Some time ago I had decided to use my own name, rather than a made-up pen name, as my author signature for my works. Since then I have marketed and used my name to promote my writing, gain a following, and no matter how nonchalant I try to say it– make some money. I am still at the beginnings of my career, if you want to call it that, but I have faced some tough decisions and challenges in plastering my name all over the Internet like a billboard along a highway.
I’ve signed up and joined communities. I’ve spammed message boards and bombarded my friends with links. I’ve offended people, made friends, been flamed, flagged, ignored, supported, teased, bullied, mocked, loved, thanked, and adored. I’ve got an account on Twitter, Facebook, Smashwords, StumbleUpon, WordPress, Reddit, Digg, Technorati, LinkedIn, Barnes & Noble, GooglePlus, Skype, Squidoo, Yahoo, About, YouTube, Fark, Slashdot, Tumblr, del.icio.us, flickr, Amazon, NaNoWriMo, and more. You can find me all over the web, and everywhere links to everything else.
But I have learned some lessons along the way.
Lesson One: I will no longer spam.
It doesn’t work. Communities like Reddit and Digg are spam-blind. They ignore it into oblivion. Social media communities support their community members. Very rarely will a random link by a non-contributer become popular. I’ve had much more success in showcasing my works in communities I have truly become a part of. I love my online communities and am glad to have found encouragement and support in them, but they are also great places to share ideas and projects. I welcome their criticisms as much as anything else.
Lesson Two: Content is king.
Quick hits are not successful. This applies to my writings, to blog posts, to community forum posts, and everything else. Betting all of your investments into a get-rich-quick stream of thoughts and actions will not work out well in the end. My writings need to be quality, and there needs to be a lot of them. I have four ebooks for sale right now, and that is not nearly enough. In order to find success, I need to focus more on my output. At least I have been able to focus on this blog, keeping it active and regular for the past few months.
This blog used to receive about 300 page views a month in its first couple of years of life. The past few months have changed that, however. In October this site got 700 visits, November 1200, December 1800, and halfway through January it is on a path to hit at least 2800 visits. This is due to regular and quality updates. I don’t think it all has to do with the posts themselves, but a combination of the posts and my improved member status among several social media websites. I used to spam my posts on all of the same sites I use now to promote myself, but the way I have gone about it has changed for the better.
Lesson Three: Get over the shame.
Though I feel that I have become a worthy member of many communities, it still can feel a bit grimy to solicit myself to the masses. I still sense it, but I don’t care anymore. I understand that I must market myself in order to find success. The world is my market, and so is the Internet, and my friends, and my family. I try to never go overboard, but I still let everyone know when I have something new out. I used to be shy about my work, but I got over that, just the same as I had to get over being shy about promoting my work. And you know what? I’ve come across more supporters than critics and I am proud of everything I have put together. It is not about deserve, but about desire. I want this, and I’m going to go for it.
There are smaller lessons that are not worth putting a list, but together they add up to something notable. Simple rules in life can be attributed to marketing yourself. Every situation should be considered and cared for in its own way. Be informative. Provide a benefit to your audience. Don’t only give, but receive other’s ideas and works as well. Support others as you want them to support you. Criticize those needing criticism, and praise those worth praising. Share more than your profit-driven pieces, share your thoughts, concerns, loves, hates, and complete self. This is your name, after all, and your audience should know about the person you are more than the art you’re capable of creating.
I have no intentions of becoming famous (when do you reach that point, exactly?), but I am going about the process of gaining name recognition. I want to be known well enough to where people can find out who I am and are aware of everything I have to offer. I don’t want to be a pen name with no persona, no history attached to it. I am Arthur McMahon and there is a hell of a lot more to find out about me than my writings.
So how have you marketed your name? Or, if you have chosen a pen name, why? I’d love to hear what you have to say. I still have a long way to go, and your input helps.
