Sunday Soapbox: Marketing

*Steps on soapbox*

Ah, my one day a week where I'm allowed, nay, compelled, to bitch.

I mentioned yesterday that this was a good year for me for writing. I finished and then revised one novel, then started and finished another from scratch in what, for me, was record time. I now have three "completed" novels. One in "finished" form, one "close to finished form" and one still in the first draft. And I have a dozen or so short stories to market.

And that, boys and girls, is my beef today. I love to make stuff. I love to accomplish tasks and do research and solve problems. I love to review things and analyze things. I love to write and sing and make jewelry.

I hate selling things.

I hate selling a point of view. The data should speak for itself. The facts should determine the right path, yet, all too often, the better spin and song and dance, the politics of the situation determine the path instead of physics, reality, hard data.

I hate marketing my work, not because I can't take rejection (though, of course, that's not fun), but because I don't know how to sell things. If someone's willingness to read my work is dependent on my ability to make it sound like fun, I'm doomed. I hate not knowing why they didn't like it (letter, paper, the fact I use long sentences like I do in real life)? I hate the lag and the waiting. And I read so many things that are just so bad. Talk about being able to market something.

I only make jewelry for friends and family because I don't know how to market it and don't want to try to sell it.

I don't like having to convince people I'm worth something. Shouldn't my work speak for itself? You may have noticed that my barely trafficked blog is sans advertising.

But, it's not just the needs I have to market things, it's the absolutely insane ability to control people using advertising that I don't understand. How can people buy the stories, the nonsense, the spin, the garbage? Why do people eat up the nonsense and stories and spin and garbage? People use this advertising, no matter what crap their peddling, because it works. Why is that?

Why is it that people are so blase about being lied to or having exaggerations tossed to them, that the eat up lies served by the same dorks time and time again? Why is substance not important? Why have people given up on getting the best deal and the truth and doing the research to get what they really need instead of just taking whoever has the best song and dance?

How long are we going to let the appearance of substance be more important than actual substance?

*Steps off soapbox*

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