I Was Glad to Encourage At The Society of Children’s Book Writers And Illlustrators-Houston. Here Is How To Keep That Motivation
Thank you all at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)- Houston for having me out to speak for the second session of Marketing in the Arts. Many have been posting on the SCBWI list serve today with brains overflowing with thoughts about all that we talked about. I am sad to say that time was short and we were only able to get to half of the presentation. Perhaps we will have to continue next year.
I have stated, in the past, that this marketing workshop is intended for longer interactive sessions. Thus the reason why so many had the “Deer in the headlight look about them.” If you missed last night or part one or are unclear about some things, don’t fear. Here are some suggestions. Head over to the Creativesculpture.com/forum and become a member. (NOTE TO SELF: create a short video that walks people through the steps of being a forum member and the importance.) ( In 2020 the forum was replaced by an online private facebook group Marketing in the Arts and Small Business.) There are several reasons for this instruction. First, if you pose a question on the forum you create a thread. A thread basically is a thought or question that others can chime in on. So if Jill is having trouble making her “Jack is a Dunce for falling up a hill” blog then we can all offer our ideas and suggestions. I’ll try to come to the forum on a regular basis and chime in. I’ll also post the notes from the marketing workshop on a thread and in my blog https://creativesculpture.com/blog, as well as other helpful information and links that I find that are inline with this subject.
Remember when you are on a forum, that you should put your website or blog link into your post signature. That way you have a link to your blog on someone else’s website. This helps with traffic to your site and SEO (Search Engine Optimization. ) Another subject that we did not have time to fully talk about last night. Also, ask the members of the forum to come and see your blog or website. We can all chime in. And this can be a great place for accountability. Just like NANOWRIMO National Novel Writing Month it is about having a community or an individual that you can be accountable to. I highly recommend that.
I am more than happy to assist you in navigating this marketing labyrinth , but I have reasons for answering questions through the forum. My biggest reason is that often the same question gets asked over and over again. If I answer it on the forum, then those coming into the forum can read it and learn from our conversation. This saves me a lot of time. Also others can help to answer your question.
I am a sculptor, illustrator, writer, speaker, podcast host, owner of a small business and graduate student. As many say, over and over again, in the last two sessions, “When do you sleep?” It is true, I am very, very busy, therefore I could not conduct personal consultation as it takes away from my own creative time and… I would hate to charge for it. My speaking and conference appearances are what I charge for. (Though, FYI, I am known to chat over a meal, especially breakfast. I love going out to breakfast.) Another suggestion would be to have me come to do some of this workshop at your conference, with break out sessions to meet with individuals. I don’t know who would be in charge of that, but if you are interested be sure to let the “powers that be” know.
I want to encourage you all to proceed with your marketing. I have given you a lot of direction, but the point is to do something toward marketing yourself. If you have trouble figuring out just one thing to start check out the article, “100 things to do to market myself.”
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer and educator as well as a public speaker. Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
She is also the owner and creator of the God’s Word Collectible Sculpture series
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