Ink & Impact & doing 200 things at once
I’ve just read this piece by Emma Gannon, have you read it? It’s really good.
It’s about her experiences of indie publishing and how she found it all.
It’s honest, uplifting and insightful, but this bit resonated with me most:
“Advice to authors: keep growing your community that is built on trust and connection. Your connection to your readers is everything. Don’t be afraid to dabble in both worlds, both traditional and indie. There are perks to being inside a big machine, the traditional system will bring great gifts and external validation that helps build a career — but try not to put all your eggs in one basket. It will bring you psychological relief. It’s nice to simply have fun again.”
Earlier this week, I had a great chat with a business mentor on my new copywriting and social media business. (So new it doesn’t have a website yet, just this little Insta account!)
The upshot is, I’m already approaching full capacity, which is surprisingly wonderful, but I have big plans for this business but I’m already feeling overwhelmed with it.
We chatted this through and she was wonderful, gave me great, practical advice on what to do next and lots to think about.
One of the ‘a-ha’ moments I had, I want to share with you, as it relates to what Emma said about growing your community. Which is more important now, than ever.
In a flurry of words, as I spoke to my mentor about what I wanted to do with my business, all the things that needed doing, all the things I should be doing, she held up her hand and told me to slow down.
I said I couldn’t, that it felt like I had about 200 urgent things to do, but not sure which one to tackle first.
And doesn’t it feel the same with building a reader community?
What comes first? Social media posting or website?
Email list building or sending out ARC to bloggers?
In my chat with my mentor, she stopped me mid-sentence and asked me to go back to the beginning.
She asked me what my mission was. What my vision was and what my goals were. To help with all the overwhelm and decision making I was feeling, and it occurred to me, that this is something worth doing for my writing career as well. Especially when it comes to building a community.
I know I talk a lot on here about tricks and tips of that side. Easy content ideas, getting more email subscribers, lazy ideas for Instagram, but what about your writing community building as a whole?
What about planning for the long term? What do you do first?
That’s where Ink & Impact comes in.
It’s a selection of four playbooks to work through so by the end of it, you’ll have a strong strategy to work from.
Sometimes, it’s just knowing what the first step is, and these workbooks do just that.
Have a great weekend,
Zoe x