Hi. My name is Anton Dabbs. I’m a new member of Lake Superior Writers. I’m a new writer, too. Well, new to publishing my writing. Actually, I’ve been writing poetry and memoir for a while, but it’s been mainly for myself or people close to me. Now, I’m starting to publish my work. My memoir From Turmoil to Triumph is out in February. I also have a blog and a YouTube channel, which was going along fine with a somewhat small number of viewers. Then I did an interview with Autism Expert Tara Phillips about learning as an adult that I have autism. I posted that interview and it got something like 25,000 views in the first week. It’s kept growing with views and subscribers. I found my audience.

So in just a few months, I went from sharing my story with a small group to sharing it with a much bigger group. It happened kind of overnight, but not really, and that’s what I want to share here. Because I think there are probably other writers like me who are writing for a small audience but want to write for a bigger audience. How to find that audience is beyond our control in some ways, but there are some things we can do.

Writing the Book

It started with writing the book. Realizing that I had a story to tell and I wanted to tell it. I have struggled with chronic anxiety (and autism, I found out later) my entire life. I also didn’t have the best criminal record in my teens and twenties. But I was able to turn my life around and start down a different road. I worked hard as an auto mechanic. I started my own company, Lemon Squad, which offered pre-purchase inspections on cars. I worked 24/7 for a lot of years. The company grew to nationwide status, and I eventually sold it (twice, actually, but that’s a longer story). Friends and family encouraged me to tell my story, and I was willing to be honest – so I decided to write the book. But I needed help to do it. I’m not a professional writer. So I reached out to a professional writer who helped me shape the story and get it on the page. Working with someone made it possible. They knew the craft of writing, and they knew the business of book publishing. They knew how to ask me the right questions.

Publishing the Book

For this part, I considered querying an agent, or an independent publisher, but I ultimately decided that I didn’t want to wait through that whole process. I also had the money to invest in publishing my book myself, and I could hire people to design, copy edit, and market it. So that’s what I did. I hired a graphic designer for the layout, and a copyeditor, and I went through an independent publishing platform. The writer helped me learn about the book launch and signings and getting blurbs for the cover. Basically what I’m saying is, I worked with people who knew the business and the art and could help me navigate through it.

But I Still Had to Reach Out

This is key. Because even though I had professionals helping me, it still came down to me. I contacted people for quotes directly. I called the bookstore to arrange a signing. And I focused a lot of attention on my YouTube channel. I got a GoPro and a mic and set up my office as a vlogger. I kept posting, trying to find the topic that people want to hear about. I posted vlogs on being an entrepreneur and starting a business. I posted about vehicles. I love hiking the North Shore, so there are hiking vlogs – I’ll keep posting those because I’m out on the trail almost every day. But it was the interview about getting the autism diagnosis last fall that really hit – and I realized who my audience is.

And this is important, because it’s shaping my new project. The more I walk my own path of chronic anxiety and autism, the more I learn, the more I want to advocate for mental health, and help others like me. I’ll keep writing, and now that I know more about my audience, I can keep writing with them in mind. My audience got a whole lot bigger, and I’m excited to share my story with them.