Represented

I think the first thing most people do when seeing themselves in the media, whether it's a newspaper article or promo, a social media live video or post, or your work in a magazine, is to critique yourself. Not just how you look but how your work appears in the context it's given or whether it's understood. When you get feedback that shows a person resonates with or appreciates your work then it's satisfying, a "right on!" feeling, that someone gets it.

When I first went on social media I was arriving at the electronic "scene" from a point of view of reaching people. I had spent nine years in meditation with no online contact, other than applying for jobs at the local resource centre. There had been an economic recession and no work so I took a favourite pastime and made it a bigger part of my day. Spending a minimum of four to eight hours a day was like being in a continued state of bliss centred in peace. There was no self-discovery, no road to healing, no self-examination - none of that was necessary. I just wanted to practice meditation more and widen my scope of understanding the mental practice of it.

I had worked on and off on my books during that time and when it came time to type it I used a public computer and sent the manuscript out to traditional publishers that had open calls without a literary agent, or those who didn't require one. After a few rejections, I received an email accepting my manuscript. My jaw dropped, then with a huge grin I excitedly told the nearest librarian who was putting books on shelves. He mentioned putting up a page on social media. Until then I had absolutely zero interest in that abstract. So, I tentatively put up my first Fan Page on Facebook after my manuscript got accepted.

After two weeks I checked the demographics Facebook provided and 9,000 people had viewed my page from as far away as India, United States, United Kingdom, Morocco, Asia, etc. I was stunned. Where did all these people come from?

I didn't even have a regular page, later I did. All that time in meditation and writing and living simply, made the impact of book promotions all the more astounding to me.

There used to be Google pages too and sadly those aren't offered anymore. My first two books were published within the same year and in that time I had 30,000+ views to it. The page had maybe a dozen posts, all samples of writing and book links and book covers.

In the spirit of the Writing Challenge...in my mind that cemented me as an author. The knowledge of being published made me jump in the air I was so happy but seeing my work promoted and actual feedback affirmed that I was making some kind of progress in getting my work noticed. This means everything to an author - we like our work read, that's the point.

When I had art exhibits in the past that were in the newspaper, it gave an immediate feeling of community acceptance because there is in-person interaction afterward. Social Media is a little different and has a wider scope.

After a few years writing, on Vocal Media, I can say the same thing - it's great to have your work read. The family of writers this platform has become is welcoming, encouraging, and just all out great to be on.

Lachapelle's Books