You know how opportunity strikes when you least expect it? That happened to me recently. This is how it went.
It’s no secret I suck at promo. My website needs to be updated, but I just hadn't gotten to it yet. All I needed to do was send an email to my webmistress to get the ball rolling. Expense was one reason. Lack of motivation was the other. Who really, really goes to my website anyway?
Bad decision on my part. Some Free Read download short stories on my website through The Wild Rose Press now went nowhere when TWRP disconintued the program a few months ago. I hadn't bothered to have them taken down.
Unforgivable on my part, but there it is.
I also wanted to somehow up my general discoverability on the internet, but had no
clue how to do that either, short of hiring a public relations agency which,
for me, would be cost prohibitive.
What
to do? What to do?
In
order to supplement my author income (ahem) and because the job affords me lots
and lots of down (in other words writing) time, I work as a substitute
administrative assistant for a couple of local school districts. My boss in one
is also second in command of the PR Department.
Imagine
my surprise the other day when she told me she’d Googled (it’s now officially a
verb) me and was very impressed with my website. Although she did mention she
noticed a couple of glitches I needed to fix. One of which was some promised free downloads that went nowhere.
Wait! What?! Someone noticed?
When I cited the problems I had with promo, she and her assistant went on to explain the best and cheapest way to better promote myself on line. Turns out you can ‘claim’ yourself on Google and add relevant information that will pop up in a search. Who knew?
That conversation got me off the dime and I emailed my webmistress to get things rolling again. Voila, just like that the stories are fixed and we have a process going again.
But that's not all. Turns out my 'boss' also does the website for the district which is, I must say impressive. We talked a little about that, too. If things don't work out they way they are not...I have options.
Cool!
Wait! What?! Someone noticed?
When I cited the problems I had with promo, she and her assistant went on to explain the best and cheapest way to better promote myself on line. Turns out you can ‘claim’ yourself on Google and add relevant information that will pop up in a search. Who knew?
That conversation got me off the dime and I emailed my webmistress to get things rolling again. Voila, just like that the stories are fixed and we have a process going again.
But that's not all. Turns out my 'boss' also does the website for the district which is, I must say impressive. We talked a little about that, too. If things don't work out they way they are not...I have options.
Cool!
Then,
I can’t leave this out, BONUS, she asked which of my books was my favorite and which she should buy.
After smiling shyly, I suggested the three stories in one, Saturday In Serendipity, to give her more bang for her buck.
Needless to say, I’m thrilled. Could it be promo and I aren’t so hopeless after all?
How
about you? Any fortuitous events in your recent history?
Be
on the the lookout.
They’re
there.
My
days to blog here are the 11th and 23rd. For more about me and the stories I
write, please visit my (soon to be revamped!) website.
