When I first started getting into photography, I would submit my work to contests now and again. Most of these contests I found through social media platforms. While many of them had reasonable application fees, they were time consuming and I was competing against thousands of very talented photographers. After a while, I wrote off contests. Fast forward a couple years. . . I published my debut book, Tattle Tales: Tattoo Stories and Portraits, and now I was trying to gain exposure for my book. As a self-published author, it can be extremely challenging to get your book seen by the right audience. According to Forbes, anywhere between 600,000 to a million titles are published each year. The chances of readers stumbling onto your book on Amazon is pretty small. In the beginning, I was mostly focused on social media marketing and advertising. By chance, I found out about a contest from the Nonfiction Author’s Association Book Awards program. I entered the contest and received two Gold Awards for Photography and Pop Culture. In addition, to receiving an emblem and title, which I could now use for my marketing materials, I got exposure from their marketing channels from […]
I’ll be honest here. If I weren’t an artist, I probably wouldn’t be on social media or my presence would be limited. I’m very shy and introverted, and I’ve seen the ugly side of social media. However, while I might complain about social media, I also understand that it plays an integral part in our lives. This is particularly true for individuals who are marketing themselves. Social media has its place, and it’s here to stay. I’m not writing this post because I’m an expert on social media. Like most people out there, I have struggled building my social media presence. Over the last couple of years, I have spoken to other artists who have experienced the same challenges as me and hearing their stories has helped me put things into a more healthy perspective. Let’s face it, the self-publishing world is not for the faint of heart and there are many days you might feel like you’re working for nothing. There were many days that I would scroll through Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook and think, “What am I doing wrong?” Building a meaningful presence on social media takes time, but don’t discount the small successes along the […]
On Saturday February 1st, the Scottsdale Civic Center Library hosted the 7th Annual Local Author Book Sale. As an author and photographer, I feel strongly about supporting local authors and artists. This event is great for authors to share their work and expand their readership. It’s also a great opportunity for readers looking for new books. There something for everyone. Categories range from children’s books, novels, memoirs, and other nonfiction categories. The book sale is free to the public, and it typically runs from 10AM until 2PM. What I really appreciated about this event was that it was a nice size. Sometimes book/art fairs are so massive that I feel lost, but I was able to check out all the authors in a reasonable amount of time. I was especially happy to see some familiar faces. The following writers I have met through the Scottsdale Society of Women Writers. I have learned so much from these talented women, and I highly suggest you take a look at their work. If you missed this book sale, have no fear. There are plenty of opportunities throughout the year to support the growing community of Arizona writers. The […]
