, which for my present purposes is the only platform that matters in terms of statistics.

The question, when we are engaged across so many social platforms, using a multitude of tools, techniques, tactics and strategies, is the age-old question:

What worked? What exactly did I do correctly, in what place, at what time, and in what 'context,' did I sell that book? Who did I sell it to? Why did they buy it? How did it come to their attention?

Whether you are cracking jokes on Twitter, mining for followers, signing up for a new social platform, whether it's Library Thing or Orkut, the sad truth is that it all works.

It all works. That's hard to understand, when you haven't sold a book in a week.

What the hell are you talking about, Lou?

It all works. The one key element that so many of us overlook is time.

We are in a hurry. We want success, we want money, we want recognition. We want a pat on the back. We want someone we respect to tell us we're 'a good writer.'

When nothing much seems to be happening, to just stop is an insidiously compelling notion.

Don't do it.

Keep going.

Most of the really great writers in the world are older than I am. And some of them are a lot older.

Heh-heh-heh.

While my place in literary history is by no means secure, we can always sign up for Wikipedia and enter our own profile data. Because we really don't expect anyone else to do it for us!

As a former journalism instructor once told me, "Attitude is Everything."