We live in a world
that says self-promotion is what effective individuals do, and if you want to
be one, you must as well.
Just glance at
Facebook, Twitter, or (if you absolutely must) TikTok.
At the same time,
the echoes of past ethe reverberate, reminding us that best praise does not
come from oneself. Let others toot your horn.
The second feels
much better to most writers, who tend to be introverts. Most artistic sorts
would rather think about creating than marketing.
Another
blog post speaks of this in more detail. Its title, Does the Idea of Promoting Your Book Make You Feel Queasy?— contains
the operative word.
Queasy.
Yup, that.
If you self-publish,
that’s a given. But today it’s also required of the traditionally published. It
is one thing to go on a book tour or give interviews, all arranged by a publisher.
These days, such is reserved for a tiny percentage of the big-five publishers’
A-list authors. Even that makes most writers queasy.
I know so many who
lament this aspect of the creative life in private exchanges.
Here’s one way to
cope with this aspect of work: think of it as a price to pay for the sheer joy
of living creatively.
Because in life, there’s always a price.
8 comments:
A necessary evil! I can't say I'm a fan of self-promotion but I'm trying to be more confident about tooting my own horn. :)
Honestly, I love TikTok for this reason. The readers there are SO supportive and want to hear about books. I prefer TikTok to all other platforms now.
Love your tee! I much prefer promoting others than myself. So yes, I swallow the discomfort to do some self-promotion. But the best promotion has always been indirect and lots of fun too.
There are some aspects of self-promotion I find less queasy than others. Anything on the internet rates a higher queasy score for me, but face-to-face interacting with kids in places like classrooms and book festivals I find fun. That's because I love getting kids excited about math or logic and that's what most of my puzzle books are all about.
Agreed! I hate just asking for book reviews, like with the work-for-hire chapter book the published had me do. I'd rather the publisher ask people to do reviews. But it's part of what's expected now...
I have always felt comfortable, even excited, promoting others whose work I believe in. I am delighted to spread the word. But I have been uncomfortable doing it for myself. I have had to get over the queasiness, though self-promotion feels counter to the Eastern philosophies I trust more as a way to live than the celebrity-driven, mega-bucks approach we are witness to and bombarded by daily. In her book “Quiet,” Susan Cain addresses the issue of extroverts being able to easily express themselves, even when what they’re saying isn’t as valuable as what the introverts in the group are hesitant or slow to express. We are experiencing a time in which 15 seconds (or more) of fame is not about anything valuable but about putting yourself forward, whehter you are talented and have something worthwhile to contribute or not.
Indeed, MirkaK, the extroverts have an advantage when it comes to all aspects of marketing. Great writing, however, (not to be confused with witty writing) is the sort those who draw from within do better. Putting writers in the marketers position is a stressful proposition.
I'm afraid I fall into the queasy category. When I first started out on social media (blog, Facebook, Twitter) I made occasional valiant stabs at self-promotion — and still do at times, reminding people of my book titles, the covers, a few quotes, and some references to the story lines or poems, etc. Announcements. But key here are the words "occasional valiant stabs at," "at times." More often than not I use my blog for personal news, book reviews, trips we've taken; and FB primarily for checking in with friends and family, catching up on news. Twitter? Well, I end up pursuing political news and comments. I suspect that's how it's going to be, including the occasional valiant stabs, reminders and announcements. But the good news is that I've made and enjoy a lot of friends all over the globe. :-)
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