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Self-Promotion Can Be Terrifying for a Writer; Do It Anyway
People can’t read a book they don’t know exists
It will come as no surprise to any writer reading this that I feel considerably more comfortable communicating on a page and at a distance than verbally and in person; it is a trait common to writers of all types and all times. Most of the time, being a semi-reclusive scribe isn’t a problem; in fact, it’s one of the things I like best about this calling. However, it can become a problem in one specific instance: when the book, story, or article is finished and it’s time to let people know the thing exists. The specter of self-promotion is an intimidating one indeed.
I’ve written about this before and have also pointed out the irony of it. We live in a world where everyone seems to be promoting themselves and their “brand” nonstop. Whether it’s a world-famous athlete or a 13-year-old in their bedroom, it feels like the entire planet is on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube screaming “Look at me!” Yet for the majority of writers this simply isn’t the case.
Though I can occasionally bang out a rant in a few hours, I will agonize for years over a novel before having the confidence to show it to another person, let alone publish it; six years passed between the publication of the third and fourth books in my Last Word…
