But as any deep thinking parody songwriter would do, I began contemplating the “why” behind a lot of the things we do, including writing.

The other day an author and Facebook friend asked if I’d written any books and complimented my writing skills. My response was that I haven’t written a book because I don’t really have anything to say. When I have something to say, I might try to write one.

I’ve read too many books by people that really don’t have anything valuable to say, they just wanted to be published (for the first time or the 20^th). Tell 10 people you are an author or know an author, and you’ll get 8 people saying “I would love to write a book someday.” Ask them what they’d like to write about and only about 2 of them will know what it is they really want to say.

So I want to make a promise to myself and to readers everywhere, in rap song parody form, that if I do ever decide to try to write a book it won’t simply be to get published, it will be because I have something to say.

This is Why I’ll Write

By Rachel Randolph
(To the tune of Mims’ This is Why I’m Hot)

This Is Why I’ll Write.
This is why, this is why, this is why I’ll write.
I’ll write cause I care
About what I’m sayin’

Some other authors write
Cause they wanna earn a dolla’.
I’m gonna write to me a role model.

I want to inspire
And even educate.
Turn my sisters to God
And all that he creates.

If I have nothing to say,
I won’t try to write a book.
There’s too many good ones out there
To download on your Nook.

I won’t just write fluff
To fulfill a word count.
I want to write stuff
I feel led to share about.

This Is Why I’ll Write.
This is why, this is why, this is why I’ll write.
I’ll write cause I care
About what I’m sayin’.

This I promise you, I will not become a rap songwriter.

And to tie this back to social media and book marketing, this goes for status updates, blog posts, and anything else you write. Don’t post something just because you want to be in the scene, post because you have something valuable to say.

??? QUESTIONS ???

If you want to be published, have you thought about why it is important to you?

If you are already published, are you clear about the types of future projects you are willing to write and why you are continuing to write?

On a fun note, what’s the most unlikely thought-provoking song or movie that has actually made you reflect on your life?

Here’s what the note said:

Thank you for shopping at (NAME OF STORE).

I’m sure you found our selection, quality, and great values to be outstanding.

Please ask for me the next time you stop in.

Thanks,
Neal

Does that make you want to go back and ask for Neal? Me neither. Let’s just highlight a few thank you note faux paus Neal made.

1. No Personalization – My name was on the envelope address, but wasn’t used in the note itself. Surely a sales associate would know how important using a client’s name is! A hand-written note should feel like it’s coming from a friend, not a stranger who doesn’t know your name.
2. Self-Focus – The note goes straight into talking about how great this furniture store is and how sure they are that I probably am still falling all over myself at the outstanding selection they had. What about me? What did you think of me? Do you even remember the couch I looked at or the particular situation I had with an extremely small living room and awkward floor plan?
3. Selfish Intentions – And to top it all off, a pathetic plea to give the sale to him and not one of his nasty co-workers. A soft reminder to ask for him would have been fine if it had a benefit statement for me, the client, but I have zero incentive to ask for Neal with a blatant statement like that.

As an author, thank you notes are a wonderful way to stay in touch with agents, editors, book reviewers, book store managers, etc. A well written thank you note will remind a contact of you and create a feeling of closeness. They’ll also feel appreciated and appreciation goes a long way in how hard they are willing to work for you. But, a poorly written thank you note can leave someone feeling bitter.

Let a thank you note be just that, a thank you note.

Use Names. Marketers know that using a person’s name makes them feel special and known by the sender. It’s also practical in companies where one person may open the mail for several people in a department. If the envelope gets thrown away, it may not ever make it to the right person.

Mention details that remind them that you really notice them. If they mention that their daughter is sick, say you hope their daughter is feeling better. If they put out cookies at your book signing, tell them how much you appreciated that special touch that was above and beyond.

Tell them why you are thankful. This is an old graduation and wedding note trick. “Thank you for the blender. We’ve been making healthy smoothies every morning for breakfast. It’s really going to help us achieve our fitness goals this year.” For writer’s: “Thank you for your edits on the first three chapters of my book. You really brought the opening scene to a whole new level by changing the sequence of events and helping me build the suspense.”

Provide a Benefit With Any Self-Focused Call to Action: Why should someone invite you back for a book signing or work with you on another project? “Thank you again for representing my latest book. Now that we have a system that works so well between us, future projects with you will surely be a breeze. I really hope I can crank out another proposal that you would be proud to represent.”

By the way, I know people in this business who have chosen not to work with someone again based solely on the lack of a proper thank you after a project was completed. So send thank you notes and make sure that they actually say THANK YOU!

How do you thank the people who work hard to represent you? Hand-written notes? Email? Tweets? Personal Phone Calls? Gifts?