For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Gideon U. Eklund. (For those of you who do know me, that is still my name. Keep up, guys. Come on- we’ve known each other for years.)
I’ve been spending the last… fifteen years (Is that right? That can’t be right.) working to become a published author, like many other people in the world who aren’t me. Those poor bastards who aren’t me have been very good in regard to giving me advice, and I feel it is my duty to share some of my own advice with you, and perhaps inspire you.
You’re welcome.
Apparently, I’ve been doing what most people do- I started out all wrong, and had no idea what I was doing. To be fair, that’s not entirely true. I knew what I was doing: I was sitting at a computer, writing the stories I wanted to put out into the world, and thinking to myself, “I’m sure once I’ve finished writing this thing, I’ll have it all figured out, and know exactly what to do with it.” The real problem was that I didn’t know enough about what to do when it was done, and honestly, sometimes I feel like I still don’t. (Because I don’t.)
I have two completed manuscripts under my belt, I’ve started work on a third, and I’m still trying to figure out how to shop the first one around. I figured it would be a simple matter of sending out query letters to publishers, and then kicking back and waiting for all that sweet, sweet begging to come in. “Oh please, Mr. Eklund! PLEASE LET US WRITE YOUR MASTERPIECE!! Truly this is your magnum opus, and it would be our UTTER PRIVILEGE to put it on the printed page!”
…As I’m sure many of you have noticed by the nonexistent list of my best-sellers, (or sellers of any kind,) this has yet to happen.
Eventually, I started buckling down and doing my homework. In fact, I’m pretty sure that “doing my homework,” will never actually stop being a thing. Eventually I stopped calling it homework, however, and started calling it “research,” because I think it makes me sound more like an adult; like some sort of high-brow book scientist.
Author’s note: I am not a high-brow book scientist, and MIT refuses to call me back about that. I may still put ‘High-Brow Book Scientist’ on my business cards, though.
One of the most recent things I’ve learned is that a Web Presence is important. So important, I have capitalized the phrase to emphasize that it is an entity. One that people will look at, and use to judge you. That’s right, world- everyone on the internet everywhere is judging everyone all the time. Constantly. I’m doing it right now, myself.
So, despite having no published works to my name, I had to create something. I had to start a web presence somewhere. I’d made an author’s page on Facebook years ago, (@gideonueklund, FYI) which has collected dust and barely had updates on it. Eventually, it was hammered into me that this was not enough, so now I have a Twitter as well. (@GideonEklund, without the U, because I’m an idiot.) It too is relatively ignored, because it is very shiny and new to me. But I am proud to say that I recently got my very first follower the other day! (Hi, @Tasinite! Your lone adoration keeps me grounded, girl.)
Ultimately, I was told that Twitter and Facebook accounts I don’t really do much with are STILL NOT ENOUGH. I stopped the conversation to spit out my tea in surprise, adjusted my monocle, and said, “My word!” So now, I’ve decided to start a blog, and update my Twitter and Facebook more often.
So, this blog is going to be dedicated to sharing my ups and downs, what bits of knowledge I’ve attained while working to become a published author, and whatever else comes to mind. I may even grace you with some personal stuff- who knows?
The down side to this whole plan is simple to see: Until I have a lot more Web Presence under my belt, every publisher I query to will look me up, see shiny new Web Presence, and realize that I’m only just starting something I should have begun years ago, while I was busily writing books. Silly Younger Gideon didn’t realize that writing a book was just the tiny tip of the author’s iceberg. (Authorsberg? No, that sounds like a weird German town where writers vanish into the mountains, never to be heard from again.)
I’m completely new at blogging, so I hope you all enjoy this ride with me. If not, there are no refunds. STOP ASKING.
Paid for by the Tourism Board of Authorsberg