Monday, March 23, 2015

THE FINAL "JUST WORDS"

I have always been a little embarrassed by this blog. My takes on writing are reasonably well informed, because I have been reading and writing for a long time. Other than one magazine-writing course in college, though, I have no formal training. So it is quite presumptuous of me to review the books of others or to suggest ways to write better to my peers.

I started this blog because Black Opal Books was kind enough to agree to publish my novel about four handicapped and homeless Iraqistan veterans who are accused of murdering a doctor at a VA hospital. It is important that authors market their own books any more. In fact, most of the marketing is done by the authors, through a web presence, primarily. This blog was to be part of my web presence.

I’ve been fairly successful at writing and publishing, both fiction and non-fiction. Novels, though, are a hard sell. I have four finished novels that are quite good, but I can’t get an agent even  to look at them. One of the attractions of Black Opal is that they are willing to deal with authors directly, without an agent.

Since BOB accepted VETS, I assumed I could talk them into publishing the rest of my finished novels, and my WIPs, too.

My situation has changed, though. And it has not changed.

The part that has changed is that I don’t want to write any more novels. I have other things I want to concentrate on.

The part that has not changed is that I don’t like to market. I want to use my time in other ways. It would be unfair to ask BOB to publish my books if I’m not willing to help market them. I don’t want to work on a web presence, or any other kind of marketing presence, although I have enjoyed the book signings and speaking engagements that have come my way because of my writing. I am not a marketer, and I should not pretend to be one, any more than I should pretend to know how to tell folks how to write.

So, there is no need for me to continue this blog. Now I shall be free of the guilt of telling you how to write and what to read when I have no qualifications for doing so.

Best wishes in all your reading and writing.

Thanks for visiting the blog. You have been very kind to do so.

I shall continue my Christ In Winter blog, http://christinwinter.blogspot.com/

John Robert McFarland

johnrobertmcfarland@gmail.com

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