Oxford Exchange 6th Annual Book Fair! April 25, 2020, Independent Bookstore Day!

I am thrilled to be included in the upcoming Oxford Exchange Book Fair! This is a big deal for me, a new author. I have put my heart and soul and many intimate details for the public to view in my memoir, Writing In Wet Cement.

In marketing, how to attract the public?

Marketing is a very painful process. You put your best face forward, or, as Ray, of Haslam's Books said, "You smile through all of my insults."

Which I did. And trust me, dear readers, there were many insults. I wasn't published by respected publishers and I wasn't self-published. Yet, somehow, I didn't meet the criteria of Haslam's. Or Ray.

He was exactly right. You put your book, your heart and soul and all your secrets out there for the world to see. You cringe over all you have said. You wonder over all your reader's comments who all agree. And, as Ray of Haslams said, "You smile through all of my insults."

That is what we writers do. FINALLY! We have found a publisher. We have our beautifully bound copies of our books. We can look up our titles on ISBN, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Ingram, BookStone, UK. We have tons of very positive reviews. Yet it isn't enough.

Alsace, of Tombolo Books said in rejecting my book for their esteemed shelves, "You're not the right fit." I wonder, What is the right fit?

My readers are the ones who matter. They say,

"I couldn't put your book down. I read it in two days."

"You are so brave to have shared all the most intimate details of your life."

" I wish I could unzip my body and tell all of your life as you have."

"These very personal pages reveal the emotions and events of our era."

"Her work covers many years which are both happy, sad, and in places heart wrenching."

" I found myself waking up in the middle of the night just to read another chapter".

"Beautifully written, my emotions ranged from tears to smiles and giggles."

"As a male, I found this to be a cautionary tale as well as a tale of the metamorphosis of a person from who I consider a victim to become a strong, powerful, confident woman."

"After reading your book I examined the relationships of my mother and sisters. I found new insights which had been lacking, and which I learned I needed to examine."

So, I smile through the insults of Haslams and Tombolo books. I am selling on Barnes & Noble and now, Oxford Exchange.

I ask myself, what is the right fit? Is it my readers, or booksellers? I celebrate my readers, and Oxford Exchange, who believe in me as a new, honest writer and trust that I am "the right fit."

Thank you, Oxford Exchange. I hope you will all join me with other author's at the OE Book Fair, April 25, to celebrate the authors who strive to write, convey messages and words, all of the "right fit."

Writers, listen to your readers, your heart, your intuition and your dedication.

We are all the right fit.

For the Love of words!

Jayne xoxo

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