We all need foundational
principles and truths to operate from, a place where all other actions and
decisions are filtered through. Authors are no different.
Think about it. You approach life being driven
by what kind of motto, mantra, code, law, ethic, value, or principle? From what
concept or belief does all else get defined by?
Some will say they live in accordance with their
faith or religion. Others will say their family comes first. Others put their
job or money as their No. 1. Some combine some type of approach to life by
putting animals first or making their fandom for something or someone a
priority.
If we have enough interests, our values can
clash internally. If it is family first, what is your priority order — parents,
spouse, kids, siblings, others? If you are a Marine, it is God, country, and
family – but again, in what order and to what degree?
The ordering of values and the testing of each
value has kept philosophers at it for centuries and millennia across the globe.
We won’t have any resolution to that question today, if ever, but it is
sufficient to say that authors would benefit from having a hierarchy of values
and a single value or principle that all of their writing emanates from and
gets measured by.
An author needs moral and professional clarity
to write, but often our minds are cluttered and our souls torn by competing
needs, desires, opinions, and experiences. We write from the heart, driven by
some sense of right and wrong, good vs evil, hope vs despair, and love vs hate.
A good writer will run through a spectrum of thoughts.
We will get lost at some point, finding our
moral compass broken and wrestling with choices that leave us feeling
uncomfortable. Writers look to advocate for the best view but often find
themselves questioning everything and everyone to the point it is hard to
convince themselves of where to take a definitive stand.
All foundational principles get refined by their
exceptions. One is against abortion except in cases of rape or incest. One
wants to ban many drugs but keep alcohol legal. One wants free speech but not
speech that endangers someone. One believes in love, but not in people who hurt
you. One believes in peace, but not when they have been attacked. One believes
in upholding the law, but not if it means their kid goes to jail.
So, too, do writers have guiding viewpoints as
it relates to how and what they write, along with exceptions, contradictions,
challenging conflicts, and outright hypocrisy. How do they develop a founding
principle to operate from?
For instance, what is your foundational
principle as it relates to the type of writing that you do, including genre,
style, level of vocabulary, and uniqueness?
What is an author’s foundational principle when
it comes to a commitment to writing? Will one set aside a certain amount of
time or pages written per day? Where does writing rank on one’s list of
priorities? And to what degree will a writer edit and research in order to
ensure quality and factual writing will follow?
Then, what is your foundational principle
towards getting published? What will you do to seek out a publisher?
Lastly, what is your foundational principle as
it relates to marketing and promoting? How much time, money, mindshare, and
effort will you dedicate and commit to marketing your brand and promoting your
books?
I only seem to have questions. Start formulating
your answers so that you won’t flounder as a writer. Form your foundational
principles and go from there.
Need PR Help?
Brian Feinblum, the founder of this
award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at [email protected] He
is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow
their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping
thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and
motivator!
About
Brian Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two
kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9
million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named
one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized
by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was
also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a “best resource.” For the past
three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s
largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two
independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published,
authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities
such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil
Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy
Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin,
and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America
several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers
Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod
Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan
James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His
letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA
Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News
(Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The
Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and
Miami Herald.
