Self-Promotion

Self Promotion

Writers write. That’s all we need to do to be a writer.

But if a writer decides to share their work with the world, things get more complicated. The simplest way to have others read what you have written is to get published. Publishers don’t come looking for writers.

In order to get a manuscript turned into a book, a writer must sell themselves. This usually starts with proposals to agents or publishers. The writer approaches an agent or publisher and tells then that they have written a great book. No one is interested in looking anything from a writer who is modest and suggests that their writing is anything less than stellar.

The attempt to get someone interested in publishing your work is just the start of the self-promotion that every writer must go through.

Unless you are with a big publisher, it is unlikely that you will have a publicist who is dedicated to telling the world about how wonderful your book is. Publishers are interested in selling books and they expect their authors to help with promotion.

The reason most writers start writing is because they like telling stories and putting them down on paper. We may also like the attention we get from people enjoying our work, but I think most authors are driven primarily by the desire to create.

There are some writers who revel in self-promotion. I’ve seen people plaster the sides of their cars with advertisements for their books. The idea makes me cringe, but some people are comfortable with this kind of attention seeking.

I have a love hate relationship with the idea of self-promotion. I love writing and I like the idea that people enjoy my work. It gives me great joy when someone goes out of their way to tell me that they got something out of my books. I have had the experience of people driving long distances to come and see me and get a book signed. At some level, I think most people enjoy that kind of affirmation.

I have come to understand that it is important to speak positively about my writing. There is an interesting difference in the way I spoke about my work as a veterinarian and as a writer. If someone asked me if I was a good vet, I would hum and haw and suggest that they would have to ask my clients what they thought of me.

As a writer I can’t work that way. If anyone asks me if my books are any good, I can’t waffle and suggest that some people like them and some people hate them. This response would guarantee that the person asking the question wouldn’t read my work.

There are activities that I’m involved in as a writer that have more than one function. When I read at an event or speak with a book club, part of what I’m doing is self-promotion. But there is another side, I’m also communicating.

One of the main reasons I write is that I like to tell stories. I get to do that when I write books, but I also accomplish the same thing when I do readings.

A part of me knows that at these events I’m trying to sell books, but again there is much more going on. Perhaps my situation is different than many writers, but I really don’t care much about how much money comes in. I do like the idea that when someone gets one of my books, they are going to read the stories I’ve written. When people read my work, I’ve succeeded in communicating.

Self-promotion may sound like a dirty idea to many writers, but when we push our writing, we are doing more than we imagine.