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#IWSG, author brand, author platform, blogging, Insecure Writer's Support Group, Kristen Lamb, Publishing, social media, social media tips, writer's life, writer's platform, writerly insecurities, writers, writing
I recently read a series of articles on Kristen Lamb’s blog that had me thinking.
The first was “Welcome to The Matrix: You Work for FREE & There IS No Payday”. In this post she tells you exactly how the matrix creatives find themselves in works. She explains how working for free for MEGA brands only leads to more unpaid work… and not to that perfect place where writers actually get paid for writing great content.
The second was “Pay the WRITER 2—Out-Hustle the Hustlers”. Basically she explains how you can become fearless and work towards your brand instead of someone else’s for “exposure”.
She does refer to Millennials a lot in both posts…
There were others, of course, but these two stood out.
What I think we should learn from these posts:
Build Your Author Brand
So what’s the difference between building your author brand and being hustled?
The truth? Not much.
Building your brand means working tirelessly on social media to make sure everyone knows your name and what it stands for (e.g. blog posts about folklore, guest posts about folklore, tweets about folklore, Pinterest boards about folklore, etc.).
That sounds like getting “exposure” right? Which means you’re getting paid in experience instead of money. (Check out what Kristen has to say about that in the first article linked.) Not that experience, bragging rights and exposure isn’t good. As long as it benefits you.
Which means: pour your energy into your own blog, writing guest posts appearing on similar blogs to grow your audience, share your content on various social media platforms, share the work of others in your field (yes: your bestie blogger friends), share a few things on social media that is helpful to your friends and won’t hurt your own brand, focus on your own writing and brand.
That way, even if you aren’t getting paid in actual money, at least you are truly working for yourself. Which, as all entrepreneurs know, will lead to success (and money).
Being hustled means doing all of that work for free for someone else’s brand and thus making someone else rich.
Emotions and people playing with them.
So, someone told you that writing them something for free is such a nice/superb/super-human/whatever-compliment-you-love thing to do. So you do it. For nada. Why? Because emotions are easily manipulated. We all want to feel like we’re awesome. Why do you think feel-good romcoms and books do well?
Anyhow, if it’s something they can do themselves but only want you to do because “you’re the writer” then figure out what truly lies behind the request. Is it someone’s big birthday and they want the card to be nicely worded with a dash of warmth from someone who knows them? Is it a speech for someone you know who has trouble with language and this is a teachable moment? (Helping others is a good thing, you know, even if you come off as being a know-it-all.) Or is the request simply made so the other person doesn’t have to do the dirty job of actually having to string words cohesively together? Or, worse, so they can have an evening off because you’ll do it?
Be honest with yourself. Whether it’s doing the dishes or writing a birthday card, if it’s not your turn to do it and you really don’t have time, then don’t. They’ll be angry. But if it’s important to them, they’ll do it. And if not… Then why did they ask you to waste your time?
Don’t let anyone shame you for valuing your time or wanting to be paid for your hard work. (Even if it’s only a cup of coffee after helping with that speech…)
Build Your Author Platform
Still skeptical that having a platform is a good thing? As mentioned above, there’s a lot of work involved…
I wrote a while back about why you should have an author platform.
“I’ve said before that having a writing platform is like having an online portfolio. Readers get an idea of your writing style and what to expect story-wise. Which means they won’t feel like they’re gambling when buying your novel (books are expensive). Which leads to better sales. Which means that you’re finally getting paid for your writing.”
I even hosted a challenge on another site to help you build your author platform.
“As part of building a better online presence (defining my brand and getting it noticed), I decided to look into more ways to grow my blog’s readership. I realised then that I should share what I know.
The Basics of Author Online Presence Challenge is exactly that: the basics. But I do believe that sometimes we can only truly succeed when we get the basics right. So drawing on my own experience, I created the challenge and helped a few writers in the process.”
Not taking my word for this? Good. You’re learning not to trust blindly 😉
Check out Roz Morris’s post about how to make a living as a writer in 2017 – using your author platform.
So to build your author platform, check out the helpful posts linked to in this section and remember to try out blog hops too. You’ll thank me one day.
Participating in blog awards is another great way to build your brand and interact with your friends and fans…
Working for Free
As a writer, you send your stories to a lot of competitions, anthologies and ezines that only pay in exposure and copies (if you’re lucky). A few of the anthologies and ezines pay in actual money, but not all.
So where do you draw the line?
Personally, I go with my gut. If I have time to write a flash fiction piece/short story/novella to send out to competitions/anthologies/ezines, I do it. If I don’t have time – the writing that really matters is my novel – then I don’t. If the terms and conditions of sending a piece to one of these publishers seem too good to be true/not specific enough/anything dodgy, I don’t do it.
Money? Honestly, it would be great to get paid. But after taxes, currency changes and banking costs, that $15 (if you’re lucky) doesn’t amount to much. Know the rules of your local government and banks before dreaming about using money from your writing for anything. Go with your gut… If getting published in ezines and anthologies is going to help build your brand and won’t hurt you in any way, go for it.
The Point?
If you play with Rottweilers without knowing the rules, you’re going to get bitten. If you’re going to play with them using the rules of someone else’s dog, you’re going to get bitten. If you’re going to play with Rottweilers but you’re secretly terrified of them, you’re going to get bitten.
The same with building your brand and hanging out on social media.
If you’re going to flit around without a plan you’re going to fail. If you’re going to try it out with “rules” someone with only a bit more experience than you thought out, you’re going to fail. If you don’t try, you’re going to fail.
See where I’m going with this?
Trust your gut – not the nauseous feeling you get when you just think of logging on, but the feeling you have about using a specific social media network. Is that network a safe place for you? Does it do what you expect it to? (Not gather nasty trolls but meeting professional writers.) Does it benefit you? If not, move on.
I’m not an expert in any way, but I agree with Kristen that you should stop being a battery in the matrix.
See your brand.
Be your brand.
You are your brand.
Besides, you’re a special little snowflake – why would you want to be part of the sludge?
Mm… blunt, even for me. Anyhow, I hope this article has helped you. Be fearless and master social media and your brand. And if you fail? You try and try again. Do you write for free for anyone except yourself? How do you feel about sending your writing to ezines and the like that only pay in “exposure”? Feel free to comment.
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pjlazos said:
Oh my gosh, I think I need to reread this post every day! The other day, a good friend who hadn’t yet read my book (which came out in June 2016) “confessed” that he hadn’t read my book yet. (One of my pet peeves is when good friends don’t support you in the simplest manner by buying something as inexpensive as a book, especially when we’re GOOD FRIENDS.) He turned to his wife and said, “Wife, please buy the book for me for Christmas,” to which wife replied, “Can’t you just give us a copy for free?” I almost fell off my chair. It’s not like the book is more expensive than say, a nice bottle of wine of which we’d consumed many that weekend (big gathering of old friends). I was very hurt and wasn’t sure how to respond. Was friendship contingent on giving away the fruits of my labor? I’ve given honey (we used to keep bees) and honey products (lip balm, soap) away for years. Now they wanted my writing as well. I told her to suck it up. I give plenty away, especially with all my volunteer work, and I deserved to be paid for some things, especially those I poured my soul into. End of conversation and I have no idea if they’ll ever buy the book, but I’m glad I said my bit. I know some people think words are cheap and that anyone can string them together, but I’ve put in time, dedication, given up walks in the woods and time in the garden to string the words together and I think that it’s time to be paid for my efforts. Glad to hear that others are giving voice to the same concern. Thanks for your great post, Ronel. It gives me a much-needed feeling of camaraderie. :0)
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miladyronel said:
You are very welcome 🙂 Sometimes it’s easy for people to take what we do for granted. But we have to stand up for ourselves: no-one would expect a lawyer friend to help for free, so why should we give our books away for free? As for friends not being supportive: they should really look into the definition of friendship (it’s a give and take, not just take-take-take) — we’re all busy, but we make time for what’s important.
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pjlazos said:
Haha – so true!🙏
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raimeygallant said:
I almost fell out of my chair too. So not nice.
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trishafaye said:
Great post! I’m with pjlazos – I need to re-read this every day.
I occasionally write for free – IF it fits into what my goals are and I foresee other benefits besides the monetary ones. And I very often write for token amounts – again, if it fits into my current plans.
I do think many people undervalue what we do and expect free help or free books as if our words aren’t a commodity worth any value.
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Trisha 🙂
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Juneta said:
Great post. Some really good points. I will have to come back and read again.
Juneta @ Writer’s Gambit
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miladyronel said:
Thanks, Juneta 🙂
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Stephanie Faris said:
The sad thing is how often the hard work writers do is undervalued. I battle this every day in my freelance work. Some people just don’t think that a writer’s ability and talent is worth paying decent money for. After all, ANYONE can put words on a page… (Sigh)
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miladyronel said:
Sigh indeed. Thanks for commenting, Stephanie 🙂
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Erika Beebe said:
No matter what, we must not give up and believe in our brand, our efforts to succeed. Eventually, I think we will 🙂
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miladyronel said:
Absolutely 🙂
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patgarcia said:
Hi,
I think one of the hardest things to do is build your brand. I believe it can be done if you start out in small chunks that are bite-size for maybe a small kid to chew on. I know Social Media is important but it is not the most important thing. Brand building takes a certain confidence that demands that you don’t put your own principles on the back burner. Sometimes I think we sell ourselves too short out of fear and never achieving our goals.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
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miladyronel said:
Indeed. Thanks for commenting, Pat 🙂
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Jacqui Murray said:
I have a fairly well-developed brand for my tech ed writing and do routinely get calls to contribute/review/write for companies. I only select those that fit my brand and it’s not enough to pay the bills yet. Still, I see a start.
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miladyronel said:
Build it and they will come 😉
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Megan Morgan said:
This is super good advice! I’m going to go check out the articles you linked. Thank you!
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miladyronel said:
You’re welcome 🙂
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Rebecca Douglass said:
I think that’s a great post! I agree: don’t give it away, at least not to enrich others (I post flash fiction on my blog, but that’s kind of a calculated give-away, right?).
Thanks for posting this.
—Rebecca
My IWSG Post
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miladyronel said:
Thank you 🙂 And yes: publishing flash fiction on your blog is definitely a calculated give-away.
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emaginette said:
I’ve stopped doing the contests, anthologies, etc and haven’t had anything published for a while. Lately contracts are up and getting my rights back. If I was worried before–which I was–I’m scared silly now.
Anna from elements of emaginette
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miladyronel said:
It’s the time of the year to feel fear 😉 But seriously, stick with building your brand via social media and your blog and work on your novel. Write for anthologies etc whenever you have time — but check that you’ll get paid (like with the IWSG one). Keep writing! Oh, and Kristen Lamb has a post about making fear work for you on her blog 😉
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raimeygallant said:
This is a wonderful perspective, Ronel. I love that you chose to write about it, because it’s something writers need to be aware of.
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miladyronel said:
Thank you, Raimey 🙂 I thought so too when I read Kristen’s series — we need to spread the word that our writing is valuable.
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Angela Wooldridge said:
Great post. If I write for free, then I still try to make sure there’s a purpose to it, even if that’s just for my own experience.
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miladyronel said:
Thank you 🙂 I agree — our writing should have purpose, even if it’s only for our own experience.
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Kathy said:
I’m new to the writing thing. Not quit at level zero, but not really yet at level one either. The goal I hold close to my fragile heart is to publish books that people enjoy and sustain myself financially as I do it. That might be a long way off, but that’s what I envision for myself daily. Beyond getting better at the actual writing part of it all, I’m pretty much at a loss on how to “play the game.” I don’t know the “rules,” and I don’t really even know who the “referees” are. I found this article wonderful, and I’ll be passing it along via twitter and facebook. I clicked every link you shared and read those articles as well. In about a half hour, I feel so much more informed. Thank you for this post, and happy writing to you.
Oh, I almost forgot. Do you take part in NaNoWriMo? If so, look me up. I’m KassyMarin over there. 🙂
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miladyronel said:
I’m glad to have helped 🙂 I’m not doing NaNo this year — lots of rewrites. Good luck!
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C.D. Gallant-King said:
The only exposure I get is the kind with a trenchcoat at the fountain in the park. Much like giving away free copies of my book, no one much appreciates that, either.
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miladyronel said:
LOL.
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Alex J. Cavanaugh (@AlexJCavanaugh) said:
I don’t want to get bit.
I did a few articles and some short stories for published anthologies for free, mostly while I was still writing my own books. I’ve also done some where I was paid. They were all good for building my platform, but it helps to know when it’s not worth the effort.
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miladyronel said:
Absolutely. As long as the work you do — for free or, better, getting paid — is working for your brand and your gut is okay with the decision, it’s good for you 🙂
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Victoria Marie Lees said:
This is great stuff, Ronel! It always is. Thanks so much. My daughter now has a Rottweiler. He’s a big pussycat…as long as he knows you.
You are right. Writers need to respect themselves and get paid whenever possible. I started writing for free in parenting magazines. I’ve done free guest posts for a special needs children blog. I teach writing workshops and stay for an extra hour sometimes and only get paid for one hour.
Thanks for all these tips and considerations. I’m going to check out the links.
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miladyronel said:
You’re welcome 🙂 Rottweilers are awesome creatures 😉 It sounds like you’re doing a great job at building your brand.
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Tonja Drecker said:
Great post and great points. Work we do for free should help promote our own goals in some way.
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miladyronel said:
Absolutely 🙂
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Damyanti Biswas said:
A lot of wisdom in this post, Ronel. I don’t know if I’ve built a brand or a platform, but when i’m on my blog, I’m home, and that’s what I like about it. Once I have something to sell, like a book, I don’t know if the blogging will dramatically change.
I suppose we all have our own definitions of success, and for me it is that I’m happy doing what I’m doing each day 🙂
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miladyronel said:
Happiness is a gift to cherish 🙂
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