Hatin' the Shades

Lately, I've been awful at keeping promises to myself. That's the problem with making them before I've given thought to a situation. This time, the promise I've broken is that I would stay out of the Fifty Shades of Grey debate. But - here I am talking about it.

The 'net - especially the blogosphere - is rife with discussions of its content and style. All opinions, even those that are fiercely held, are subjective - and mine has been rendered irrelevant. Why is that? AUDIENCE
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There are already thousands who have voted with their pocketbooks, contributing to the success of the Fifty Shades series. So many people have bought the books that the numbers attracted Hollywood and traditional publishing.

It would be crazy to pretend that I don't want the same - an audience that loves my work just as much as E. L. James' readers love Fifty Shades. But how do I attract them?

Since I'm in the midst of creating a marketing plan, I study every success, whether the author is traditionally-, independently- or self-published. I dissect their story in an effort to understand how they achieved it.

Do I think Ms. James' path to success will work for me? Probably not. But just as reading the works of others helps me improve the craft of writing, studying the success of others helps me make choices that are more likely to result in my own success.

To fulfill my dream of attracting an audience, I have lots of studying - and writing -  to do...and as we say in N'Awlins, "Ain't got no time for hatin'."