We Are Go For Launch

As the day approaches where I have a completed piece of creative work to share with the world, so I allow the occasional fleeting thought to linger about how I might announce its availability. For anyone else – particularly anyone established – this would be a launch.

I’m not convinced I can legitimately ‘launch’ anything when I have no substantial audience to appeal to. The “fake it ‘till you make it” line springs to mind: shout about the project enough and people might be convinced a loyal band of supporters have been downloading for all they’re worth. And, as a result, they will feel compelled to join in. That’s the theory!

But is it really my style?

In truth, I don’t know what my style is. I might not know until I actually have the finished product. I’ve spent all my life in environments where the targets were effectively set for me – school, college, work. The end result was something required by someone else; success was born of achieving a clearly defined goal.

The work I’ve been doing, writing longer pieces on subjects that mean something to me rather than somebody else, has been a new experience. Which is all very well, but clearly I need to find a reason why other people should want to read it…

Two people have got me thinking about this subject. The first is Chris Gillebeau and a section in his 279 Days To Overnight Success manifesto, dealing directly with the launching of a product. Principally, the following sentence:

“Don’t just put up a link one day and say, hey, here’s my product.”

The second is Michael Nobbs and the launch of his new book, Drawing Your Life. I’ve recently become a member on Michael’s website, Sustainably Creative, because I wanted to read his books about taking small, measured steps to achieve long-term goals. I could have bought the books without becoming a member, but I also wanted to understand and experience his philosophy on a more day-to-day basis.

Joining the site has coincided with Michael launching a countdown to the publication date, and I’ll be watching with interest as that day approaches. For now, I’ll continue to ponder the potential launching of my work in the future, and share the video that Michael has created about his countdown.