Promoting “The Arcadian”
Brothers and sisters, with your permission I’m gonna take the next few weeks in this space to promote THE ARCADIAN.
But first, I have a question for you. (Please respond in the Comments).
Would you be interested in me describing, here on Writing Wednesdays, my efforts at marketing the book? Or would that be boring and self-serving?
We—my partner Diana and I—actually have a plan.
It involves podcasts, social media, signed copies, various giveaways, etc. Including an option to get a one-on-one Zoom call with me.
I’m happy to write about the details as the program unfolds.
Lemme know if you’d like to hear. If not, I’ll keep my mouth shut.
THE ARCADIAN is a follow-up to A MAN AT ARMS (2021). It’s the same hero … the solitary mercenary of the ancient world, Telamon of Arcadia. The tale is of Telamon’s further ordeals on his odyssey of self-redemption.
The book is available for pre-order now on Amazon, B&N, and others. It’ll be in bookstores May 26.
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
I vote aye!
I think your fans would eat it up, Steve. I sure would.
Great idea! And good luck.
I’m interested in learning more. And thanks for what you do.
Looking forward to the showcasing of your new novel!!
Let the Promo Show Begin !
Podcast blast with Joe Rogan, Jack Carr and Jocko and
this Blog is a wonderful, well earned platform to show your students and the world how to get it done and have some fun !
All the Best.
Absolutely interested in hearing more .. very interested in learning about how to promote it..
I remember your marketing strategy last time was very different from what most people seem to do. It was fascinating and I’d love to know more.
YES please please please talk about the marketing and the business side. Im fast approaching finishing my first story worth selling and my mind is constantly on the business side now.
Have you heard of the bookstore in Alabama that only sells signed books? If not, flying down there may be worth your time.
This is a wonderful idea. I’m excited to see your journey.
Yes, please. Anything you share is always a learning lesson, shared wisdom.
Me too! As someone who had a book published and so far have failed to market it properly I would love to get some inspiration and ideas. Look forward to hearing more – and reading the book of course. How lovely to be asked what we would like! Thank you.
Yes, please!
That’s a resounding YES from me. I’m interested, and I NEED to hear about it!
Mr Pressfield,
Please present your marketing/selling materials.
I am confident I will benefit greatly.
Thank you, and all best wishes to you and your wife.
Harry Black
Yes please!
Yes please share your marketing wisdom. I’m an artist and totally stuck on marketing.
Marketing, promotion, and distribution are the proverbial man behind the curtain in every endeavor, be it publishing a book, supporting a political campaign, or starting a business. I would love to see how you and Diana are promoting this new book, and am looking forward to reading it next month!
Yes -I’m interested.
Definite yes! It’s part of the creative process. Your shared knowledge is much appreciated.
Ps, can hardly wait for my book to arrive!
Steve, I’m very excited about reading The Arcadian, and learning of the next stage of Telamon’s adventures and personal growth. He’s an incredible character. Please share as much of your thoughts and marketing actions here with us, your loyal band of buddies.
Very best regards from the US’s presently dismal ally, here across the Pond.
Peter
My dear Steve, firsst of all I congratulate you on your deed. And I absolutely want you to talk about the things you will have to do about your new book. In my minor abilities, I will support it.
Today I sat down to write, and my writing was so boring and excessive, that then the hero who actually writes the book opened a bracket and inside it, on the blank page where I was writing the shit I was writing, he cursed so much at the nonsense I/he was writing that he was no different from some modern street urchin.
Nevertheless, tomorrow I’m writing again. But let me tell you what he hated on what I/he was writing. He hated that I wrote something banal, something insignificant, something as important as someone looking down the street and seeing another person passing by who didn’t interest him at all. Writing an epical creation with the energy of indifference. The scene of course had an epical dimension, where it was a situation of combat between men, but even though it was standing on that symbolism, the scene was like the most boring thing I’ve ever felt in my life. Don’t be afraid, it doesn’t stop me, I’m just saying it because it’s funny.
Oh, yesterday the AI (which I will NOT use for this project, it’s one of my bets, although it could save me, I saw how powerful it is) told me that the idea for the first Indiana Jones was discussed by Lucas and Spielberg on their vacation in Hawaii. And of course it became one of the classic works of cinema. And I thought: “They were making great creations in wondrous places and islands, and I’m making useless creations in a dark room where all energy of inspiration has long gone.” I also liked the action scenes, I saw them the day before yesterday and was impressed by their chain of innovations! So I went today to give such a chain to the final phase of my work, and all I did was an uphill climb and some people chasing someone and the armor going twanging twanging. Worth as much as a water pistol. But at least we can laugh. Dishonorable work, dishonorable, I won’t stop for anything. Especially now that I’ve started again after hell. Oh, and yesterday or the day before yesterday I remembered the other thing you said back then in The War of Art, that the author doesn’t know that when starting his work he will go through a hell of underestimation, mockery, absolute boredom, I add, absolute worthlessness, etc. Let this shit end so I can see what I’ll do with my life.
Can’t wait for your renewed insights.
My love to you, Diana, and all our friends here.
Yes
Yes, please.
Absolutely!! We need concrete, actionable processes to market our work once it is finished. It’s awesome to have encouragement to create and finish a work, but if you fail to get that work in front of an audience and see some success, it feeds the RESISTANCE. I know the work is its own reward, but seeing your work accomplish its intended purpose of engaging an audience is the ultimate goal of every creator.
Thank you for offering to share your journey to marketing your work, Steve.
I am interested in hearing about your marketing strategies.
I would enjoy reading about your marketing strategy and what works! If you have some good ideas that deliver results, I will steal them.
Will definitely want to learn more about your efforts. Nice that you asked your family here 🙂
I definitely want to hear talking, describing, sharing your efforts at marketing the book. Thank you for asking and for wanting to share.
Steve, That would be great to see the marketing plan!
Yes and a thank you twice over: 1) for taking a poll on our internet, & 2) for the opportunity to ride along as you introduce your new work to potential buyers
Perhaps there is a role for us, your cohort of camp followers, in promoting The Arcadian.
Bring it on!
Yes please. As a writer myself, ways to promote a book of of much interest. Thanks. And I already pre-ordered your next creation as I’m a fan of your wiring!
Yes!!
I think it would be fresh.
Go for it
Oh, hells yes!
Absolutely willing to read your steps of marketing.
Of course we’d like to know how you market your books. Resistance works to foil marketing as much as writing.
Hell yes I want to hear about it. In as much nauseating detail as you can stand. I really can’t wait to hear you on a whole new round of podcasts!
Go for it Steve!
Yes! I think Resistance wants us to refrain from doing the very thing that will bring us success.
Not only would it be interesting to hear about what you’re doing, your strategies and frustrations, but I think it would help us to hear about how you push through Resistance on this.
Yes plz.
Make it hap’n Cap’n!
Ja, bitte! 🙏🏻
I’d be interested also in your writing process…start to edited finish.
Yes ..owe it to my characters!
Book on order for a while. Per amazon, ETA in Boise is May 26
Thank You Steven
Yes! Absolutely I’m interested. I woukld love to see your marketing ideas. I am getting ready to launch a training website and am looking for all the marketing ideas and results of those efforts I can get. Thank you.
Since my Skywriting and Sandwich board campaigns have acheived minimal success, I’m all ears and eyes on how you do it.
💯 would love to! Excited for this work!
In as much as it is an opportunity to see how one can promote their own work… let er rip man!
I’d love to learn about your marketing strategies.
Yea please. Let’s hear all about it
Would love to hear about your marketing.
Hi Steven
Grateful for any opportunity to learn from you. (You’ve already taught me so much; thanks to you I’ve become quite a warrior against Resistance!)
Each idea you share, from writing to publishing to marketing will help.
Thanks again
Do it. Bring it. Git some. Make it so. Send it. Let’s roll.
Yepper.
“Yes” vote here.
I am absolutely interested in marketing.
I’d be interested in hearing about how Resistance has affected the process.
Yes that would be great to see the process. I already pre-ordered so it’s not about the sale, but rather how to promote. Looking forward to it.
I’m not surprised you’re getting a flood of “please do” on this, Steve. And I hope you’ll consider answering this question at some point. Why did you decide to self-publish? In the time between finishing your first book and making that decision, it seems you were squarely in the “sign with a big house and let them take it from there” camp.
At the risk of misquoting you, I think your position back then was to make your art REMARKable (as Seth Godin might say) and let the market take care of itself. To be obsessed with a platform (again, probably botching the wording here) was an attempt to game the system. By then I’d learned agents and publishers factored in those platforms at least as much as the quality of the writing.
It makes sense. This is a business. Walking through your decision to take control of that would be so interesting and useful!
Yes, please!
And, to Maureen’s comment, understanding the “why” behind the intentionality of your choices would be brilliant too.
Please allow me to add my vote to the Chorus of Yes!
Would love to know about your marketing efforts, Steve!
I’m in!
I’m also promoting my books and it’s not always easy. To get input from a master storyteller like yourself is awesome!
Yes, Steven, I would almost give my right nut to learn about your marketing methods.
I, also, would be interested to hear some of the ‘interior’ scoop on how Resistance has affected your process of getting to marketing – in these times. Thanks for all you share.
I’d be interested
I’d love to hear! Please do promote and share.
Congrats Steve! Please share all you can about your marketing plan. I’ll find that super beneficial for my own book.
The book itself is on a kind of journey of discovery. I would enjoy hearing more about the pro-motions.
jon b. #hhh
…..
sipping hard bop tea
at the blue sound sea
of you, and me
Yes, Steve!
Looking very forward to your book and the marketing education. SF
Yes please.
Does the Muse come into the marketing process?
Do you feel resistance doing marketing?
I am in the camp to, enthusiastically, learn about how you approached this marketing this new book! Thanks for all that you share!
Yes please Steven!
Yes! Tell us all about it.
Yes, please!
Yes, I’d love to hear the marketing plan.
Yes, I would like to hear it.
I would like to hear some of the marketing plans/thoughts/struggles…
…but…
I would also like to hear the struggles what went on in your own mind as you wrestled this book into existence!
Where was Resistance the strongest?
What did you do to overcome Resistance and bring this work to the world?
Hi Steven – yes, i would love to hear about your process for promoting and marketing this book!
Congratulations Steve, and yes! Please do share your marketing plan, including how resistance showed up! I just spend two days battling some depressingly disencouraging self-doubt to move forward with a marketing effort. HOORAY! xx