How to burn your bridges in a very vivid way.

Oh, my goodness...I am picking my bruised jaw up off of the floor, after reading the contents of the link that I am about to share with you.  Big Al is a reviewer of independently published books; you can see by perusing his blog that he is very supportive of self-published works and has, at the very least, a decent following.  His polite, yet honest review of The Greek Seaman, by Jacqueline Howett, was met with an astounding chain of increasingly hostile responses from said author.  As we all know, the internet is forever, and this shocking display of poor manners has now gone viral.  This truly is a stark example to self-published authors everywhere of what not to do if your book receives a less-than-stellar review.  Let it be a lesson to us all.

The Inaugural Post.

Welcome to the inaugural post for my brand new web log, Indie Career Tips.  The purpose of this blog is to compile, analyze, and evaluate the different services and methods by which an independent artist may market and promote their brand.  I also intend to discuss current trends that may be in the news, as well as legislative action that may affect independent artists and the music and publishing industries as a whole.  My core target audience will include those independent musicians and writers (because they share many of the same issues) who create, market and promote their own material, as well as their personal support network.  This can also be a resource to those who want to develop their own independent record label.

Both the music and the publishing businesses are in a constant state of flux; the internet and digital marketing have changed everything!  For example, a musician no longer needs to have the support of a major record label (or any record label, for that matter) in order to enjoy a career, and an author can self publish and do very well.  The trick, of course, is to find the correct avenue for exposure.  The downside to all of this, arguably, is that the market becomes saturated with poorly crafted products, leaving the consumer to filter through a lot of "trash" in order to find something valuable.  I believe that the people we already know are the filters that will make this process easier, using social networking tools such as Myspace, Facebook, ReverbNation, for example, to share our work with others.  These nearly instantaneous word-of-mouth tools can reach many people in a relatively short amount of time for almost no cost.  Additionally, popular blogs can play important roles in the filtering process; a good review from a trusted blogger can boost an artist's exposure exponentially.

So...this is a new frontier, so to speak.  For the first time ever, the playing field is leveled in a way that anyone with the time, the product, and the drive to succeed can have a legitimate chance to do so, and on a shoestring budget.  How amazing is that?!  I look forward to delving into all the ways that this objective can be met, including what NOT to do, whenever that is relevant to the discussion.  I invite feedback and participation in the discussion as we all learn from and support one another in our respective endeavors.