Writers Who Kill

 

Do You Invest in Your Writing Career?

By Heather Weidner

You as an author are your brand, and you need to treat your writing as a business. Here are some ideas of ways you can invest in your personal development and hone your skills.

• Do you have a professional membership in a writing organization? Many organizations like Sisters in Crime have local chapters. These groups can help you with training, programs, ideas, and writing opportunities. My memberships are invaluable. I cherish the friends and the networking opportunities they afford. My first traditionally published work was a short story in a Sisters in Crime anthology.
• Do you have a professional headshot? Selfies and candids are fun, but you need a professional photo for print media and the web. Selfies don’t have enough resolution, and if you try to enlarge it, it looks fuzzy. Invest in a professional photo. It’s one of the first things I spent money on.
• Do you invest in your training or learning? Professional organizations often have programs or learning opportunities. Check out online programs, YouTube videos, your local library, and your local colleges. Many offer low-cost or even free courses on a variety of topics that can help you on your writing journey. Don’t forget blogs and online magazines. There are tons of articles out there with good advice.
• Is your computer secure? Your writing is valuable. There is nothing that will make a writer cry faster than losing part or all of a manuscript. Make sure you back up your files.
• You need to make sure you upload patches and updates when they come out. These fix vulnerabilities in your applications or operating system. The longer you wait, the longer you’re vulnerable.
• Make sure you have anti-virus software on your computer and make sure it’s up to date.
• Do you have a brand?
• A logo for you and your books are nice. You can use it on your website and your socials to demonstrate your brand.
• Your platform (website and social media sites) should have the same look and feel (e.g., colors, fonts, etc.). My first work was published in an anthology with a red and black cover, so I did all my graphics in those colors. A publicist told me later that it really didn’t reflect my writing style. She told me to use pastels since I write cozy and funny mysteries.
• Make sure that your readers can identify your sites. A professional photo and a logo create a unified look. If your photo is a flower, readers often don’t realize it’s your author page.
• Update your site, your biographies, and book lists regularly. People don’t visit outdated or inactive sites.
• This sounds like Captain Obvious, but it’s often true. Make sure visitors to your website and socials know you are an author. Your banners, posts, graphics should all promote your books.

 Investing in you and your writing career are important. There are so many low cost/no cost courses, workshops, and opportunities out there to help you with writing and marketing.

What else would you add to my list?

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.