Royce William’s SPAM Can Collection
I’m not talking about the state meat of Hawaii, though I know some people can be really intense about this canned culinary treat. Research shows SPAM came onto the market in 1937, and has been enjoyed by a multitude of happy eaters ever since. I do remember SPAM sliced and fried, eaten in a white bread sandwich when I was running around in the woods pretending that big cardboard box was a fort, or pirate ship, or castle.
Hmm, haven’t had any SPAM in a long time, and doubt I will again. But that’s a personal choice, one I make when I walk past the canned meat section of the grocery store. My husband loved corned beef hash but he wanted his meat to come out of a can (all of which were produced in Argentina according to the labels) instead of me starting with a slab of beef brisket and producing something home made. Again a personal choice, which I was happy to fulfill, as long as he would occasionally try (gasp) herbs in the roasted chicken.
Which brings me to the point of this post, and many I’ve recently read. In Rock Your Writing Cathy references several excellent articles on how writers can torpedo their careers by excessive promotional enthusiasm. Wow, that was pretty PC, wasn’t it? When actually I want to say: writers obnoxiously shoving their books in my face every time I open my e-mail. To the point I’ve automatically deleted their posts then had to dig into my trash file when I discover they actually had an important message to share.
Naturally this trend isn’t exclusive to writers. While enjoying a Facebook group dedicated to a specific area of interest, or related to my breed of dog, one of the group members will post an announcement about their wonderful skin products. Once is okay. Twice is irritating. Three times, sweet cheeks, is spam in my world and you have severed that
Beamer in the wildflowers
last nerve. Ditto when I’m looking at pictures of someone’s litter, checking the link to the pedigree, maybe commenting on something I really enjoy, such as a specific color I like, or markings that remind me of one of my old dogs. Along comes someone with pictures of THEIR puppies with markings they KNOW I’m going to love. Since I’ve already seen these pictures five times today, given that they’ve been showing these puppies on every possible Facebook page, they’ve essentially sucked the pleasure out of the minuscule amount of time I allot to Facebook these days.
And I can hear the whining now. How can we possibly promote our wonderful book? Writers from small presses don’t have the advantages of writers with the big guys. Yeah, I know. I’m with a small press myself. And I’m also in groups such as Marketing For Romance Writers that work hard to help us learn how to effectively present our books. None of us are born great writers, and the most effective marketers learned their skills from the experience of others. Do your homework, let others help you learn, and spend that time you’ve been marketing on your next book.
That’s what I’ve been doing, and the sequel to My Killer My Love is coming along so well, I forgot to share recipes. Tomorrow, I promise. And this one’s really for the dogs.
Mona Karel Author 