We judge many things every day whether we want to admit to this fact or not. Some may call these opinions. It doesn’t matter what definition you use. It comes down to beliefs or to thoughts we have on certain topics or about specific things. These beliefs and thoughts affect our outcomes in many cases.
Without getting super woo woo or metaphysical, suffice it to say that if you want to succeed as a writer, you must examine how you think about the different roles an author must take on. If you are a person who thinks writing falls into the realm of creativity, and, therefore, is a “good” activity but anything looking vaguely like marketing or promotion is not creative and, therefore, “bad,” that will affect your ability to succeed. Why? Because you will turn up your nose at these necessary tasks, deeming them unworthy of your time. After all, you are a writer, a creative person. You are “too good” to do those dirty, yucky selling related tasks, right?
Wrong. Time to change your thinking.
Marketing and promotion are actually quite creative. In fact, those who are best at these jobs are highly creative–as writers, artists and sales people. They devise some of the most unique campaigns for books. And because of this, their books sell.
Ask yourself if your thinking in some way stops you from letting your creativity loose on your promotion and marketing–for yourself and your work. Maybe you don’t think it’s beneath you, but you think you are no good at it or you just don’t want to do it–you’d rather be writing. Try to reframe the activity as something fun, a chance to put your creativity to use in a new and exciting manner.
I’d love to hear all the amazingly creative ways people have come up with to promote their books. Leave yours as a comment below, and we’ll start a great list of promotional ideas for others to try as well. Plus, it will be a way to get other writer’s creative juices flowing.
Photo courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net.
Nina:
I appreciate the relationship you’ve noted between writing and marketing. I’ve been studying the ins and outs of freelance writing for upwards of 14 years, pretty much since I graduated law school. I’ve done the gammut of marketing, from business cards, to joining associations, to networking face-to-face, to giving free phone consultations, to creating unique side businesses. With a straight face, I can tell you that I’ve managed to create 100 ways that do not work within marketing. Still working on ways that actually work. My success with social media and the author-platform building exercises has been slow, but at least steady.
I’m plugging away. Great blog post, as usual.
Amanda,
I’d have to say my social networking and platform building was slow, too. I began in 2001. I didn’t really dig in for at least 4-5 years. But it has been steady. I know blogging and social networking and speaking work. I can tell you that much. I’d add in article marketing a well.