Not Enough Interest
Publish or Perish?
“So…how’s your book coming along?”
The 8 Elements: Feng Shui for YOU! has been in the works for nearly 15 years.
“What’s taking forever?”
“Are you ever going to finish it?”
“When are you going to get it published?”
Here’s my answer to persistent inquirers of this frequently asked question:
I’ve been publishing free blogs about feng shui and The 8 Elements since 2011.
I write annual personal energy guides every year about each of The 8 Elements.
The information about The 8 Elements is freely available on my website, social media accounts and the Substack platform.
The annual personal energy guides for your personal element can be purchased for a nominal fee of just $8.
If people were really interested in my work, they would subscribe to the blog on my website or Feng Shui Yourself publication on Substack.
If people thought that my work had any real value, they’d get (and read) their annual personal energy guide every year.
But even the people I know, friends and family, aren’t subscribed to my Feng Shui Yourself Substack. They don’t like or comment or share. They don’t upgrade to paid.
People don’t invest in learning how to honor their personal energy by spending $8 per year. And if they do get their guide, they don’t bother ever reading it.
They don’t follow me on social media. Or, refer their friends to me for personal energy coaching or send them the link to my website.
My own mother isn’t subscribed to ANY of my blogs or Substack publications.
A friend asked me how she could support me. I said, “subscribe, like, comment and share”. You know - all the things that supposedly help people grow a following, audience or readership. She subscribed, but I haven’t seen more than a few likes in over a year of three weekly publications. Some people just don’t read.
Mid-year, I actually had to text people individually to ask them if they wanted their annual personal energy guide.
So, why would I publish a book when there is literally almost NO interest in my work?
If the people I know don’t have enough interest in my work to show their support, why would a wider audience want to read my book?
Traditional publishers won’t even consider an author who doesn’t already have a very large and engaged following on social media. They want to know there will be thousands of enthusiastic readers who would love to buy the book before they offer an author a book deal. Because best sellers make them the money they need to make their investment worth it.
Then, there’s the people who like free personal energy and relationship dynamics coaching and feng shui advice, but when presented with an opportunity to support my small business, suddenly they don’t resonate with it and the guidance is not valuable enough to actually pay for.
Here’s my questions for YOU:
How are YOU showing your interest in my work?
Are you subscribed to Feng Shui Yourself?
Are YOU upgrading to paid?
Do YOU follow Feng Shui Yourself on Instagram?
Do YOU get your annual personal energy guide every year?
Do YOU share The 8 Elements with people?
Do YOU pay for personal energy coaching?
Are YOU a monthly member of The 8 Elements Mastery?
If you think The 8 Elements is valuable, when are YOU going to show your support for my work in any way?
I already am a published author. I write EVERYDAY! I’ve been consistently self-publishing on social media and blogs for over twelve years. I don’t need a book on Amazon to make my body of work credible or my writing legit. I’m not a university professor. I don’t need to publish or perish.
What I need is real interest. Interest I can track and measure.
If you’re interested in my work and want to see my body of work published in the format of a book, find a way to show your support!
Ask not when I’ll be publishing my book. Ask what YOU can do to support my work, share my writing and help to get The 8 Elements out into the world.
Because right now there’s not enough interest.
POST SCRIPT
If you have any ideas about ways I can attract more blog readers and paid Substack subscribers, personal energy coaching clients and customers for my annual guides, please comment below.
For the people who don’t read, I may start some podcasts or at least offer an audio version of my posts for paid subscribers in the near future when I have a quiet space to make quality recordings.
If you enjoyed this publication, please like, comment and share!
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Pearls of Wisdom is a personal blog of the wisdom writings of Dara Eden that fall outside the realms of feng shui, The 8 Elements and her other personal energy work. Established in 2014, the blog is an expression of her highest values: Sovereignty, Truth, Wisdom & Inner Peace. It’s devoted to increasing awareness, expanding consciousness, bringing knowledge, sharing innerstandings and offering wisdom to the sovereign souls inhabiting the Earth.
Dara Eden is a writer and wisdom keepHER. The name, Dara, means “pearl of wisdom”. Pearls are formed when a microscopic irritant, like a grain of sand, embeds itself within the soft tissue of a shelled mollusk. To protect itself, the oyster or clam covers the invading gritty particle with concentric layers of iridescent crystalline calcium to form treasures, pearls of great beauty and worth. Gifts of the sea, pearls are the oldest known gem and the only gem that does not need to be cut, shaped or polished. Pearls are associated with elegance and luxury and are a symbol of mystery and purity. Pearls represent priceless knowledge, the rare wisdom that begins as a tiny, random, common irritant.
