The Troubles of Self-promotion

[alanajoli]

Here is something I've learned about myself. When I am doing marketing (viral or otherwise) for someone other than myself, I have no problem bringing the topic into conversation and gushing about it. The example of the day: I am less comfortable promoting a class that I teach than a class I enjoyed taking. In the latter case, I'm recommending something to people because I think it will enhance their life experience. In the former case, I'm promoting myself, even if I am teaching the same class I'd recommend when taught by another teacher. I do the same thing with books: I, of course, love it when people read my stuff. I'm happy to tell people about what I write and what my books (now hard to find) are about. Other writers, especially folks that I know (like a certain friend whose debut novel is coming out from Tor this fall), I will plug rampantly with no shame.

Given how much my professions (teaching and writing) require me bringing the audience to my work, this realization is somewhat troubling. It is probably a good thing that I didn't go into sales.

Comments

[jeff-duntemann.livejournal.com]

Alas, there's a pretty thin line between being a tireless self-promoter and a tiresome self-promoter. What makes it worse is that self-promotion will be the key to having any success at all as a writer in the relatively near future, if not already. The fact that we're uncomfortable with it won't make it unnecessary.