All writers wear a writer’s hat. Most feel pretty comfortable with this hat. They may even balk at the idea of wearing any other hat. In fact, many writers refuse to put on different hats. Yet, to become successful writers they must not only try on different hats but also must wear them on a regular basis.
Writers must be more than just writers. They must serve as publicists, marketers, speakers, social networkers, bloggers, and businesspeople.
I suggest all writers–all aspiring authors (or those that aspire to become successful authors)–go out and purchase a few different hats, ascribe to them a “job,” and then practice trying them on–literally. You also can visualize the different hats, such as your publicist’s hat, and yourself wearing it. Get used to them. Feel comfortable int them. Then start performing the role designated to that hat. For example, when you put on your social networking hat, spend an hour doing social networking tasks.
Here’s the the point: You must wear different hats and actually do the jobs designated to those hats. You cannot expect to simply wear a writer’s hat and succeed as a writer–not in today’s publishing climate. That goes for writers planning to become independent publishers as well as those writers seeking traditional publishing contracts.
So, try on some hats. Wear them. Use them well.
Leave a Reply