Notes from An Apprentice Verse-Maker (4)
We may not all want – or have the expertise and experience –
to blog about cupcakes and style, however we may enjoy both or either. But Jeff Haden’s interview with Emily Schuman,
author of the highly successful business that her Cupcakes and Cashmere blog has
become, has a lot to say to anyone seriously interested in writing a blog and
building a sustainable following.
If literature and poetry is your thing, Cupcakes and Cashmere
may seem a little frivolous and the best-selling book of the same name further
evidence that a large Market Share is inevitably not for you. An argument I
dispute – at least to the same extent it is held to be true.
Best-selling poetry Anthologies such as those edited by Bloodaxe UK publisher, Neil Astley, are among the poetry
books that have given the lie to the suggestion that poetry isn’t for everyone
or won’t be loved by many who haven’t yet found it accessible. By accessible I
don’t mean easy to understand, I mean the poetry flag found and followed
because it stands out among the clamour of flag-flying products and services
vying for attention. There is always poetry easy to understand amid the
intrigue of greater challenges. In the midst of all the clamour poetry is a
refuge you can bring home – more immediately accessible (time-wise and
geographically), by click, purchase or browse than the restorative power of any
Spa, beauty product, cupcake or other splurge - although it can as equally
complement as provide an alternative to all of those.
The poetry anthology or collection by your bed is the best
night-time dip you’ll find on those nights sleep is determined to elude you or
your mind is humming with events properly belonging to day-time. One sound,
image or penny-dropping melt leads to another. You are diverted and captivated.
How come, someone has captured in a few lines the distress you’ve been secretly
hoarding, or your obsessional hidden desire? How do poets do that?
If that doesn’t do it, you can give your attention to
learning a few lines by heart. You’ve toned your brain, given your imagination
a quick fix and taken ‘time-out', it’s probably time to settle down and go back to sleep. Those
lines repeated to yourself, an oasis you instil in your brain for the future as
you drift away, will easily win out against counting sheep. Even better, a poem or two before bedtime can
become an essential de rigueur transition between digital drives, the
obligations of daytime and night-time peace. There cannot be a better way to
obey the strictures of sleep experts and build a bed-time routine that prepares
the body for sleep. If the pages do become a little damp and curled because you
can’t resist dipping while in the bath then, there is nothing to worry about.
Any book is better damp than dry-leaved and closed.
Emily Schuman adjures bloggers hoping to build a successful
business to
‘Be patient…success will most likely
come slowly, if at all’.
‘Be authentic and learn to differentiate
yourself’.
She reminds her audience that
‘…creating original talent…will take a
lot of your time’.
Warns against
‘...sacrificing
quality over content. Your audience will be built on trust and the
entertainment
value you provide. If your quality slips, so
will they.’
Warns against,
‘…taking every offer that comes your way.
(Advertising offers! You wish.) At first it’s very
tempting to accept ….ultimately, it degrades
your credibility if you become an advocate for
anyone willing to pay you.’
Now, why does that sound more
convincing coming from that source than it did when I heard it from poets and
artists?
Start Blogging,
Start a Business, and Build an Authentic… - Inc.com
Bestselling
author and successful entrepreneur Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere on
building a thriving business.
An
Interview by Jeff Haden
Other relevant
websites are:
cupcakesandcashmere.org
bloodaxebooks.com
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