Greetings,
The other day, I was surfing the web, as the kids say, and I found myself on Oprah.com. I go there sometimes to see what she's saying about the book world and what have you. Well, as I was exploring the site, I found something interesting pertaining to her OWN Network. Something very interesting.
Apparently, random folks, such as you and I, can submit ideas for shows on said network, in a place called the "Submission Portal". Nice! That sounds like it could be a show right there. Anyway, at first, I just gave it a glance, thinking, "Well, that's cool." Because I still say "cool", if only internally. Then, once I was away from my computer, I thought about it, and I decided that I had a good idea for an OWN show. Unfortunately, for me, the nice people at this network are actually good at what they do, and they need an official pitch and a "treatment", whatever that is. Yeah, I am okay admitting that I would not know where to even begin with something like this, and unlike some people, I do not want to act as though I am knowledgeable about something when I am not. However, this idea of mine is still lingering in my head, so I figured, since I have this blog, I may as well share it, even in this casual way. So, off we go. Here's my idea...along with some back story. Because of reasons.
As I may have mentioned, I am a self-published author. These days, trying to get a book deal with a major publishing house is as difficult as it has ever been, so many writers have chosen to go the way that I have. When I decided to do this, I had no idea what I was in for. Turns out, many places that let you self-publish also require you to buy a certain amount of your books, and you have to just hope and pray that you can sell them. Well, for many of us, we don't know hundreds of people who will buy our books, and even if we could eventually move them, trying to scrounge together the cash to buy them in the first place can be near impossible. Thankfully, though, I found a place to go wherein I am not required to pre-order as they print on demand. So, I put in pretty much nothing but my hard work.
Of course, finding a place that will print your books, or...e-reader them?...is only the first step. Now we have to market ourselves. Emphasis on "ourselves", because we usually have to do it all on our own, without a big house to back us and put money into promotion. It can be quite discouraging, and we all just hope that something we post on Facebook or Twitter or in a blog will get noticed by someone who can help and spread the word about what we've done. And I know that there are many wonderful writers out there who are patiently waiting for that moment. So . . . the idea . . . finally.
I think it would be amazing if OWN had a show that spotlighted lesser known, self-published authors. They can be interviewed or visited in their hometowns where the audience can see where they do their writing and find inspiration. And they can share their personal stories and struggles, the ones that may be able to help other people, in general, and other writers, specifically. All of the effort that goes into what they create can be seen and appreciated in a way that it, otherwise, may never be. It can bring attention to great but unrecognized authors who are, perhaps, only separated from the success they want by mere steps. The authors who just need someone to show the world who they are and what they can do.
And there you have it. Yes, I did this in the simplest way I could. Frankly, I'm happy to light the spark and then hand the reigns over to someone who knows what they're doing. Like a television network. Especially one that's run by someone who seems to be fond of books and writers. I'm taking about Oprah. Who did you think I meant? Also, if they insisted on paying me for the idea, who am I to say no? Yeah, I'm not too proud to admit that, given my current financial situation, I could use a few bucks. However, I am proud of this and would love a little credit for it. But this concept and who it might help is really what matters.
Look, my point is this. I may not have the skills to do a big pitch, but I do have the skills, I hope, to come up with a few good ideas. And I believe that good ideas should be shared. Because you never know.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
