Spring Training For Authors

 

They say practice makes perfect — but only if you practice the right things, the right way — and often.

After watching the New York Mets’ first spring training game in Florida last week, to kick-off the entire 2024 season, I realize that even professional athletes who are better than 99.99 percent of anyone playing baseball today still need to practice the things that make them competitive. Authors must do the same thing.

Athletes, the military, actors, and musicians all are aware they must keep doing routine, even basic activities, from target practice to batting practice, over and over again.

Psychologists say one must practice something 10,0000 times for you to perfect your ability to execute the task efficiently and effectively. Many people train months and years for a chance to make it to the pros, Broadway, Hollywood, or onto a battlefield.

Are you perfecting your writing and/or your marketing skills?

Many say it takes 21 consecutive days of doing something for it to become a habit. What are you doing on a consistent, regular basis?

If all-star basketball players can take more shots in practice than they do in real games, writers should be penning many drafts and going through several rounds of edits to get their craft right.

As for marketing a book, many authors will hear “no” many more times before hearing a “yes“ when they solicit anyone— the news media, bookstores, book awards, social media influencers — but that is what needs to happen in order to break through.

Practice being a writer and marketable author every day.

 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with 3.6 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  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 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ 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.