It is a very competitive world out there. So is there a secret to how one becomes famous? Have you ever searched for the answer? I know I have.

How Do I Become Famous?

Trawling through the Internet search engines provided very few results. I had worked my socks off over the years, racking my brains trying to come up with ways to become famous. I had just uploaded yet another poem onto Authors Den and wondered if I was selling myself short. Admittedly I was on target to record a respectable 30,000 visits in one year to this web site but what was I doing it for? It was then that I typed in the title of this article into a search engine.

Only one site offered any reasonable advice. It suggested throwing a brick (metaphorically) at someone who was already famous. The result of doing it might put you in the lime light by association. The problem with this solution, of course, is that it didn't really take into account what I wanted to be famous for.

A friend once asked me if I wanted to be rich or famous? It was not a stupid question when I thought about it. If I wanted to be rich I would have concentrated my efforts into manufacturing or investing in stocks and shares. I would have worked as many hours as I could to earn money. I would have researched the best way to make money work for me. I would have become a lawyer or a banker. Clearly my driving force had nothing to do with becoming rich. If fame brought wealth as a by product then it was a bonus. Therefore I had to answer to my friend that I wanted fame. But fame for what?

I write poetry and books. I also write music. Without a doubt it was the artist in me that sought fame but I also wanted to become famous while I was alive to enjoy it. The track record for artists, in terms of wealth, is pretty grim. All the famous artists and composers who were poor during their lifetimes also died poor. The million dollar paintings and prolific musical performances of Mozart and his ilk only made money after the artists died. Conversely, the rich artists had influential friends and family. What was more was their ability to fund their art without having to worry about the necessities of eating and keeping a roof over their heads. Many - now very famous - artists and musicians were not even famous during their lifetimes. I suppose this fact sat rather uncomfortably with me because it was within the search for fame that I believed would come some recognition for my work.

So how do I become famous? More specifically, how do I become famous for the books, music and poetry that I have produced so far? Perhaps it is worth exploring what fame, in my opinion, really means. This may not be the concise dictionary definition but, for me, fame means having my name recognised by lots of people all over the world. People would know me for the work I have produced - in the same way that people associate brand and company names with products or actors for acting and comedians for comedy. Shane Ward the writer. Shane Ward the poet. Shane Ward the composer. It may seem a strange thing to say but I am not looking for crowds of fans for me as a person. In truth it is my work that I seek fame for.

Less than 6 months after I completed my autobiography "Walking the Path", more than 1,000 readers have read my free book (which you can obtain - for free - here at Authors Den). Needless to say I am rather pleased with the uptake, as it is unlikely that the potential to become famous will succeed without giving people a reason to take an interest in you. I know when I look for a book to read, I am guided by the subject matter, the genre and/or the author. I am more likely to buy a book from an author that I know and have enjoyed. So what better way for people to get to know me than to offer a book for free?

If I knew the answer to how I become famous, it stands to reason that I would - at this point in time - be famous. No - let me rephrase that. It stands to reason that my work would be well known by many people and not just those who have visited Authors Den or my website http://www.shaneward.co.uk

The most obvious solution to me is by asking you, the reader of this article, to give me a helping hand. My work on Authors Den is there for you to read and enjoy. Of course, not everyone knows that my work is there and not everyone knows about Authors Den. But you can change that by making a point of telling the people you know.

There are several ways to do this. Word of mouth is the most obvious. If you see a good film, read a good book or hear a funny joke, you will most likely talk to others about it. The drive to do so tends to last for no more than a week but in that week you might talk about it to at least 10 people. The odd one out in this list is the joke, because you are likely to tell a good joke more than you are likely to talk about the latest book or film. That was the reason for writing mostly humorous poetry. It is there for you to share with others, so please do so. Just remember to tell them about Authors Den and who wrote the poem. Another way of telling people is to add the website to your emails as part of your 'signature'. People invariably email friends and associates but not all of them will know about Authors Den.

If you think about it, there is good reason to promote my work - apart from the fact that I may yet become famous by it. With hundreds of web sites to choose from, it is only by word of mouth and general advertising by site visitors that a particular web site ends up becoming the most commonly visited web site. By advertising one person on a web site means that you open up opportunities for every contributor. Further more, you will contribute to making Authors Den the most popular book and poetry site on the Internet.

But the only way to make this happen is to ensure that you do one more thing. Don't just tell people about my poetry and/or Authors Den. You also need to make sure that you tell them, if they like what they read, not to keep it to themselves. They must also tell other people and tell them to tell their friends etc, etc. It is no different to pyramid selling or multi level marketing. Success only works if you can encourage others to duplicate your efforts. If just one person tells two other people, and those two people tell two more, and this replication occurs successfully, it would only take 32 repetitions to cover the population of the world.

So here is my challenge to you. If there was ever an opportunity for me to become famous through my work, it is through you - the reader - on Authors Den that has the power to make it happen. If you have enjoyed my work, please share it because that was the reason for me doing it. And if, by your efforts, you turn 30,000 visitors into 300,000 visitors, I will write a free funny poetry book for all of you.

How do I become famous? I wonder if common bribery is the answer?

Shane Ward

Author, poet, composer. The amazing imagination of one man's world
http://www.shaneward.co.uk

Books
The Philosophy of the Tarot for the 21st Century.
Numerology. Making it Work for You.
Walking the Path (free)
Trade and Sales enquiries
http://www.synergebooks.com

Music
Planet Suite 3rd Millennium
Magic Symphony

Poetry
Humorous

http://www.worldpredictions.co.uk

Mundane Astrology
Predicting World Events