The Road Not Taken

A Different Path

Guest Author: Kim Janine Ligon

My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Johnson, had us memorize poems. I especially loved Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken. It appealed to me at age ten and even more now at considerably more than that age. I like the idea of striking out on a path that “wanted wear” and having taken it made “all the difference.”

I didn’t choose the typical social media for marketing my debut novel. I don’t have a Facebook account or know how to Tweet or Instagram or TikTok. It is hard enough to find time to write without having to maintain presences in all those areas as well.

I make this disclaimer: I will still eat and stay warm and clothed whether my debut novel sells or not. My writing is a passion, not a livelihood. Every publisher from the biggies to the small indies asked what my social media presence was. To answer that question, I set up my website almost four years ago.

I researched options for websites specifically for blogging and settled on Word Press hosted by Blue Host. The price was right and I could do it myself. I designed a logo for my site and a tagline. In one afternoon www.spinningromance.com was born. My tagline is “Spinning Romance and Suspense Into Happy Ever Afters”.

I had a presence on the world wide web. What would I say? Who would I say it to?  I’m a person who keeps up with people from my past (high school, college, jobs, cousins). I had email addresses for some people and for some only snail mail addresses. My first post I manually emailed to twenty people with an invitation to sign up to follow me. I promised not to clog their mailboxes and have limited my posts to once or twice a month. I sent handwritten notes to people I didn’t have an email for with a print out of my first two very short posts.

People signed up. What could I say that they would find interesting? For the most part, it hasn’t been a struggle to find topics. Things weigh on my heart or on my mind and the post almost creates itself. I’ve talked about the creative process of writing (and spinning and weaving and knitting and crocheting); remembered anniversaries of loss and happiness; discussed my mother’s devil’s disease—Alzheimer’s; discussed the euphoria of clicking the SUBMIT button for the first time; shared the disappointment of getting the rejection email(s); traveling; family reunions; angels; finding true love; Halloween; thankfulness; Christmas; renewal; the ocean; the weather; laundry; obituaries…you get the idea. Some of my posts garner only one or two comments. Some have had dozens of comments. It’s fun to see who responds. It has been a wonderful way to stay in touch and to re-establish more regular contract with old friends.

When I signed with The Wild Rose Press last year, I blogged about the whole process from contract to editing to publication and beyond. I participate in the Author Networking email group of TWRP authors. While I can’t retweet or IG or TikTok—I do pull up their posts, comment on them, send congratulatory private emails, read and review their books, post reviews on my blog, buy their books, and follow them. I believe this is time well spent to be a good colleague. They have hosted me on their blogs to tout my debut novel, followed my blog, me on Goodreads and BookBub, and bought, read, and reviewed my novel. I couldn’t ask for better support as a first time published author.

Before my debut novel in mid-August, I had about one hundred people receiving my posts. Today, I have over one hundred and fifty people who receive it and many who comment online. I just rolled over 10,000 hits on my blog. In the first six weeks TWRP shows over one hundred and twenty paperback books, Nooks, and Kindles of Polly’s List were purchased. I don’t know if that’s good by any comparative measure, but it is fantastic for this author who recently saw a long time dream come true. I have seventeen reviews on Amazon: fifteen 5 Star and two 4 Star (most of them from people who bought my book). I’ve gotten new followers from other author’s blogs or because they recommended my book. My following has slowly grown and is still growing. I haven’t wasted a single minute fretting over breaking some artificial algorithm that sends my precious words to cyber la la land.

Every author has success definitions that are as different as their unique styles of writing. You need to find a road to market that meets your personal requirements. My blog has fit my lifestyle and goals perfectly. I haven’t ruled out other marketing strategies, but I am certain they won’t involve social media at this point. My books are selling. I still have time for my other creative pursuits and to write the next book(s). Having that peace of mind has made all the difference. Best of luck finding yours. Enjoy! 

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Kim Ligon has been writing stories for most of her life—some on paper and some only in her head. She has lots of source material growing up as the oldest child in a large family in a small town in Wisconsin. Her father was a veterinarian so there were not only lots of children around, but all manner of house pets and farm animals too. Her love of reading comes from her mother who was seldom seen sitting down without a book in her hand. After a demanding career in healthcare information technology, she is now getting to do all the creative things she loves which includes writing her stories to share with you. She lives with her chief encourager and personal romantic hero, her husband of almost forever, in Alabama. Please follow her further adventures at www.spinningromance.com

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Thank you, Kim. I love your take on things—a breath of fresh air! Next week I'll tackle the mythical, magical, unicorn-like "Ideal Reader." If I have such a person, she's on the verge of having a nervous breakdown; she owns a standard poodle, drinks a bottle of tequila a day, and demands fresh flowers in the house at all times. Ha! More next week.