Weekend Wrap-up Feb 25: Great Expectations

The book? No. Just my hopes.

I knew being a self-publish author was going to be difficult. There is so much competition out there, and readers can only read so many books.

There was always the hope that the right person reads your book and gives an endorsement, what Canadian author, David Chilton, coined “The Mention.”

One that comes to mind is Oprah’s book club which started back in the 90s. Having Oprah hold up your book was the way to become a best seller. Although looking back at the lists, Toni Morrison and Cormac McCarthy were the only names that jumped out as having a lasting career.

My first book was a poetry collection, well, it still is, and although people say poetry doesn’t sell, some of it does. But with social media and so many avenues to self publish, there has been a flood of poets hoping to make a lasting affect on readers.

How do you stand out as a poet? Be relevant, topical (if you have a lot of pineapple based poems, tropical), and edgy. My poetry casts a wide net, encompassing a myriad of themes, but in the end, my main goal was to entertain.

Even though there are many poems with more poignant topics, loss, addiction, human nature, and environmental issues, I choose to focus on the whimsical:

My second book of poems, A Wonder of Words, keeps the same thematic mélange.

Reviews of my first book are very positive:

I couldn’t be more pleased about what readers have enjoyed in my writing. Do I wish more people would read it? Of course, but it is difficult to get name recognition, and it is also expensive.

I also don’t like having to wave my books in front of readers, saying, “Hey, look over here at this book! It’s great! You really should read it!”*

But that’s the life of an indie author. Looking for the mention, throwing advertising money into it, posting about it on social media without looking like you are pushing the hard sell.

One of my favorite reviews stated: “I have loved reading this book. It has given me what I needed the most. It is a very charming book! ❤️”

-Leon

^{*It is great AND you really should read it.}

This week on my blog:

Free Book Friday Feb 24: What Bugs you and a no spoiler book review (spoiler: I didn’t like it) – Little Fires Fizzle Everywhere
Weird Wednesday Feb 22: Cartoons and Monkeys
Open Book Blog Hop: Movies I wish I could see for the first time.
Music Monday Feb 20: Spooning. Not just a sleeping position.

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Start at the beginning: The View from Here

-Leon

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Leon Stevens is a multi-genre author, composer, guitarist, songwriter, and an artist, with a Bachelor of Music and Education. He published his first book of poetry, Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures in January 2020, followed by a book of original classical guitar compositions, Journeys, and a short story collection of science fiction/post-apocalyptic tales called The Knot at the End of the Rope and Other Short Stories. His newest publications are the novella trilogy, The View from Here, which is a continuation of one of his short stories, and a new collection of poetry titled, A Wonder of Words.

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