Self-Promotion for Authors

When I started writing Oil and Dust, the notion of self-promotion was never a consideration. As the writer, I thought my purpose was to craft the best story I was capable of. Done.

What I didn’t consider was after I finished my book, I’d need to promote it.

Did you just cringe? Yeah, me too, because “Self-Promotion is…”

• Selfish
• Braggy
• Icky
• Narcisstic
• Spammy
• Salesy

If you agree with this list, but know you still need to promote yourself and your work, read on.

Self-Promotion is Service, not Sleaze

The first thing I learned is in order to become comfortable (less uneasy?) with marketing and self-promotion, I’d need to shift my mindset. Promoting your stories, your blog, yourself—it’s how you share a part of yourself with everyone. Your story is a gift to the world, but if you tell no one you’ve written it, no one will know.

Even if you’re hoping news about your book will spread organically—friend to friend—you still need to get it in front of someone to start that process.

You believe in your book, you’re proud of your work, and you think it will be valuable to someone. It will—as long as people learn about it.

People will Leave if You Self-Promote… and That’s Okay

When you promote yourself or your book, there will be some people who unsubscribe from your newsletter or mute you on the socials.

So what? You, and your book, are not for everyone.

These people aren’t your ideal readers and were unlikely to buy or read your book, so don’t let fear of people not liking you keep you from sharing news about your story.

Self-Promotion Steps

Take the “self” out of it. It’s easier to flex your promotional skills by recommending other authors first. If you enjoyed their work and think your audience will too, your audience will appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

Personally, I love recommendations and rely on them to help me pick out books. When I go to a bookstore to browse, I gravitate toward the books which have store employee recommendations.

Once you agree recommendations are useful, you can make that mindset shift to where promoting your story becomes a service too.

Promote Appropriately. Take advantage of promotional opportunities. For example, many writing associations offer a monthly newsletter where members can share their accomplishments. However, asking your friend to add your book details to the weekly mailer they send their lumber clients is perhaps going a little too far… unless your book features a lumberjack, lumber sales associate, or tree hoping to be turned into lumber.

Social media sites are a great place to share your accomplishments, but sharing your accomplishments does not mean posting advertisements and links for your book every few hours. The people who do so are exactly why so many of us mute the many #ShamelessSelfPromotion hashtags.

I think as far as self-promotion goes, I probably have a lot to learn. – Chris Isaak

Be prepared. As people find out you write, they’re going to ask you about your stories, your inspiration, and the process. These are genuine questions, so take advantage of the opportunity to share the story or inspiration which led you to write your book! Get comfortable talking about your story (no spoilers!), and speak about your project with enthusiasm and energy.

Pro tip: When someone asks about your book, don’t sidle away embarrassed and shouting “It’s on Amazon!” as you scurry off.

Be generous. Opportunities to talk about your project are not an invitation to filibuster about your writing process or the writing awards you won during your formative years. Share information about your story, then ask them questions about their latest passion project.

Find a Self-Promotion Mentor. Have you seen someone who does a great job at promoting themselves and their work? Their process appeals to you for a reason! Study their method and apply what appeals to you to your own work.

So do I have this all figured out now? No.

I have my first in-person work event coming up in a few weeks, and they’ve asked us to provide a show and tell of what we’ve been up to during the pandemic. On one hand, it’s a perfect opportunity to let my colleagues know I’ve written a book, but on the other, the photos of the beautiful loaves of bread I’ve churned out over the last fifteen months feel safer.

Also, that quip above about sidling away and pointing people toward Amazon? Yep, I did that yesterday, so I’m thinking the mindset shift will take time and effort. What have you done to change how you think of self-promotion?

Header Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash