How to make it big!
So I'm sure you're all interested in getting big? Well you've come to the right blog, as the famous TheJackl, I am willing to share my experiences with you so you too can be as big as me :-) (Note: this is about being, famous, a star, world renowned, nothing else. Also please note I assume no responsibility for your actions, and or failures, or mishaps in the attempts to make it big. I cannot offer the guarantee of your future stardom, however this has served me well)
To make it big there are several main things you must do:
- Think Big
- Act Big
- Be big
Now this is easier said then done, but it can happen to you. In being big the first step is to Think big. You need to keep yourself grounded, and think realistically, but dare to dream, as the saying goes. You need to let yourself, think in the future and present simultaneously so as to allow ideas to come out that you perhaps otherwise may not have had. The key is to always look forward, look to the future and plan everything you can to get big. As an example let me regale you with a tale from my own life:
As I was preparing to release my first book, I was trying to figure out how I could get out there, where I could sell my book, and who would buy it. I sat one day in my room figuring out exactly the process of selling my book. The first thing I did was determine my audience. I realized that the audience for my poems was clearly not young children, so I set my sights at teens and above. Specifically those people that can identify with strong emotions of sadness, and themes of depression. Now knowing my audience I needed to figure out my marketing plan. I knew who I wanted to reach, but I needed to consider how to reach them. I knew that the easiest way to be sure to reach people was the internet. What is the internet, but a giant collection of advertisements and pornography, so I set tot he task of figuring out what I would do with the internet.
As I was preparing to release my first book, I was trying to figure out how I could get out there, where I could sell my book, and who would buy it. I sat one day in my room figuring out exactly the process of selling my book. The first thing I did was determine my audience. I realized that the audience for my poems was clearly not young children, so I set my sights at teens and above. Specifically those people that can identify with strong emotions of sadness, and themes of depression. Now knowing my audience I needed to figure out my marketing plan. I knew who I wanted to reach, but I needed to consider how to reach them. I knew that the easiest way to be sure to reach people was the internet. What is the internet, but a giant collection of advertisements and pornography, so I set tot he task of figuring out what I would do with the internet.
After much consideration I came to the realization that the best way to spread the word of my book was to get a blog, and in my case I felt it a good investment to get my own website too. After a quick google search, I decided that I wanted to start a blog with www.blogger.com because google is my favorite search engine, and I liked the looks of blogger. *You may want to use a different blog website, but the point is to find a place where you can address the public about whatever it is you're promoting.
Once I started my blogger account I set to the task of filling it with posts and such. So I just did an entry or two a day, and so far so good, I am definitely making progress. Every time I would post though, I would of course reference my book in some way or another. I made sure to link to the site where I published my book for free and made sure to put links to my blog just about everywhere.
After all this my last step was to submit my blog to google so people could more easily find my blog. I made sure also to use a wide range of keywords including, but not limited to: The title of my book, my name, my pseudonym, my location, my email, and the names of several of my other smaller works.
After having all this setup I was ready to start selling my book. Mind you I had previously setup an account with www.lulu.com, a free publishing on demand company. *Note: How to get published for free is a forthcoming entry, please check back soon. I also setup my website to redirect people to my blog as well, and to promote my book. *Also please note A How to make your own Website is also forthcoming, please be sure to check back for that as well.
Now, my blog was all well and good, but I didn't feel like I was reaching absolutely everyone I could, so I turned to other ways to get my book out there. Granted I hadn't yet acquired an ISBN, but that wasn't a priority right now because to have an ISBN would allow me to sell my book in retail, but I knew even then all I would have would be a small link on Amazon, or Borders, so I decided to directly distribute my book. Unfortunately I was unable to sell my book on ebay. So the idea struck me, that I should distribute my book.
I made the investment to purchase fifty copies of my book, at the Author price, meaning I only had to pay the price of production, and then I set to the task of distributing these copies. Now I needed to make sure these books got out of my home state, so I made sure to mail some copies out to several people I knew in other states as well, as several publishers. I sent a few to relatives, and donated a couple to libraries, and the rest were distributed with purchases from my local book store. then the waiting started.
So you can see all the planning and thinking that actually went into the process and how much I had to accommodate and consider. Not to mention taking a momentary loss for the later gain. All this, though, was accomplished by careful planning and consideration, along with the point of thinking big. I didn't just think of my town, or just my state I thought of the entire country. Also you may note, however, I didn't think too big; by which I mean I found my market which I was selling to and didn't just try to get everyone, because even when thinking big one must remian rooted and remember to keep mostly realistic. The reason I say mostly is because it is always important to dream it is necessary to have goals and to let yourself go sometimes because that's what keeps up motivated, and sane :-)
The next step to making it big, is to ACT big, that is to follow through with the plans made. Just as in the aforementioned tale, I planned what I was going to do, and I made sure I acted on it. The point I am trying to make is that there are goals and there are dreams, both are good, however it is important to make sure you know the difference. I set my goals in an effort to reach my dream. I made sure my goals were realistic and do-able. I didn't set anything outrageous, because as wonderful as it would be to hang a banner from the empire state building, I didn't have the means, now if someone out there does, thats great for them, but I knew my limits, and I went as far as I could.
Probably the biggest action I had was all the pushing of my book. I setup the website and blog. As well as making the investment in the fifty copies and distributing them to the market at wide. So in essence to act big is to follow what you thought was big, and to never give up because perseverance is key!
The final step to my plan was to BE BIG. Now this is the relatively easy step because this step entails maintaining your status, which can be difficult at times, but all it really is a repetition of the first two steps. Once big all you have to do is stay there, and perhaps sign an autograph or two :-) Just remember not to let yourself get to high or you'll be sure to fall, and how high determines how hard you fall. So enjoy being big and goodluck!
P.S. I have no idea how to actually be big, and can't tell you if this works, because I not done distributing my books yet :-) *I'll get back to you.
P.P.S. This was my attempt to get big, so its rather ironic, but really the key to getting big, being famous, becoming a star, whatever is to never stop trying, or in some cases write a book on how to be big!
I made the investment to purchase fifty copies of my book, at the Author price, meaning I only had to pay the price of production, and then I set to the task of distributing these copies. Now I needed to make sure these books got out of my home state, so I made sure to mail some copies out to several people I knew in other states as well, as several publishers. I sent a few to relatives, and donated a couple to libraries, and the rest were distributed with purchases from my local book store. then the waiting started.
So you can see all the planning and thinking that actually went into the process and how much I had to accommodate and consider. Not to mention taking a momentary loss for the later gain. All this, though, was accomplished by careful planning and consideration, along with the point of thinking big. I didn't just think of my town, or just my state I thought of the entire country. Also you may note, however, I didn't think too big; by which I mean I found my market which I was selling to and didn't just try to get everyone, because even when thinking big one must remian rooted and remember to keep mostly realistic. The reason I say mostly is because it is always important to dream it is necessary to have goals and to let yourself go sometimes because that's what keeps up motivated, and sane :-)
The next step to making it big, is to ACT big, that is to follow through with the plans made. Just as in the aforementioned tale, I planned what I was going to do, and I made sure I acted on it. The point I am trying to make is that there are goals and there are dreams, both are good, however it is important to make sure you know the difference. I set my goals in an effort to reach my dream. I made sure my goals were realistic and do-able. I didn't set anything outrageous, because as wonderful as it would be to hang a banner from the empire state building, I didn't have the means, now if someone out there does, thats great for them, but I knew my limits, and I went as far as I could.
Probably the biggest action I had was all the pushing of my book. I setup the website and blog. As well as making the investment in the fifty copies and distributing them to the market at wide. So in essence to act big is to follow what you thought was big, and to never give up because perseverance is key!
The final step to my plan was to BE BIG. Now this is the relatively easy step because this step entails maintaining your status, which can be difficult at times, but all it really is a repetition of the first two steps. Once big all you have to do is stay there, and perhaps sign an autograph or two :-) Just remember not to let yourself get to high or you'll be sure to fall, and how high determines how hard you fall. So enjoy being big and goodluck!
P.S. I have no idea how to actually be big, and can't tell you if this works, because I not done distributing my books yet :-) *I'll get back to you.
P.P.S. This was my attempt to get big, so its rather ironic, but really the key to getting big, being famous, becoming a star, whatever is to never stop trying, or in some cases write a book on how to be big!
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posted by The JackL at
5:12 PM
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