Before I took the plunge into indie publishing, I came up with a quick, silly little author bio that I'd eventually replace later with something a bit more professional. The bio stated that I couldn't live without (my favorite band) Hawthorne Heights, black eyeliner, or Mountain Dew. Even more extreme, it said that I may or may not completely love One Direction. As I said, it was going to be updated later.
Recently, I signed up for a cover reveal for my next book, a YA contemporary romance titled American Girl On Saturn. My initial thought was that I needed a better bio on Goodreads - one that mentioned my debut novel Chasing Forever Down, one that covered all the bases that qualified me to be a writer, one like all those other authors who talk about their life accomplishments. But I forgot to rewrite it. And the cover reveal sign ups went up. And there was my bio - posted for entire blog-o-verse's viewing pleasure - the girl who may or may not completely love One Direction.
I could've cried. I could've rushed to Goodreads to update it in case anyone checked out the book or added it to their "to be read" list. I could've revamped my Facebook page and unfollowed @Real_Liam_Payne on Twitter to hide the evidence. Instead, I've decided to own it.
And that's what I want to tell you guys - own it. Own whatever it is about you that you aren't always so open about. Don't hide who you are because you're afraid that someone else may laugh at you. There's no shame in liking what we like and reading what we read and listening to what we listen to. I've seen too many Twihards recant their adoration for the series simply because people have laughed at the books, bashed the movies, and complained about Robert Pattinson's hair. (Really, what did R-Patz ever do to these people to deserve this?)
As authors, we're constantly worried about what other people will think. It's human nature. On top of that, we're putting pieces of our hearts on display for others to read and criticize and love or hate. It's hard being a writer. It's hard facing the world of readers who may or may not love us. We fear awful reviews or lack of sales or someone writing a book extremely similar to ours and being successful while we're not. We have enough problems without having to worry about what people will say over our personal preferences. So, fellow authors, let's get on the same team. Let's band together. Let's own who we are and let's be proud of the things that make our days brighter, whether it's a book series that the world bashes on, a band that I'm "too old" to listen to, or just the fact that it's a Tuesday because you like Tuesdays.
At the end of the day, let's just own it. Besides, I could never unfollow @Real_Liam_Payne on Twitter. And really - why would I ever want to? ;)
Written by Author Nikki Godwin, author of Chasing Forever Down (free on Amazon 5/16-5/18).
No comments:
Post a Comment