Marketing Idhua: Introduction

I have been thinking a lot about marketing since I came back from Norwescon.  I chose panels that focused mostly on business and marketing aspects of writing and publishing, so it's not surprising that it's been on my mind.  However, I observed a pattern in the panelists - the ones who had marketing experience or deliberately set out to be involved in that aspect of their writing, appeared to be more content and confident in their careers.  


This makes sense - they had a sense of being in charge of their own fates, of understanding what was happening around them and of being a participant in the whole process.  I know myself well enough to know that I, too, will be happier if I understand and am involved with marketing my work - to say nothing of the advantages that that creates, as publishers have less and less time and resources to market any author, let alone new ones.  I am not only looking to market myself to my readers, but to editors, agents and publishers as well.


There is a lot of information out there - on the internet and in print - about marketing, but most of it is geared toward the business world.  However, I think that that can still be applied to my situation - with some modifications.  Idhua is my brand, my stories are my products, and though I don't have any out in the marketplace yet, that doesn't mean I can't have a plan in place for when I do.


The first thing I am going to do is create a strategic plan for myself: a long term plan answering the questions "What do I do?" and "For whom do I do it?" among others.


I think it should be an interesting process and help me become as focused in the business side of things as I have been in the production side of things.