Needless to say, I'm quite proud of it.
Something happened after I'd put this video together that stuck with me, though. Because once it was uploaded and ready for viewing, I shared it everywhere I could think of that it might be appropriate. Facebook, MeWe, Twitter, Tumblr, and by the time all was said and done there were even about 70 separate subreddits where I dropped a link to this video over the week after it went up. It was in one of those spaces where someone left a comment that I can't shake.
"I respect the hustle and all, but why are you sharing this in so many places?"
Regular readers already know the answer to this, but I thought I'd get back up on my tired old soap box one more time for folks who haven't heard the message. Because if you're someone who doesn't want to see creators talk about their articles, their videos, their books, or their supplements, we get it... we wish we didn't have to bother you with it, either.
But that's capitalism, and if we don't do this, then we don't eat.
Lastly, Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!
If I Didn't Have To Do This, I Wouldn't
While I'm still really proud of this video, I want to be crystal clear with what my promotional efforts got me, and what that put in my pocket at the end of the day. Because all things considered, I probably shared the link to roughly 150-200 different social media pages, forums, etc. within the month of October. All of those locations were in some way dedicated to tabletop gaming, audio dramas, Warhammer 40K specifically, or sci-fi in general. The total view count at the end of that month was 2,300 views.
What did it earn me? About $0.15. And given that Dailymotion doesn't give you a payout until you reach $100, if I were to keep up my best-traffic-to-date numbers, I would receive my first paycheck in about 90 years, give or take. Given that it took me something like 12 hours of work to record and edit the video, I'll let you do the math as to what that worked out to be.
For added perspective, if that many people had just read the article on Vocal, it would have netted me about $14. At least I would have made about $1 an hour for my efforts.
 |
| I literally would have made more money walking through a drive thru and picking up loose change. |
Why did I share my video in so many places, this commenter wanted to know.
I shared it in that many places because algorithms specifically make it hard for your content to be located as a creator. I shared it in so many places because I knew Dailymotion doesn't have a lot of discoverability, but I cannot get paid on YouTube, so uploading my video to that platform would be pointless. I shared it in so many places because I had run the numbers, and I knew quite well that if I ever wanted to get a payout for what I'd earned that I would need hundreds of thousands of views, and nobody was going to find my video on their own. I shared it because I wanted to find people who saw what I did, who liked it, and who would make it worthwhile for me to keep making things like this instead of just closing the door on all that work and writing it off as a lost cause.
To be clear, though, I did not want to do this.
I don't enjoy the fact that I have to trawl through social media sites looking for fresh communities I don't post in yet, seeking out new eyes to share my work with. I actually hate the fact that I have to spend the first 2-3 hours of my day just doing promotional posts for my work, and for fellow creators' work, just to keep the wheels turning. It depresses the hell out of me that most of the time I have to pick blog, article, and even video topics that act as vehicles for me to sell my books or TTRPG supplements, rather than just writing things I enjoy, or that I think people might find useful. Because, like most writers I've met, I don't want to be a salesperson. I just want to write.
But if I don't promote my work, then no one else will. And if it doesn't get promoted, it doesn't get seen, and I can't get paid.
I decided to talk about this again because I am fully aware of the sheer number of people out there who get sick of seeing promotional posts on their favored social media pages from all the creators just trying to stay one step ahead of their landlords. You don't want to hear about somebody's new novel, their new TTRPG, their new blog, their new video, or whatever else it is. You're tired of the endless promotion, and how everything just feels like a business transaction.
We know, we get it.
But I want everyone who feels this way to keep this in mind. Because there is nothing more frustrating as a creator, and nothing we hate more overall, than composing fake, sales-oriented posts and casting them out into the pond over, and over, and over again day after day, month after month, year after year hoping to hook an audience so we can keep our bills paid. However much you're sick of seeing it, I promise you from the bottom of my heart, we're even more sick of doing it.
So if there is a creator whose work you like, support them. Buy their stuff, donate to their Patreon, their Kickstarter, or give them a tip on Ko-Fi. Consume the free stuff they put out, and do your part to help it spread organically. And if you absolutely can't deal with someone because they're making stuff you're not interested in, don't get snide with them about how all they do is promote and you don't want to see it. You're not telling us anything we don't already feel in our souls. Just mute their signal, and move on. It saves you from seeing their posts, and it isn't going to make someone feel more defeated while they're going through the motions of trying to climb the treadmill wall that creators find themselves on every day.
I Could Also Use A Little Help (If You Can Spare It)
If you made it this far and you'd like to help me, specifically, here's some things you can do!
- Subscribe to The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)
- Subscribe to My Daily Motion Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)
And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!
Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!
That's all for this week's Business of Writing!
If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!
If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!
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