Writing Community │Grow Your Audience

A Hard Truth — We Are Not Owed An Audience for our Writing

I’m not one to tout hard truths too often. But this one has to be realized if we want to build an audience and earn the trust of a community as a writer.

The installation was beautiful and interesting, and I walked away learning things I hadn’t known about the “Black Exploitation” Film Era. I learned so much about the mindset of artists during that period and who these filmmakers became and inspired for the culture.

Unfortunately, the showing was lackluster compared to the last. At the time, I was friendly with the artist who presented the installation and she was upset and angry that more people had not shown up.

“Black people just don’t support each other like they should,” she said.

Her generalization ticked me off, but I kept my cool because she was already upset and this wasn’t the time or place for what would be a heated debate(trust me, later we had a long talk about it).

Later, I found out from a good friend of mine that the artist hadn’t done much promotion. She was riding off her email list from her last installation. Her last installation was focused on Ida B. Wells and Sojourner Truth — connecting their message through her poetry. Great work.

But she couldn’t see this was a different audience. Just because her audience was mostly black didn’t mean every black person was her audience. Why couldn’t she see that?

I reflected on this earlier today after I read a few stories from some disgruntle writers on the platform. The titles didn’t sound disgruntle nor did the stories begin in a disgruntled tone, but a few of them took that turn.

Before I begin, let me make this clear. Anyone who finishes a piece of literary or journalistic work is a writer in my opinion. I’m sure thousands of writers can line up and debate my stance, but I’m not changing it any time soon.

However, just because you are a writer, you are not owed an audience. We have to work to build an audience. You have to earn your audience’s trust. And it requires even more focused work and consistency to build a community.

The hard truth is you won’t build an audience because you’ve written. You build an audience when…

…you continue to write and show up for your work sincerely without fear of selling and promoting your work.

Real Love for Your Work

I remember reading about many writers in the late 90s who peddled their self-published books out of the trunks of their cars and sold them in beauty salons, laundry mats, and at farmer’s markets early on Saturday mornings.

At the time, in all my fantasies, I was selling books at an elegant book signing in Books-A-Million or Barnes and Noble. Never imagined selling books out of the trunk of my car!

That’s courage. That’s commitment.

You had to have real love like a 1990’s Mary J. Blige song to do this every weekend. Ask Omar Tyree about it.

Show up for Your Work

Now we can build an audience online and some writers are still complaining.

To build an audience you have to show up consistently and write what you mean and mean what you write. I don’t care if you’re writing about leprechauns and a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow with dancing unicorns in snow boots.

Be consistent. Be sincere. Be selling it.

When the Haters Come Marching in “Oh no, Oh no”

Writers, we must learn to sell. We must learn to market. We must learn to promote. Will you get smacked in the face by other people who say “you’re not being authentic?”

Yep.

Are you going to be judged and labeled as a sell-out by some?

Yep.

Sell, promote, and market your work anyway.

But once again, this type of judgment and hate is perpetuated by those who aren’t brave enough to stand up for their work. They are afraid of rejection. They are afraid of consistency. They are afraid to do more and do their best. They are afraid of success.

And they are projecting their fears onto you.

I’ve sat on both sides of this. I’ve been afraid of looking like a sell-out so I held back. I’ve promoted my work and I’ve been told I’m doing too much. You won’t win the argument so save your breath and work it, anyway.

My Grandmother told Me to Be Brave

It takes courage to show up, be consistent, share your work, and promote your work. You may be rejected by some but if you continue to sharpen your writing skills, be sincere, commit to your voice, and put yourself out there, you will draw an audience.

That audience will continue to show up for you if you continue to speak to them, relate to them, and connect with them.

Still, your audience and your community don’t owe you anything. It’s arrogant and insulting to think so.

If you are not speaking to them why should they listen, read, view?

Yes, write what you love to write and those folks who love what you do will support you. I’ve learned this wonderful lesson time and again in the most blissful ways.

Nonetheless, know your audience or target the audience you want.

Writers can’t Afford to Be Wallflowers

Like a wallflower, you can have the most beautiful work, ever. Though, if you don’t learn to sell, market, and promote — your audience won’t find you.

Don’t wait for your audience to find you. Find them.

If you’re not consistent, you’ll never build a community (I’ve learned this the hard way, but I’ve learned).

It’s true, as writers we work behind the scenes. We work alone. Many of us are shy, even reserved. And yet, we have to get behind our own work. Believe in our work. Show our work. Promote our work.

Stomp Your Feet But a Fool Will Take the Microphone

My mom always tells me to “speak up or a fool will grab the microphone.”

We can complain all we want about the sh*tty sh*t someone else wrote but everyone’s eating it up. And yet, we won’t relate or connect to our readers. Some treat their readers like annoying paparazzi trying to take their picture from under a bathroom stall.

Oh, it sounds self-righteous to say, “my work should speak for itself.”

No, it won’t. You have to speak for it.

We can be as self-righteous as we want but we will be self-righteous without an audience.

Fam, I’m curious, are you afraid to put yourself out there? Do you have a fear of rejection or a fear of success? When you promote your work, do you feel judged? Do you think you’re owed an audience because your work is better than others?