Free Ways to Market Books

Photo by Balázs Kétyi on Unsplash

I sold four Kindle copies of my poetry book for $0.99 this last time, and one other person downloaded and read a KU (Kindle Unlimited) copy. It's not much, but it is still encouraging. The first couple times I tried to give "Un-Clenched Emotion" away for free, there were no takers. Then I gave away 1, then 6, then 70! I tried some Amazon Advertising this time and wasn't very successful, but that's okay, marketing is a learning process!

Photo by Robin Pierre on Unsplash

Of course, I use this blog to market. I'm not sure how successful it is. I do get a lot of traffic that you can see by looking at my counter. I'm not sure how I did it! Just showing up helps. I don't have much interaction, only 4 comments and no subscribers' through blogger, but people are looking and that makes me happy. Then I do have some subscribers on Goodreads that I just found out about. When I post my new blog posts on Facebook, I usually get a consistent 7 or 8 people who look. (My blog has a reports section, that's how I know). I want to thank all of you who do look at my writings! I have over 1000 X (formerly twitter) followers, but I don't get many looks from there. I'm working on being more active on X, there are a lot of authors helping authors on that platform. I'm not sure how many followers that aren't family or people I know on Instagram. It's a big sized number I think, but not so much as X. I don't get that much interaction with Instagram yet either. The Goodreads author program is also free and there are many groups you can participate in. I belong to some and have gotten a few reviews from there. There are a few people who also marked "Un-Clenched Emotion" as want to read. So Goodreads is also a good marketing platform. The cool thing is I don't have to pay anything for these platforms.

Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash

There's a couple of other of things that aren't costly that I could do to market my book. I could create a separate Facebook page and invite those interested. It seems like so much work though, added to this. And then I could attempt to create a newsletter, but that seems like A Lot of work. You may have noticed, I'm not extremely consistent in simply writing this blog.  It takes awhile for me to come up with a subject to talk about and sometimes I just don't feel like doing it. If I make a newsletter, it's got to be consistent. And then, of course, I have no idea how to get subscribers. So there are a lot of things I do to market my book, and somethings I could be doing but don't.

Should Poems Have a Title?

Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

If you read a lot of poetry, you will notice that there are many poems out there without a title. In fact, a very famous poet, Emily Dickinson, did not title any of her poems. The choice to title poems is up to the author. It is the readers right to have an opinion on whether a title should be placed or not. I am of the belief that the choice of titling a poem is a matter of artistic expression.

There was a time in my life when I titled some of my poems and left others without a title. Now I title everything. The reason for that is because, submitting a poem for publication, I got rejected. The reason they gave me was that they could not figure out what the poem was about. I realized that adding a title would add clarity and add a little extra something to the poem. I titled the rejected piece, "It's All About The Sky," and don't remember if I submitted it for publication anywhere else.

I also choose to add titles to my poems for easier organization and recognition. When writing many pieces, it is helpful to have an indicator of which piece is being talked about in a conversation or in a paper. It also helps in poetry collection books. It can be argued that a title to a poem is unnecessary for organization. When a poem has no title, its first line becomes the title. That has been the case with Dickson's poems in my English books. Still, I think titles are beneficial for clarities sake.

I have run into the problem of giving some of my works the same title. It will be quite a project going through my writings and figuring which titles should be changed, or if I am willing to have some of my poetry titled the same. I have so many poems that giving every piece a different title might be unattainable. It is possible that I may choose to have the first line of my poem become the new title. If this is the case, I will write that one line down twice. There's nothing wrong with a little repetition in poetry.

 

It is kind of weird that some poets choose to go without. An author would probably not write a book without a title. That would be weird. It may be that some poets don't title their poetry for the very sake of weirdness. That's fine. Titling poetry is a choice. I have nothing against authors who choose not to title their poems. I, however, now choose to title mine.

Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash

 

They Left Out the Title

Empty words expected to be gleaned through inference.
But how can we tell when the line before and the line after is left blank?
It puts a new meaning to 'reading in between the lines'.
Reading the words after blank spaces,
our hearts may be captivated
and our creativity may spell the subject out.
Our own interpretation.
That must be the hope of those who left the title without.

Is Writing Work? Even If You Don't Get Paid?

Photo by Olena Bohovyk on Unsplash

I think a lot of writers are unintentionally modest. I know I am. I have a hard time mentioning that I have written a poetry book, even to people I know. I think maybe it's not that big of deal, especially since I know so many people have done it. But it is a big deal, and authors need to mention that they have written books in order to sell them. Part of the reason I don't mention that I write is because somewhere deep inside, and untruly, I think that writing is not work. The biggest reason I suspect I think that is because I don't get paid much for my work. Some authors may say writing is not work because it's fun. But it is work, work can be enjoyable!

I was at a family reunion and was asked the dreaded question, "so what do you do?" by my aunt. I mentioned taking care of my Autistic daughter, feeling inadequate because despite being paid to take care of my 22 year old daughter, I am her mother and am supposed to do that. I also felt depressed because I had to quit my job earlier in the year because of my health. I felt inferior. Then I mentioned taking a proof reading and editing class with my goal to get paid in that sector of English. My aunt then surprised me by asking me if I still wrote poetry. I was happy to say, "yes I do!" I suddenly felt better about myself because I realized I am doing something, I am working.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

I also remembered that in my last job, I had put writer on my resume. I was hesitant to do that, but I had made a little money through freelancing on Upwork.  I felt that I could honestly put that as work experience on there since I got paid. I was surprised a few years later when one of my boss's said they were excited to hire me because I had writer on my resume. Even though I had trouble accepting it as an actual job, other people didn't.  You never know what is going to happen. In the case of looking for a job or making money, don't be modest!

Even if an author is not getting paid they are still working. They still spend valuable time putting pen to paper, and/or typing their stories or poems up. Then going back and making sure their work is polished.  Some people stop there, but all the time put in is the equivalent of an actual job. And then there are the writers who try to get published, either through traditional means or by self-publishing. It takes time to send out manuscripts and then a lot of waiting for rejection or acceptance. If an author gets rejected they have to send out their manuscript somewhere else. It takes time, and is work, to find who to send your manuscript to. Then there are those who may self-publish or who decide to self-publish after getting rejected. Now that's a lot of work! You have to choose which market you're going to publish with, and learn about their requirements. There may be a lot of tutorials or web pages to go through to do it right. Additionally, self-published authors have to market their own work. That truly feels like a job to me, yet, and contradictorily, because I've made so few sales my head tells me it's not a job. I may not be extremely successful but I am realizing, that yes I do actually work, by marketing and writing. I hope other writers out there proudly exclaim that they're authors, even if they're not making any money yet!

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

'Remembering What Was Called Country' Teaser

 

Natasha McKinley, (formerly called Natasha Gruss,) reads part of her #poem "Remembering What Was Called Country" from her #poetry #book "Un-Clenched Emotion". This is from the Look Inside feature on #amazon. The poem cuts off so Natasha only #reads her poem to that part. In order to get this book, in print or for your #kindle, visit Natasha's #author page at: https://www.amazon.com/Natasha-Gruss/e/B01LZE8CKO This book is on #kindleunlimited 

I read 2 other poems, (Thunderstorm and The Sea,) from my book on my YouTube Channel at: https://youtube.com/@natashamckinley1387

There are also 3 more poems that I read on my Channel that will not be published elsewhere. They are called My World, Ocean Haiku, and Untitled Coffee Poem. You can also view these poems and read others I have written on this blog. To make it easy for you to find the page, it's at: https://authornatashagruss.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

I hope you enjoy!

About Sonnets

Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash

In the last blog post, I said I would write more about sonnets.  I believe there is something attractive about sonnets, so I write them.  This is how I go about writing a sonnet.  What are sonnets? Basically, a sonnet is a 14 line poem.  There are many different types.  I don't go about limiting myself to one certain type, I do what's going to work best for what I want to write. 

Most of my sonnets contain 3 quatrains, (a paragraph made up of 4 lines,) and 1 couplet, (a paragraph made of 2 lines,) at the end.  Shakespearian Sonnets have an ABAB CDCD EFEF rhyming scheme in the quatrains and an GG rhyming scheme for the couplet.  Many different sonnet types count the syllables in each line.  In the following example of one of my sonnets, "The Discussion", I have used 10 syllables for each line.  When coming up with a sonnet I write a template looking like this:

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  A

2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B

3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A

4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B

5. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ C

6. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D

7. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ C

8. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D

9. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E

10. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ F

11. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E

12. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ F

13. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ G

14 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ G

Each underline, or dash, represents each syllable that I want to use.  A syllable can best be described as a beat of a word, usually indicated by a vowel.  For example, 'frog' is one syllable.  It has one vowel, so the word frog would be written across one part of the line above.  'Discussion' would be 3 syllables indicated by the i, u, and io.  Since it is three syllables, I would write that across 3 parts of the line.  To put 'frog' and 'discussion' together, I would write across 4 parts of the line to look like: frog-dis-cus-sion.  To write one line of the sonnet, I still need to come up with 6 more syllables.  It's not the easiest thing to do, but it is doable. 

Iambic pentameter is also part of a sonnet, and it is also hard to do.  I am not good at iambic pentameter, so I don't do it.  The rules in poetry are meant to be broken!  If you are interested, I found the best description iambic pentameter here: https://classicalpoets.org/2015/12/02/how-to-write-a-sonnet/#/ 

In order to come up with writing rhymes and a subject, I do a free write.  I write all words I can think of and then see if I can put any two together that rhyme, or if a word might inspire a rhyme.  The words can create a guideline of a potential subject.  Sometimes, as in the case below, I come up with the subject first.  For "The Discussion," I wanted to come up with a poem that fit in the category of speculative (relating to fantasy or science fiction).  I thought talking frogs would work for a speculative poem.  I did try to write "The Discussion" for publication, however I do not think it's good enough for that.  I do think it's good, just not that good, so I am sharing it with you for free now.

The Discussion

 

Now it is dusk, we are frogs, we arise.         

Time for our meeting, time for our chatter.                                                                    

When it is colder, we fear our demise.                           

We must discuss an important matter.        

                                                          

Among the dark it is time to discourse.                                                               

Us, waking, nocturnal socializing.            

Like you, we try to discover the source.                                             

Knowledge gleaning, avoid criticizing.                                                                

                                                                       

Our music reverberates among us.             

Ponds, our water, it is disappearing.                                                                   

Asking what can we do, who can we trust?                                                                   

Not understanding, others are jeering.                                                        

                                          

Can you understand the amphibian?                  

Shivering, dying now, to our chagrin. 

                                                              Photo by gary tresize on Unsplash

I encourage you to revel in this beautiful form of poetry, whether you be reading sonnets or writing them.

 

Thunderstorm

https://youtu.be/67HAVaT4VZ0

 

Poetry Writing Prompts

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Often, authors encounter writers block.  I am fortunate that I rarely encounter this when writing poetry.  The reason for that is because I have some go to writing prompts to help me out.  I used to volunteer to teach poetry classes and the following prompts are what I used when I needed to come up with ideas quickly.
I would have people write about colors, things that happen in the calendar year, music, teach a specific form of poem, and use published poems and authors as inspiration.  Writing about color is a little self-explanatory, so I will only go in depth on the other prompts I have listed.

Photo by Renáta-Adrienn on Unsplash

Calendar Year

I often had my students write about things that happened in the calendar year.  Things like seasons, the weather, holidays, and the specific months.  It was easy to look outside and prompt my students to write about what the weather was doing, or to have them write about the specific season we were experiencing at the time of the class.  Writing about the month we were in was also effortless.  I always felt holidays were especially inspirational.  I wrote so many of these types of poems that I am working on making a book out of them.  I currently have 42 poems typed up, and I am not even finished!

Photo by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash

Music

I have written a little bit about this in previous blog posts.  In my classes, sometimes I would simply have the students write a poem about their favorite song.  Sometimes I played the same song for everyone and had them all write a poem about that song.  You might think that you would get very similar poems doing this, but actually, they came out very diverse.  I always did want to be careful with this prompt because I did not want to infringe on any copywrites.  If you are simply writing this for yourself, that doesn't matter.  Done carefully, poems written inspired by music can still be published.  I found a call for submissions for poems that are inspired by the Rolling Stones.  Sometimes I would play music on glass bottles.  You could also play your own instrument, if you have one, for inspiration.  In this case, you do not have to worry about plagiarism.  I am of the belief that music is poetry.  I've seen some lyrics of various artists printed out and they look like wonderful poetry.

Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash

Forms of Poems

I really like to write sonnets, haikus, and acrostic poems.  I like them, therefor I teach them.  Haikus are pretty straight forward.  Write a poem with 3 lines.  The first line being 5 syllables, the second line being 7 syllables, and the third line being 5 syllables again.  I know that some people argue that Haikus should be about certain things like nature, or that it should be conveyed in a different way, but I don't think that has to be the case.  I was teaching poetry to beginners, so simply saying to write a 5-7-5 syllable poem was good enough for me.  I also love to do Acrostic Poems.  These poems are poems where the first letter of each line spells out a word.

For example:

Next

Akin

To

Amazing

She

Happily

Ascends

 

I actually made money at some craft fairs charging people to have me write out an acrostic poem of their name.  I did not charge much, and yet, a surprising amount of people wanted to have this done.

 

Sonnets are a little harder.  I must admit that I still don't understand iambic pentameter very well, so I don't bother with it.  The great thing about poetry is that you don't Have To follow the rules.  There is a lot I can say about sonnets, so I will write about them in a future blog post.

Photo by Taha on Unsplash

Using Published Authors and Poems

Most of the time in my poetry class, I would choose 3 poets and their published poetry for inspiration.  I went to a poetry website, printed the author's bio, and a poem they had published.  We would read these bios and poems out loud and use them as inspiration to write our own poems.  This exercise took a little preparation, but I learned how to do it so well, it did not take much time to prepare at all.  Now when I am working on poetry, for fun, or to try to publish, I often read poetry ezines.  I have learned a lot from doing this.  For example, I knew about acrostic poetry, but I did not know there was a form of poetry where you start each line with a letter of the alphabet.  Finally, if none of these prompts work for you, you can find other prompts all over the internet.  There are many tweeted prompts every day, and Writer's Digest sends out writing prompts.  Writer's Block can be overcome!                                                                                                                                  

The Importance of the Pause

 

Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash

In all writing, not just poetry, where the writer puts pauses into their piece is very important.  In prose, the pauses are easy to indicate with commas and periods.  Paragraph breaks are also another form of pauses.  A pause in writing allows the reader to stop and think about what they just read, and perhaps prepare for a new idea.   The pause allows the reader to have time for what they just read to sink in.

Photo by Hrayr Movsisyan on Unsplash

 

Commas and periods can be a way to indicate a pause in poetry too.  Poetry is not exactly like prose, it has it's own set of rules.  Also unlike prose, in poetry, it is okay to break some of the rules.  Sometimes there will be no commas or periods in the piece at all.  In that case, line breaks are something that indicates a pause.  Why would you want to incorporate pauses in your poetry at all? You don't have to, but it can really help if you or someone else is reciting the poem.  Most poems are written to be read or performed, (with the exception of some visual poetry).  The spacing between words can indicate a pause as well.  In poetry, you can put as many spaces as you want between words, or even letters.

Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

Perhaps you don't write poetry, but only read it.  In that case, notice the pauses if there are any.  It will help with the comprehension and emotion of the poem.  Reciting a poem, whether you are the poet, or the reader, can help you get the best feel for the piece.  Next time you read a poem, notice the pauses.  It will help you better understand what the writer is trying to convey.

Photo by Isabella and Zsa Fischer on Unsplash

Sleep, Interrupted

By Natasha McKinley

 

She,

            Sleeps,

                           Softly.

 

There is a patter of

                                    footsteps that She

dreamily hears.

 

Awaken now.

            See what disturbs your slumber.

 

She wakes.

            It is only the footsteps of her family.

 

                                    Rest easy.

How to Write From Experience and Autism Awareness

If you have taken a writing course, or workshop, you might have been told to write what you know.  I was told that once, and I took it a little too literally.  I love fantasy and science fiction, and wondered how I could write about an imaginary planet when it's not something I know.  You don't have to have experienced something first hand for you to know something about it.  I've read enough mythology and facts on space for those subjects to be something I know.  I haven't written any prose yet, I've been busy working on my poetry.  For poetry, writing from your life's experience is a good idea.  An imaginary characters' experience works too.

Use a Memory for Writing Poetry

A good way to write a poem from experience is to go through your memories and try to describe it.  Of course, this works for good memoirs too since that's what they are.  You don't have to write your memory word for word, and in poetry you probably shouldn't.  Think of the feelings you get from those memories, wonder if that memory makes you think of a color, and try to come up with a phrase (that only has to make sense to you) that describes that memory.  This will help you come up with similes (comparing items using the word like and as) and metaphors (comparing items not using the word like and as) in your poems.  You can also choose to write about a subject matter that is close to you.

Experience with the Subject of Autism

It's April now, which means it's Poetry Month.  It is also Autism Awareness Month.  Poetry and Autism are both subjects I know about.  I have decided to write a poem using my experience with Autism to celebrate both poetry and autism awareness.  I don't plan on trying to publish it, so I will write it here for everyone to read as an example of how to write from experience. It is as follows:

Relating to a Mystery

Understanding an Echo (they called it Autism,)

Sweet parrot mimicking in human flesh.

She gazed at the river and spoke in metaphor.

Could it be possible? Did they lie?

Hidden talents hidden in flapping wings like hands.

Each song sung verbatim with feeling.

She feels it all distinctly, everything.

They are not emotionless.

Lumped together in the image of different.

Rainbow Puzzle Pieces try to celebrate the many feathers

of parrots flocking.

Comprehension can’t be communicated,

I’m not talking about her, but about me.

Is blue really accurate?

Relate, relate, relate,

Unsuccessful, it is pointless.

There are unanswered questions that swirl

and never finish until we expire.

I read stories, she watches stories

So that we might illuminate our curious minds.

When we hear a lion roar, we imitate.

My head’s full of useless feathers.

The mimicking parrot is full of brilliance.

It’s me who wants you to understand.

Expression needs training,

This encompasses humanity as well as parrots.

Will you feel compassion?

It’s everything we need.

Her, You, Me, Us.

In the end, that’s all I’m trying to express.

I could describe how all of this relates to autism, me, and my daughter (who has autism,) but this post is already kind of long.  If you would like to know more. please write a comment and I'll try to answer. 

How to Start Writing Poetry Freestyle

It’s April, that means it’s poetry month.  In honor of that I have decided to write about poetry in general and how to write poetry in my blog.  I have taught poetry workshops and helped people write a poem, fresh on the spot.  When I write poetry, I can usually write it all from one sitting off the top of my head.  This is hard for many people to do.  I will proceed to tell you how I get started writing my poetry and what I tell people they should do when writing theirs.

Writing a Poem is an Act of Bravery

The first thing I like to explain to people is that people who write poetry are brave. You may feel like you don’t fit in the “brave” category yourself but just put your pencil (or pen) to the paper and start writing. (Or start typing on the computer if that’s what you prefer).  Write what you are thinking about in the moment, no matter how silly or embarrassing you think it might be.   Any ideas, subjects, words, formats, etc., are acceptable. This is called freewriting.  Some people may need prompts to do this and some may not.  (I do this with and without prompts.)   Some prompts are:  

• ·         Looking at the place you are and writing down poetic descriptions
• ·         Listening to everything you hear and writing how that makes you                                    feel
• ·         Thinking of a memory and describing that memory

If you feel you are not brave, that’s okay, simply writing things down is an act of bravery. It doesn’t matter if what you write comes out written poorly, the fact is you did it and you should be proud of that accomplishment.  You have dared to create something new.

What if Don’t Like My Poem

Often, you may not like what you wrote, but someone else will.  There are countless examples of musical artists that hated the songs they came up with.  Their songs went on to hit the top of the charts even though the musicians hated that song.  REM hated “Shiny Happy People,” but many of us know and love that song today.  Poetry is like that, you may hate it, but someone else may like it, so be brave to write anything down that comes to mind.  You don’t have to write a poem in one sitting and be done with it either.  (My poems are usually written out and complete the first time, which is unusual and if you encounter a writing teacher, they will usually tell you that you must rewrite).  If you want to, you can use your poem as a rough draft and rewrite it to something else you like more.  If you still don’t like it, which is often the case, you can use the poem you wrote as inspiration to write another poem.  A completely new one.  If you like the original, feel free to keep it!

Writing freestyle is one way to start writing a poem. If you don’t like something you have written, try and try again.  Feel good that you were brave enough to do it, no matter how you did it.  You have created. 

The Benefits of Reading Poetry

Sometimes people are interested in poetry and sometimes they’re not. The interest or lack of interest can be found in both the reading and writing aspect.  It’s a shame more people aren’t interested in poetry.  Following are some of the benefits to both reading and writing poems.

Reading poetry allows people to relax and learn new things.  It can help with recognizing emotions within one’s self and make the readers notice emotions in others better.  Sometimes reading poetry makes people feel smarter, allowing them to get correct answers on quiz shows like Jeopardy.  Sometimes new words are found, and that also helps to better the mind.  After looking at some poems, one may find that they describe things better when in normal conversation.  If people want to learn many new things, they may go a step further and read about the author.  This can help with learning some historical facts that were previously unknown to the reader.  Another benefit of reading poetry is that it can be therapeutic since it allows one to concentrate which can be a form of meditation.  With so many benefits of reading poetry, I’m not sure why people don’t necessarily like doing it, I find it wonderful.  I highly recommend reading about different subjects so that at least new things can be learned.

For some people, like me, writing poetry is also relaxing.  For others, it can be stressful.  However, writing poetry has many of the same benefits of reading poetry.  When coming up with ideas, new things often present themselves to writers.  New words are thought up and discovered.  Writing about emotions really helps authors know emotions in others.  Reading about authors can help the creator of a poem not only enhance their learning, but allow the aspiring poet to come up with new inspiration.  There are some other added benefits to writing poetry that people may not necessarily get if they are only reading it. Writing is definitely a creative outlet.  Completing a poem can be an ego boost once the person writing it realizes their creativity has helped them make a new creation.  Creating something worthwhile makes a person feel proud of themselves.  If a poem is written in a certain style, skills other than writing may be used.  The most obvious one is coming up with a rhyme scheme.  Other skills may be used as well though, for example; math skills.  Syllables, lines, and stanza may need to be counted.  Especially if something like a sonnet or haiku is being written.  There are obviously many benefits to writing poetry.

For some, writing comes hard, and it is not relaxing to them.  It causes stress, which is counterproductive.  If this is the case, there is no shame in avoiding writing.  Reading poetry is relatively simple though, so there really is no excuse to avoid reading it.  Both writing and reading poems can allow people to find relaxation and learn many new skills like learning new words and new information.  Poetry is clearly beneficial.

The Title of Un-Clenched Emotion or Unclenched Emotion

When I wrote my poetry book I thought of the perfect title: "Unclenched Emotion."  Something funny happened when I went into Word.  It said unclenched was a misspelled word.  Because of this I thought unclenched wasn't a word, much to my dismay.  So I changed it to un-clenched emotion.  I wasn't giving up on my title even though I thought the word didn't exist.  It's a sad thing I changed it with the dash, because that makes it harder to find.

To my humiliation, when I posted on boards on Create Space, where I published my book, that unclenched wasn't a word, I faced some correction.  It is a word.  I had to have other authors telling me so.  That's really embarrassing for someone who studied English, but we all have our faults.  What does unclenched mean?  In the most basic sense it means to open from a clenched position.  Like unclenching your teeth.  Or it can mean to relax.  It just goes to show you that you should not rely on spell check.  It's not just Word that has unclenched as misspelled, it's doing it here on blogspot too.  (Funny note, blogspot is also underlined in red).  I have all kinds of red underling a word that has a definition and is spelled correctly.  Confusing!

So why did I choose "Un-Clenched Emotion" for my title?  I wanted something that described emotion uninhibited.  I wanted to describe hidden emotions opening up.  I wanted to describe emotion as a positive state, and relaxed is that.  My poetry is full of emotion and I was (and will be in the future) writing about my feeling.  Sometimes writing about feelings that I'm guessing others feel.  I think in great writer should put their feelings into their words, unabashed.  They should be "open" about it instead of "clenched"  I was in my book so  ultimately, I think I have a great title.  I just wish I published without the dash!

Discouragement to Encouragement From "The Princess Bride"

The free book promotion is over.  I'm a little discouraged about publishing this poetry book, because as far as I know it's not getting out there.  I have no way of knowing if anyone choose to take care of this opportunity to get "Un-Clenched Emotion" or not.  The only way I have of knowing is if someone posts a review, and no one has.  It's disheartening that no one has paid money for the book except for me.  Not even my parents. they were hoping I would buy it for them and they don't have a kindle.  I'm still glad I published this book though.

I just finished reading "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman,  Yes, I read it, I didn't just watch the movie, though I have in the past and is one of my favorites.  That's why I got the book.  Anyway, I read a funny, encouraging passage on the poet Browning.  It goes like this:

"Did you know that Robert Browning's first book of poems didn't sell one copy?  True.  Even his mother didn't buy it at her local bookstore.  Have you ever heard anything more humiliating? How would you like to have been Browning and it's your first book and you have these secret hopes that now, now , you'll be somebody.  Established, Important.  And you give it a week before you ask the publisher how things are going, because you don't want to seem pushy or anything.  And then maybe you drop by, and it was probably all very English and understandable in those days, and you're Browning and you chitchat around a bit, before you drop the biggie: "Oh, by the way, any notions yet on how my poems might be doing?'  And then his editor who has been dreading this moment, probably says, "Well, you know how it is with poetry these days; nothing's taking off like it used to, requires a bit of time for the word to get around.' And then finally, somebody had to say it. 'None, Bob, Sorry, Bob, no, we haven't yet had one authenticated sale.  We thought for a bit that Hatchards had a potential buyer down by Piccadilly, but it didn't quite work out,  Sorry, Bob; of course we'll keep you posted in the event of a breakthrough." (Goldman, p. 227-228)

This of course, probably isn't true.  Part of the delight of The Princess Bride is it's funny b,s.  It got me thinking though.  Did Browning not sell his first book of poems? (According to Wikipedia he couldn't get a publisher at 12 so destroyed the book, but that's at twelve years old and who's published a book that young?.)  Knowing that this has happened to a famous poet (even if it happened fictitiously) gives me encouragement.  Sure no one has bought my book yet (that I know of)  But they may in the future,  And it may not be until I'm dead, but that's okay.  I just want people to get enjoyment out of my work, whatever the date may be.  I hope this inspires other struggling authors as well.  Some day you may be famous no matter how far you've gotten in your writing by now!