On Language
25.06 The Courage to Write
submitting our writing to the critical gaze of a heartless public takes fearlessness beyond courage. It takes drink.
2025-03-31
Travels with Myself
A Journal of Discovery and Transition
Doug Jordan, Author
Books by Doug Jordan
24.17 Book Titles and Covers
Book covers are intended to summarize in an image the theme of the book, draw some connection with the title and together, hopefully, invite the prospective reader in. In most cases I was very pleased with the covers of my books, but, it has to be said, I’m quite unsure whether the covers made any difference in the sales of those books.
2024-09-14
Thoughts on Writing/Publishing
23-6 Sustaining Drive, and Marketing Books, 4: Bricks and Mortar Bookstores
So in seeking retail channels for our book, ‘The Treasure of Stella Bay’, we abandoned the Indigo empire and sought out local independent bookstores instead, especially those located in Ottawa (local author angle) and the Lake Ontario/Kingston region (to exploit the Amherst Island/Stella Bay locale angle). You can see my strategy here: if my book could get traction with these parochial stores, I could then lever this reputation into indie stores in the ‘big smoke’ (i.e., Toronto).
2023-03-31
Thoughts on Writing/Publishing
23.5 Sustaining Drive, and Marketing Books 3, TikTok
To get noticed on social media, words are not enough; even pictures are not enough. You need more than pictures to get and hold people’s attention. You need moving pictures.
And we’re not talking about black and white Charlie Chaplin movies, we’re talking talkies.
TikTok.
2023-03-15
Thoughts on Writing/Publishing
23.4 Sustaining Drive, and Marketing Books 2
Writing may be challenging enough but marketing and promoting one’s book is anathema. And most marketing these days is done through social media – a living hell.
2023-02-28
Thoughts on Writing/Publishing
23.3 Sustaining Drive, and Marketing Books
In the face of this daunting market-place for books, most Canadian writers don’t realistically expect to become rich and famous, nor even become ‘best-selling authors’; they just want to be read. (I suppose that might be said of all writers. How many aspiring American authors also live in obscurity, their books languishing in their closets, unsold, unread and unloved.)
2023-02-14
Thoughts on Writing/Publishing
21-21. The M&S Project, Part 3
My Marketing and Promotion strategy was sort of a five pillars plan: (of which prayer is one part but, probably, the least reliable – though if my goal is to find ‘flow’ I should try more prayer).
2021-11-15
Thoughts on Writing/Publishing
21-19. Marketing and Sales as a ‘Project’
So, facing my fears, I decided to make the Marketing and Selling of The Treasure of Stella Bay my Project for the next five months. I would try to bring my talents to bear, even if they are not my best talents, and strive for some modicum of fulfillment, if not actual joy.
2021-10-15
