SELF-PROMOTING YOUR WRITING -- WHAT TO DO
How do we best self-promote our writing? This is a question that has come up several times for me lately, and everyone seems to have a different answer. On the one hand, we as writers, are all being told that the burden of promoting our own works falls largely on our own shoulders these days, that gone are the times when all we did was write a story and turn it over to our publishers to promote. Well that seems fairly true, judging by my own experiences. That's not to say that publishers don't do a lot, but they do seem to expect us authors to do a whole bunch more than we used to. Ah, well!
Everything from keeping blogs, books signings, lectures, attending conventions, joining various organizations, handing out gifts, having contests on our websites, creating and maintaining our websites, handing out bookmarks, even sometimes selling our own books -- we're told we must do all these things. OK, so we do have to. I'll go with that.
But for me, there is just so much out there I'm supposed to do, that at times it seems overwhelming. For instance -- blogs. How many blogs are we supposed to maintain? How many can we keep up, do we have time for? Which are the best sites and circumstances under which to have a blog or blogs? And conventions -- is it better to attend small ones and have a "higher presence factor" or attend large ones where we are virtually drowned in the chorus of other writers' voices? And how about lectures -- we'd all like to do them in some big venue, but those don't come easily. One has to get famous first to do that. So, does doing them at local libraries help? How about at high schools and universities? Do these help? You may develop a small local following that way -- if you are lucky, but does that help with the big picture, that is nationally, and internationally?
Well, having considered all this stuff, I've come up with a few personal answers or choices of my own. First, what you do does depend on the genre you write in and for, and how much you want to succeed. That last part is crucial. Are you in the game to win the brass ring or is writing just a fun hobby or sideline. If that's all it is, then self-promotion is, of course, far less important. But if you are in the game to win -- ah, that's totally different!
For instance, if you write romances, then perhaps you should consider joining such groups as EPIC, etc. If you are into science fiction, then maybe one would want to consider ultimately getting into SFWA. The same would go for conventions. And, I don't suppose doing readings and such are in anyway an adverse thing to do to help further your career. Blogs, certainly. Readings, probably. Websites -- definitely. Yes, in order to make it in writing, you will have to consider doing some or all of these things. But to what extent?
You see, there is something to remember in all this; IT ALL TAKES TIME! THE MORE SELF-PROMOTION YOU DO, THE LESS TIME YOU HAVE TO WRITE! That's what I've discovered about all this. Between conventions, blogs, readings, and maintaining contacts with everyone in the "Biz" I find my daily load of self-promotional work is seriously cutting into my writing time. After all, we also have to live! We've got to keep house, take care of family needs, work for a living (unless we are truly lucky and are making enough money at writing not to), and so when one adds self promotion to the mix, something has to give! With me, sometimes, it's my writing, the very thing which I'm trying to promote! Vicious circle, "ain't it?"
So, how do I balance all this? With difficulty! One has to work one's way through it all, to see what gives the best response. I think a personal writing (homepage) website is crucial for most authors these days. I do think doing a blog or two, is also a very good thing. Joining those groups (such as SFWA) or agencies which best suit our genres can't hurt, but by the same token, give that some thought, because they can be time consuming. I'm a big fan of Critters.org, because it's a free way to get reviews on one's stories before sending them to editors. But, you must review other people's work once a week to remain in reasonably good standing to get your own work reviewed. And that takes time! Also, I'm a reviewer for NovelSpot, and I like doing that, but again, it takes time to read those books, give them serious thought, and comment on them. One has to be very fair about doing book reviews. You can't just glance at a book and then, for instance, give it a bad review! If it's going to be a bad review, you'd better have read the entire book to make sure it does have serious flaws. Otherwise, you are being grossly unfair to the author!
So for me, balance is about picking and choosing what I do. I do attend some conventions -- not all -- and I usually choose the smaller venues -- for now. Maybe later, I'll start immersing myself in the really big ones. I maintain several blogs (better a few, in my opinion, that I can keep up with, rather than many that I can't do justice to), and do some readings, just for the heck of it and because I like to do it. Correspondence takes a big part of my time, too. I like to keep in touch with fellow writers and sympathetic editors. Lately, I've discovered book trailers, and I'm doing those as well. Those do take time to do adequately, so beware! But I find them fun.
So what's the upshot of all this? Well, pick and choose which self-promotions you want to do -- carefully! Remember, time is valuable, "time is the stuff of life -- do not squander it" as the plaque at Twelve Oaks Plantation in Gone With The Wind read. And, always take advice from your editors/publishers as to what is the best way to go. Remember, in helping your publisher to be a success, you are ultimately helping yourself as one of their authors. But do use your own discretion. You time is your own. And, however you spend it, you will not get it back -- ever! So do it wisely, is my advice. Making it count!
Finally, and the most important thing of all in my opinion, is writing. WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, AND WRITE SOME MORE! The more you write, the better you get at it. The more you get published, and in the higher paying venues, the more notice you will naturally acquire from your peers and publishers. Nothing makes people notice you like success! So, the best self-promotion you can do is to be a good and prolific writer. That will make people sit up and notice you. If your stories are appearing everywhere, then people will start to remember your name. And any other self-promotion you do is then just icing on the cake. That's my recipe for success. Now, let's just see if I'm right????? Because in the final analysis, these are just opinions by another author!
