I’ve been dreading this week. The truth is, I have no idea how to self-promote. I’m seven months away from my book launch, the idea of “building my personal brand” makes my face do the quizzical thing usually found in bad stock photos, and I definitely don’t have any money for “swag.” So, instead, I’ll talk about some things to not do when you’re self-promoting. Don’t: … only talk about…
Self-promotion! Yes! It’s required! Once you write a book, find an agent and have your manuscript accepted for publication, you’re required to talk about it and all of your adjacent accomplishments non stop for the rest of your life. Have you read Elyssa Friedland’s hilarious piece for McSweeney’s, “Did You Know That I Have a Book Coming Out?” One of my favorite passages reads: “Did you know that I have…
Promoting your book is a must, but it can be very time-consuming. It is important to have in your toolkit, easy methods to bring attention to yourself and your work, in addition to the more labor-intensive efforts. Here are some of the simple, quick to orchestrate ways that I have promoted The Talking Drum and helped build my personal brand. Signature line—On the signature of my email account, I include…
I don’t know any writer, anywhere, who wakes up in the morning thrilled with the prospect of a day filled with self-promotion. As a group, we tend to prefer dark rooms, pajamas, and oversized coffee mugs filled with wine. And yet, part of our job is to put on a happy face (and pants) and promote our books. Publishers expect it. Editors and agents demand it. And yet…so…
Imagine an author. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably getting a vision of a scholarly genius, possibly in an elbow-patched smoking jacket, pounding in a fit of literary fervor at the clattering black keys of an antique typewriter. Which, of course, is located in an attic apartment with a skylight, the wide windows open to a rolling vista of Parisian rooftops, the air redolent of coffee and perhaps a…
I don’t hate self-promo as much as a lot of authors do. I’m not sure why this is. Maybe it’s because, despite my various insecurities and anxiety issues, I’ve also always had, on the flip side, what a kind person might call self-possession, and what someone else might call a certain sort of deranged confidence. I’ve never had trouble with public speaking, for example. It doesn’t scare me in the…
Way back when I was just a young thing, fresh out of college and braving the wilds of New York, I got a job at a magazine that shall remain nameless here (but if you know me, you know which one — and it’s not hard to figure it out). I worked my ass off at that magazine. I fact-checked, I researched, I interviewed people, I reported, I wrote, and…
I have never been afraid of a little self-promotion. Maybe it started when I was 15 months old and my baby sister was born, and I needed to remind my parents I was here first. Or perhaps it was in high school when I ran for student government and had to outline my plans and strengths on stage, in front of the entire student body. Or maybe it was after…
Self promotion goes against every fiber of my being. From an early age I was taught to not brag, to not raise myself above others. I’ll gladly tell you about how everyone else is great, but if you turn the spotlight on me, I want to hide. But in today’s publishing world, that’s not an option. Writers must talk about themselves, drum up excitement for a release, and ask people…
This is a funny state of affairs. It’s 10:30 p.m., Thursday night. I’m sitting in bed with my laptop not wanting to write this post. Not because I have an issue with the topic, but because I reeeally want to sleep. I was so relaxed, so ready to snuggle in with my cat and my dog and my novel, and then with a jolt, I remembered: Oh my god, I haven’t…
