I’m going to try to make this short and sweet.
There are all kinds of advice floating around about whether or not one should or shouldn’t blog out portions of one’s work into the Internet…how it might or might not damage the success of said work, should the blogger want to publish it, en masse.
Dare I say it?
Bullshit.
To that I add: pure bullshit.
A member of the writing I belong to expressed concern about that, because that was what this member was doing…then had stopped…but was, again, considering doing. He did it because of several reasons, some of which were that he enjoyed doing it. It got him writing. He’d found an audience.
I’d say the following be my opinion, but I really don’t think it’s an isolated “opinion” anymore. Heck an opinion at all; it has become fact: As long as what you do doesn’t hurt anyone, do what you love. Do what you enjoy. There are always people out there who love serials…and those who would love to read those serials again…or in one complete form. Those who have never seen your work, so one platform or the other serves them.
Do you really think a traditional publisher is going to care whether or not you blogged about your work–if they really felt they could make millions of you?
Hell no.
Any free promotion they can get to help sell their version of your work, all the better.
Look, no trad publisher is gonna take you if they don’t feel they can make a buck off of you, period. Your blogging of your book is an antiquated issue, based upon antiquated reasoning. Antiquated reasoning is what’s damaged (and continues to damage) traditional publishing. Reasoning can be made for or against anything, but it’s all about packaging. Look at all the crap out there that’s been out there for ever, suddenly repackaged and re-promoted. Instead of bitching and moaning about what not to do, about how terrible the world is and how things “could never work,” why not spin that frown upside down, my perfectly bound friends? Anything can be sold. Just put out a little effort, for crying out loud.
And you can always, always, Indie publish (don’t even get me going about how Indie publishing merely promulgates more shitty work into the world).
Do what gives you joy.
It’s your life.
Live it as you want. If your work is good or meant to succeed–in however way you define it—it will.
Just ignore all the white noise out there, and do what makes you happy. Life is short. Play hard.
To “he” out there, you go, dude! Have fun and keep your audience wanting more!
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