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I’m Not Shameless
By Jenna Glatzer>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I’m not sure if this
is a new fad, or whether I just never noticed it before now.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“Shameless
self-promoters.”>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The term itself
bothers me, and I’ll tell you why.
All these gurus who want to
teach you about “shameless self-promotion” don’t seem to notice that by using
the word “shameless,” they’re actually perpetuating the notion that there’s
something shameful about self-promotion in the first place.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You wouldn’t say you
were “shamelessly cooking dinner,” would you? Of course not, because
the concept of “shame” just doesn’t apply. No one would be cooking
dinner shamefully… so, likewise, there’s no reason for anyone to do it
“shamelessly.” It’s just a moot point.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
These marketers are
trying to dispel the myth that there’s anything wrong with self-promotion, but
they’re going about it incorrectly.
Let’s say that you were a cereal
manufacturer, and someone started a silly rumor that your cereal contained rat
poison. To dispel the myth, would you name your new cereal “Non-rat-poisoned
Oat Flakes?” No.
That would make people believe that
your old cereal DID contain rat poison, and that you had to do something to
correct it. Any kind of nod gives credence to the myth. It
means you thought the myth was believable enough to feel you needed to defend
yourself against it.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If you’re going to
be a professional writer, you have to believe that self-promotion is not a
controversial, emotional act that you must approach with embarrassment or with
egotistical bravado. It’s just a simple job requirement. Plumbers
learn how to unclog drains. You learn how to get people to read what you
write.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Whether we’re
talking about editors, agents, publishers, or the end audience, the same rules
apply.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Do you believe your
writing is of value? Do you believe you’re a capable writer? Are
you confident in your ability to convey messages through your words?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>If the answer is “no,” then why do you think anyone else should read
your work, let alone buy it? It’s really a simple concept—if you are so
unsure of your own writing that you don’t think it’s very good, then there’s
absolutely no reason to inflict it upon anyone else. Do
YOU want to read work that’s not very good? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rather than sending
off queries, writing bad novels, etc., you’d be doing yourself a big favor to
take some writing classes, read books, and study your craft before trying to
make a career of writing. Wait until you have the confidence that your
work is top-notch before trying to sell it. If you went into heart
surgery and overheard your surgeon say, “I’m not sure if I’m a very good
surgeon… I’m certainly not as good as so-and-so… but there’s nothing else I
wanted to do, so I’m going to give it a try,” how would you feel?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Take your writing no
less seriously. Be your own toughest critic. Pretend
your work was written by someone else—what would you think of it? Would
you read it? Would you buy it? Would
you remember it? Would you eagerly await this author’s next
work?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Put false modesty aside.
If the answer is “yes,” then you
owe it to the world to promote your work. Take the flip side of the
above equation; just as you should never put out bad writing for public
consumption, you should never withhold good writing from those who would enjoy
it. Imagine your favorite book.
Think about how it enriched your
life, how it consumed you. Now imagine the author was so insecure that
he decided he’d rather hide his work away than risk getting rejected.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Wouldn’t you feel
robbed? What would you tell that author?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“Excuse me, Mr./Ms.
Author, but you have to get that book published because I really want to read
it. It means a lot to me. I know it’s hard to expose yourself; there
will always be critics in the world who don’t see the beauty in your work. But
for every person who doesn’t ‘get it,’ there will also be a person whose life
is changed by your work.”>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Now tell that to
yourself.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Your talent can
enrich people’s lives. There’s no reason to be modest about it,
because you already know it to be true.
Your life has been enriched by
other writers. Put yourself in their class, and know that
there will be future readers who will feel the same way about you.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Self-promotion is
not a selfish act. It’s a gift. If your work is good,
then you have to let people know about it. First, you have to let
editors and agents and publishers know about it. You
have to present it in the best possible light, with no typos, no weak spots, no
gaps or holes, no mousy pitches.
Then, once it’s “out there,” you
have to let the public know about it.
Tell whomever can help you
spread your message, any way you can get to them. Show
them WHY they should help to encourage other people to read your work.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Step away from the
shore and into the water. Write press releases. Call
people. Ask for help from other writers. Knock on doors. Send
out copies for review. Alert the media to your presence—television,
radio, newspapers, magazines, and e-zines. If you see a journalist
who covers topics like yours, write that journalist a letter introducing
yourself and your work. If you see a magazine that runs interviews
with authors, write to the editor and request one. Tell
him or her why you’ll be an interesting candidate.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I don’t need to tell
you how many gajillions of times best-selling authors were rejected before
their work sold. Does that mean they weren’t very good? No. It
just means the right editor hadn’t come along. It would have been mighty
easy for any of them to stop promoting themselves, convincing themselves that
it was okay to quit because if they had any talent, an editor obviously would
have noticed by now. But then no one would have heard of John
Grisham (“The Firm” was rejected 30 times). Or Dr. Seuss (whose first
book was rejected 43 times before a friend published it, perhaps out of pity). Or
Agatha Christie. Or just about every other author you can
name.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
To give a more
modern example, take W. Bruce Cameron, whose book “8 Simple Rules For Dating My
Teenage Daughter” hit the New York Times Bestseller List. Was
he shy about self-promotion? Heck, no. He wrote to every writer
he knew (including me) to ask us to call our local bookstores and ask the
managers to carry his book. And when he went on tour, he made sure every
television and radio station was alerted to his presence at each stop. The
result? He was interviewed on CNN, CBS, and television in 13 cities... oh,
right, and then came the television series based on his book.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Back to the original
criteria, promotion doesn’t work if you don’t have a quality product to back it
up. In this case, W. Bruce had a funny book. He
knew it was funny, so he didn’t feel like he was taking advantage of people by
asking them to spend $19.95 on it, and he didn’t feel bad asking his friends to
help him reach a larger audience.
And did we feel W. Bruce was
being arrogant, egotistical, or rude by promoting his book? No,
we were happy he was working to make sure anyone who would be interested in his
material would find out about it.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Have the same kind
of confidence in your work, and you’ll find out how quickly you can remove the
“ego” (or lack thereof) from your marketing efforts. You’re
not a used car salesman—you’re simply telling people why they might want to
read your work. It’s up to them to decide whether or not
they’re interested. You’re providing information about something
of value.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If all else fails,
practice writing your queries and promotional efforts in third-person, as if
you were promoting the work of another writer whom you admire. Simply
switch pronouns before sending, and you’ve got it!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
So, don’t be a
“shameless self-promoter.” Erase the shame from your vocabulary, and
just be a self-promoter. The world may thank you for it. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Jenna Glatzer is the editor-in-chief of Absolute Write
(www.absolutewrite.com), where writers can get a free
list of more than 180 agents who are open to new writers! She is also the
author of OUTWITTING WRITER'S BLOCK AND OTHER PROBLEMS OF THE PEN and other
books for writers, which you can read about at http://www.absolutewrite.com/jenna/books.htm
if you want to make her day. |