I’ve known Joseph Carrabis for several years now, and I am happy we’ve stayed in touch. I enjoy his humor as much as his knowledge and his insight. That is why I asked him to write a guest post for my Author Blog.
I believe you will find it interesting and worthwhile. I hope you take the time to put into practice his suggestions. Here is what Joseph wrote for us.
STAYING HUNGRY
Stay Hungry
Long ago and far away – I’m in my 70s now and it’s fascinating how many of my non-fiction pieces start with that line – I saw Stay Hungry, a simple movie with a simple plot line which told a simple story.
Did you know Arnold Schwarzenegger is a gifted violinist?
Okay, he’s not (that I know of) but he does a reasonable impression of a bluegrass fiddler in this movie. More to the point is Schwarzenegger’s soliloquy somewhere in the second half of the movie, which he adopted in real life.
Something about his mother told him to stay hungry, to never get too comfortable, to always go for the next thing, the bigger thing, the better thing.
Some people will read that line and begin caveating it: Define Next. Define Bigger. Define Better.
Stay away from these people. They’re soul killers. They don’t want you to achieve; they want you to have limits, boundaries, to be stuck where they are, to have insurmountable walls and be unable to see the stars because of their ceiling.
Did you catch that?
Their ceiling.
Not your ceiling, not your limitations or lack. Theirs.
I’d been applying something similar in my life without having a name for it, so thanks, Arnold, and all the scriptwriters and authors involved, and it’s been part of my mantra ever since.
Let me explain.
Writing
Before becoming a full-time author (love the gig, by the way), I created a technology that went international. Everyone who knew me professionally and privately considered me one of the top ten people in my field.
And some repeatedly asked why, being recognized at the top of my field, being asked to teach and guest lecture internationally, having a client list which included Bank of Scotland, Bayer, Lexus, Verizon, PG, and other F500s, I continued to study, seek out mentors (not teachers, but Mentors; people who teach by example, by their own lives, not simply from a book or notes) take on- and off-line classes, read, attended workshops, et cetera.
“Because I don’t know it all, I never will. I always learn more, and often someone else’s explanation helps me understand my own.”
Huh?
I Stayed Hungry. It didn’t matter where I ranked in my field; it mattered that I worked daily to improve myself, my product, and my work.
Now I’m a full-time author. I make a healthy middle-class living by authoring. Publishers and editors contact me routinely to contribute to their anthologies and publications. My fiction and non-fiction get high marks from peers and readers alike. Even one and two-star reviews comment that my writing skills are amazing; it was the story, the plot, they didn’t like.
I’m quite good with that because it shows something about my work moved them enough to write a less-than-generous review.
My work moved them.
And that’s what it’s all about to me. Writing stories so interesting, so emotionally evocative, that readers continue reading even when they don’t like where the story’s going, or don’t like the outcome, because such readers will continue reading my work because of the feelings I stirred in them.
And I still study, seek out mentors, take on- and off-line classes, read, attend workshops, et cetera, because I know I can improve. I routinely reread my work. What I learned today helps me craft better tomorrow. I catch errors in what I did yesterday and practice doing better with each sentence I write.
Stay Hungry!
Marketing
Authors, both competent and not, bemoan their lack of sales. They read books, take classes, attend workshops, buy programs, do everything all the gurus tell them to do …
And nothing. Maybe a small, short-lived, non-repeatable spike.
What do they do?
They read another book, take another class, attend another workshop, buy another program, follow another guru.
And nothing. Not even a short-lived spike.
Lather-Rinse-Repeat.
Would you continue using a shampoo that never washed your hair?
There are so many avenues for competent authors to get their books into readers’ hands.
I know because I read, took, attended, bought, and did for two years: Guaranteed programs! Money back! We can make you an Amazon #1 Bestseller! We can take your money and run!
Challenge any such offer. I do. I did before my two year paper chase and I do now.
What I learned is that I didn’t know how to profitably market my work.
More importantly, I learned nobody else did either. Despite promises and guarantees and meetings, no one, no group, no agency, no marketing system, delivered on its promises.
So I resorted to my training in business and science.
No individual, group, agency, or system liked it when I did that.
People want to be accepted at their word, which is great among friends and lovers, death in business, and if you want to market your books, you must think like a business, meaning I don’t accept claims without proof of what’s being claimed. I ask for data, trend analyses, both large and small-world models, ROI (Return On Investment, meaning “Did I make more than I spent, and by how much?”), et cetera.
Not a lot of promisers wanted to give me the information. Those who did didn’t expect me to perform due diligence – systematically research the information provided – and question the flaws, errors, and outright misrepresentations (lies) in what they stated.
Yet you must.
Unless you want to spend money on promises rather than on facts.
What other avenues, Joseph?
Book clubs, local reader groups, library reading groups, specialty shops, local colleges, small bookstores, lecture groups, special interest groups …
Examples:
I’ve been asked to talk about PTSD and Recovering from Trauma based on The Augmented Man, The Book of The Wounded Healers, and Chrysalis
I’ve been asked to talk about the intersection of philosophy and physics based on The Inheritors,
I’ve been asked to present at self-help and personal growth workshops and symposia based on the That Think You Do series.
I’ve been asked to talk about cultural mythology and how ancient wisdom can benefit modern science based on Empty Sky.
I’ve been asked to talk about spirituality and ancient wisdom based on The Shaman and The John Chance Mysteries series.
I’ve been asked to talk about history, religious persecution, and the transition from local to institutional knowledge based on Tag.
I sell more offline than I do on, and my ROI is quite acceptable, thank you.
So let me put it as simply as possible: If you want to sell, you’ll find a way to sell.
Not selling? You don’t want to.
Simple as that.
Summary
Remember always: Everything is possible. All that’s required is the will to make it so.
Thanks for reading.
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I hope you enjoyed this piece, and I hope you can and will put into practice the suggestions Joseph provides. Check out his work. Their links are embedded in his post. His social media contacts are:
Amazon – http://nlb.pub/amazon
BlueSky – http://nlb.pub/BlueSky
BookBub – http://nlb.pub/BookBub
Facebook – http://nlb.pub/Facebook
Goodreads – http://nlb.pub/Goodreads
Instagram – http://nlb.pub/Instagram
LinkedIn – http://nlb.pub/LinkedIn
Mastodon – http://nlb.pub/Mastodon
Pinterest – http://nlb.pub/Pinterest
Substack – http://nlb.pub/Substack
Website – https://josephcarrabis.com
(X) Twitter – http://nlb.pub/Twitter
YouTube – http://nlb.pub/YouTube
I would love to know your thoughts, so please use the contact form below. And as always, thank you for following along on my writing journey. As Joseph said, Stay Hungry! Until next time …
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