Can a Well-Seasoned (Not Old) Dog Learn New Tricks? I Think So! 🐾

My question, “Can you teach a well-seasoned dog new tricks?”, is one I’ve asked myself several times recently—well, several times in the last six months. And of course, this isn’t about training old dogs. I know—I have enough of them! But this isn’t about dogs.

Also, I prefer words like well-seasoned, vintage, and classic to describe mature individuals rather than “old.”

This is about being above the age of, let’s say, 45 and trying to learn a new skill. As an indie author and artist, I either have to hire someone to handle my marketing, promotions, and event scheduling—or do it all myself. Learning any of these hasn’t been easy for me.

Not sure about you, but promoting myself has never been my strong suit. Plus, in the past few years, dealing with some of the health crap I’ve faced has dampened my cognitive abilities a bit—or at least it feels that way when I’m trying to learn something new.

I question myself: “Am I really able to learn new skills?” Because hiring individuals or a company to handle the marketing, promoting, and everything an up-and-coming bestselling author/artist (🙏 someday) needs to do to sell their books and art—well, that’s not within my budget.

I’ve looked for literary agents because someone told me that agents handle most of the promotional work. Since they work on commission, that could be beneficial on several levels. One, if they’re commission-based, they’ll motivate me to get my butt in gear and finish my books on time—so they can get paid.

But I haven’t found any.

Others have asked, “Why not try to sign with a traditional publishing company?”

Well, one thing I learned early on is that even if you land a publishing deal (which isn’t easy), you—the author—are still responsible for some, if not all, of the marketing, promoting, and event scheduling. Not to mention, it may take years for them to actually publish your book, and they take a huge cut of the profits—often more than you, the author, doing all the work.

That is, unless you’re signed with one of the top five publishing houses and are a bestselling author—then they’ll do the promotions and marketing. Maybe.

So, self-publishing is the path I’ve chosen. That means I must learn how to promote myself and my work.

Great idea, right?

Except… this has always been a challenge for me, and now it’s becoming a roadblock in my dream career.

Back to my question: Can “seasoned” dogs learn new tricks?

Is it possible, or is it a waste of time? Do we reach a point where we just don’t?

Personally, I’m not giving up. I’m not quitting.

I may be slower, take longer, ask more questions than others, and repeat things back a few times for clarification—but I’ll keep going.

Right now, that means learning self-promotion, marketing, and everything else recommended for self-published authors and artists.

That said—if you know of any literary agents or publishing companies that might be interested in working with me—LET ME KNOW! I’d love to connect with them. (I’m not crazy—it would still be great to work with one or both!)

But until then, I’m on my own.

One new thing I’ve learned…

Saturday, I attended an author/book-selling event, and I realized something:

I should be publishing a newsletter in addition to my blog.

So, I’ll be working on launching one this week! It will be a monthly newsletter. I’ll let you know when the first issue will be out.

And remember—if you have ideas or suggestions for topics you’d like to read about in my newsletter or blog, let me know! I’m always open to suggestions.

Till next time… may your week be filled with love, laughter, hugs, and blessings.

Can You Teach a Well-Seasoned (Not Old) Dog New Tricks?

My question, “Can you teach a well-seasoned dog new tricks?”, is one I’ve asked myself several times recently—well, several times in the last six months. And of course, this isn’t about training old dogs. I know—I have enough of them! But this isn’t about dogs.

Also, I prefer words like well-seasoned, vintage, and classic to describe mature individuals rather than “old.”

This is about being above the age of, let’s say, 45 and trying to learn a new skill. As an indie author and artist, I either have to hire someone to handle my marketing, promotions, and event scheduling—or do it all myself. Learning any of these hasn’t been easy for me.

Not sure about you, but promoting myself has never been my strong suit. Plus, in the past few years, dealing with some of the health crap I’ve faced has dampened my cognitive abilities a bit—or at least it feels that way when I’m trying to learn something new.

I question myself: “Am I really able to learn new skills?” Because hiring individuals or a company to handle the marketing, promoting, and everything an up-and-coming bestselling author/artist (🙏) needs to do to sell their books and art—well, that’s not within my budget.

I’ve looked for literary agents because someone told me that agents handle most of the promotional work. Since they work on commission, that could be beneficial on several levels. One, if they’re commission-based, they’ll motivate me to get my butt in gear and finish my books on time—so they can get paid.

But I haven’t found any.

Others have asked, “Why not try to sign with a traditional publishing company?”

Well, one thing I learned early on is that even if you land a publishing deal (which isn’t easy), you—the author—are still responsible for some, if not all, of the marketing, promoting, and event scheduling. Not to mention, it may take years for them to actually publish your book, and they take a huge cut of the profits—often more than you, the author doing all the work.

That is, unless you’re signed with one of the top five publishing houses and are a bestselling author—then they’ll do the promotions and marketing. Maybe.

So, self-publishing is the path I’ve chosen. That means I must learn how to promote myself and my work.

Great idea, right?

Except… this has always been a challenge for me, and now it’s becoming a roadblock in my dream career.

Back to my question: Can “seasoned” dogs learn new tricks?

Is it possible, or is it a waste of time? Do we reach a point where we just don’t?

Personally, I’m not giving up. I’m not quitting.

I may be slower, take longer, ask more questions than others, and repeat things back a few times for clarification—but I’ll keep going.

Right now, that means learning self-promotion, marketing, and everything else recommended for self-published authors and artists.

That said—if you know of any literary agents or publishing companies that might be interested in working with me—LET ME KNOW! I’d love to connect with them. (I’m not crazy—it would still be great to work with one or both!)

But until then, I’m on my own.

One new thing I’ve learned…

Saturday, I attended an author/book-selling event, and I realized something:

I should be publishing a newsletter in addition to my blog.

So, I’ll be working on launching one this week! It will be a monthly newsletter. I’ll let you know when the first issue will be out.

And remember—if you have ideas or suggestions for topics you’d like to read about in my newsletter or blog, let me know! I’m always open to suggestions.

Till next time… may your week be filled with love, laughter, hugs, and blessings. 🤗