thingsllearnedpublishing – Chiara Talluto

Donald J. Trump wrote “The Art of the Deal,” I’m a writer whose penned tall tales while trying to stay real and true to my writing.

We can agree that this 2020 year has been interesting. For those of us publishing books whether it’s been via traditional publishers, or like me, indie publishing, things have certainly been more challenging.

Reading is up. Statistics will tell us. See References below.

I’ve been reading a lot more too while preparing my latest release, “She Made It Matter”. An Inspirational/Christian drama about one woman’s fight to regain sobriety, find salvation, and earn forgiveness after years of guilt from being abandoned by her mother and then losing her brother to cancer, a struggle to vanquish the demons of her past and make her life right again.

And, since I’ve had the time, I’ve also been experimenting with a lot more tools and resources to get exposure for my book. Will it help? I don’t know. Time will tell.

Any published author will also tell you that promotion and marketing are the most challenging of responsibilities when it comes to publishing. I’m normally a shy person, but I’ve had to dig really deep to find my courage and push myself beyond the limits to “seize the moment”.

Here are a few takeaways and things I did on my social media platforms that may help a fellow author or two:

For five weeks leading up to the release of my book, “She Made It Matter,” I documented and shared what I call, “Visual Storyboarding”. When I write a story, I visualize the scenes in my mind and then transpose it into words. Using my book jacket verbiage, I utilized Pixabay.com and Pexels.com to create the images for the verbiage. Every week, I’d create a picture collage with the verbiage and post it on all my social media platforms. See final results here.
Then, taking all the photos, I created the “She Made It Matter” book trailer. I used Movie Maker, It’s free and I downloaded it onto my PC (I use Windows 10). I also tapped into pixabay.com/music to add to the video and voila’. See it here.
I created a YouTube channel a few years ago, but never really utilized it to its potential. Now, I am using it to upload my videos.
I put together a Storytime video in which I read the first chapter of “She Made It Matter” aloud.
I created graphics to be used in my videos using Canva.com.
For my email fans/friends/family, I’ve sent out weekly communication using Mailchimp.com .

I’ve talked to myself and to my computer camera more than I’ve wanted to. Lol! But, I believe the best conversations are with yourself, anyway.

So, I’ve put myself out there. I’ve tripped up and stumbled on those videos, but I’ve still kept them true to its form because I’m not a “Hollywood” star, or a renowned bestselling author. “… I’m just a ‘nobody’ who uses storytelling to encourage others to find their purpose and save their souls.”

The reality is, like my characters who are flawed, and because I write realistic drama with an inspirational/Christian flare, I too, am flawed and broken. I want my readers to know that I’m a real person. And, writing is not glamourous work. For me, it’s dutiful, inspiring, life changing, and adventurous.

I often tell people that I have two addictions: reading and writing. I feel restless and empty when I can’t read fiction, write my deepest thoughts in my journal, or even write down story ideas. Writing calms me, centers me, and provides a healthy outlet for my communication with imaginary friends.

I am the communication tool to share and showcase my characters. If they influence readers to be better versions of themselves, then why not? If my writing directs someone to open up their Bible, then so be it. If my writing only touches the few, then I’ve done my job. I write for an audience of ONE, my savior, Jesus Christ. He gave me the gift of storytelling, and I am obliged to honor that.

So, if anything I’ve learned during Coronavirus and quarantine is that I can take chance. I can RESTART just where I am. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

So, fellow writes/authors/readers don’t be afraid to be REAL. The world is full of fakes and falsities already.