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After reading @daeus-lamb‘s recent concern over his possible marketing disaster, and after reading the Writer’s Journey Plan again and noticing the mention of “platform building stuff coming soon”, I’d like to open the floor.

Because…I hate to admit this, but I still don’t know how to do this platform building stuffingans. This is coming from someone who has taken college classes and has degrees in pro web design. I can make you a web page in 30 minutes and run the WordPress and do all them schmancy stuff that you’ve never heard of. But how do you make a [i]writing[/i] website? As opposed to another one.

I’ve taken internet marketing classes about what I should be doing, sat in on Hubspot’s thing for certification, but they didn’t talk about writing, marketing writing in specific, so not much help. I read the Complete Guide to Self-Publishing that was out of date, and their methods of writing press releases are out of the date. (You probably should still write press releases.)

And I’ve taken writing class after writing class, contemplated the grimness of the world hating us in a spiritual sense and all of us being doomed to starving artist failure, gotten myself published in a literary journal, grimly contemplated getting published in other literary journals, self-publishing, e-books, POD.

Not only that, but I’ve spent time on YouTube and Twitter playing around with stuff. I gamed a Twitter account to over 1,000 followers in 3 months and contemplated the science of how best to do Internet projects (tease stuff and gradually release things). I’ve watched videos about how YouTube is the best way to grow a following.

But there seems to be a big gap in my thinking. I know (some) writing stuff. I know (some) marketing stuff. But I seem at a loss to put the two things together. The fact that I have no plan to make the bank using my writing has actually been the #1 discouraging thing about my writing in general. I’m all for making impact for God’s glory and honor, but at some point you have to face the fact that your health insurance is running out, no? And it’s like, I’ve spent so much time learning all of this stuff, I should be able to make this work.

Then I see writers giving away novellas for free, and I’m not sure I like that plan. I dislike giving away free stuff. And if I, someone who has researched myself into a black hole, have questions, I’m sure other people are lost. So, do any of ya’ll “experts” have ideas to start to close the gap?

@josiah @faith_blum @r-m-archer

Anyone else who is not an “expert” have ideas too, or questions that you want answered? I welcome any and all input, and I don’t expect everything thrown out here to work. Marketing is an art, not a science, and this is kinda a brainstorm space to put the complexities of all of this together. Get the wheels turning. The show on the road. The cats out of the bag. Something like that.