Guest Post from Nicki J. Markus, author of the Time Keepers mini-series!

Hello readers! I'm so sorry I haven't blogged lately, I've had a lot going on. I promise to write a post about it soon, but for now I have a special treat. A guest post from the very sweet and talented Nicki J. Markus. Take it away, Nicki!  :)


Self-Promoting and Marketing: A Good Idea or a Deadly Trap?

From mid October 2010 till mid March 2011, I wasn’t working. That is to say, I was embarking on my writing career, but I was not undertaking any full-time employment of the everyday variety.

It was bliss.

Each day I could get up, check my emails at my leisure, open up my latest WIP and get writing. I had three e-books released in that period and it was no problem as I had all the time in the world to write them, edit them and then make book trailers, design posters and promote, promote, promote.

But now I am working again.

As a new writer, I understand the need to get my name out there, gradually build up a fan base (hopefully) and make sure my work gets seen. The problem is that promotion now seems to take up my every free moment.

By the end of March, I found myself in panic mode. I was three weeks into my new job and, aside from checking and replying to emails, nothing was getting done. I had guest posts to write, interview questions to both answer and prepare and a never ending array of blogs and author pages that needed to be kept up to date.

I spent all day the first weekend in April frantically getting through the huge ‘to do’ list and it is finally under control again. But my point is this. In the whole of that weekend, how much writing did I actually do? The answer: zilch, nada, nil.

My current WIP has sat languishing on a flash drive for a month with barely 1500 words written in all that time. I feel a sense of deep guilt now every time I sit down to do any sort of promotional work.

So, I guess the difficulty for any emerging author is striking the right balance. Of course you need to promote, network and do whatever you can to make sure your books get seen. But if you don’t put aside the time for writing too then pretty soon you won’t have anything to promote!!

Nicki J Markus was born in England in 1982, but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia with her fiancé. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist. She launched her writing career in 2010 and has so far had manuscripts accepted for e-book publication by both Wicked Nights Publishing and Silver Publishing. To find out more about her and her writing, visit her website/blog: http://www.nickijmarkus.com/

Her latest release is the second part of her four-part paranormal Time Keepers mini-series. Her books are available from: Amazon, OmniLit, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble and Bookstrand.

Time Keepers – Part 1 – Running Blind

"It seems like any ordinary day as Nick waits for the train, but then a chance encounter with a young woman turns his world upside down. What is it that she is running from and will helping her jeopardise his own secret, making him a target too?"

 

Time Keepers – Part 2 – The Beast Within

"With Nick’s secret now exposed, he and Ellie must run for their lives, pursued by the Governor and his Time Keepers. Will they be able to stay hidden or is their time nearly up?"

 

Thanks for stopping by Nicki!

Good luck with your new release!  :)