Today self-publishing is a viable option in this industry.
The main drawback is self-promotion—at least for me.
As a natural introvert, putting myself out there is not
exactly easy. The first time I had someone read my writing I felt so exposed. I
know, I know…what’s the point of writing a book if you aren’t going to let
anyone read it? So, I’ve gotten over that vulnerability.
When I got more serious with a desire to publish, I started
to up my Facebook game, but,
honestly, I still don’t like projecting an image of myself like that. I feel
phony talking about myself so openly when I really only do that with my close
friends and family.
To successfully self-publish, you need to have a platform.
Social media makes having a platform easy (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BlogSpot),
but the idea of flooding my friends’ pages with constant streams of
self-promotion makes me uncomfortable.
The crux, do I promote myself at the risk of annoying every
friend I have in the digital realm in order to build a platform; or continue
along the traditional route with a literary agent?
The answer is both. I am trying to publish traditionally while self-promoting so publishing e-books is still an option. I have to go outside
of my comfort zone to succeed.
I created this blog years ago to build my platform. As you
can see from my lack of posts, I’ve failed miserably so far. After all, it’s fun
to write fiction and hardly feels like work. Writing a blog post is much harder
for me. I’m determined to reach an audience of potential readers, so I will
keep posting.
I hope you follow me along this journey of self-promotion and
witness when I first publish. I say “when” because I will never quit writing.
Thanks for reading, and please check out my current
projects. I’d love to hear your comments!
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