Yes, Talk About Yourself

The change in the writing and publishing world has made it very necessary for many of us to promote, market and advertise ourselves as well as our work. But sometimes this is not an easy task.

We creatives have a tendency to hold back. We throw our whole selves into our work, but we hold back when it's time to display or offer it for consumption. And for some its not that we hold back, we hesitate.

Sometimes the hesitation comes from our own internal voice and sometimes it comes from others. I have witnessed people telling authors they should not promote their books all the time on their social media pages. Social media is the place we should present ourselves and everything we have to offer. That's the point.

There is no reason we should not promote ourselves until our voices are hoarse. Who's going to be a cheerleader more than we will? Of course our friends, family and even our team can get our name and work out there, but it has to start with us.

Don't feel like you are talking too much, or mentioning the name of your book too many times, or constantly talking about the next piece of work you have coming out. That is a part of your job as a creative, especially when you don't have a company backing you. Tell everyone, as many times as you can, until it's time to do it again with the next one.