Thursday, February 28, 2013

Self-promoting vs. Book-promoting


I have to admit I have a problem with this. I’m not shy or introverted or anything, I just really, really don’t like talking about myself. Even this blog is a huge stretch for me. You’ve probably noticed I’ve gotten around it a little bit with my Survivor Tuesday posts. It’s not that I’m insecure, either. It might have something to do with my job. As a psychiatric nurse, it’s engrained in me to redirect every part of every conversation back to the patient. And as a mom, well, you can imagine how much time I have to talk about myself there. I literally loathe it. This makes the act of promoting myself for the sake of selling my book almost like a living nightmare.
Which made Rachelle Gardner’s post the other day almost miraculous.
She was talking about promoting your book, not yourself. While I was reading it, a light went off in my head, a green light that told me it was okay to talk about THIS, because THIS was not me. I may have written it and love it like a fourth child, but like the rest of my children, they ain’t me.
It was a small step, but an important one.

4 comments:

  1. You are a humble woman, so of course self-promotion feels uncomfortable. Book promotion is part of business just as music promotion used to be for me. You are doing GREAT!!

    Lee Ann

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    1. Lee Ann, I'm sending you a hug right now. Love ya!

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  2. I suck at promotion, unless I'm doing it for someone else. I dread the day I'll have a book to promote! Which is why I think I'll go the traditional route -- self-publishing is way too scary!

    Damyanti
    Co-host, A to Z Challenge 2013

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    1. Unfortunatly, even the traditional houses are expecting their writers to do more and more. I guess that's the curse side of social media.

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