Self-Promotion: Introverts Behind It

Let's face it, self-promotion for any writer is a tough gig. Unless you've been in the industry on that side of the fence before, it's a learning process that internally is a hard sell for introverts of the world. We are writers and by nature more introverted than the average person. We rely on our creativity and our imaginations. Most of us suck at self-promotion, but keep trudging on as we try to transfer our creativity from writing and design to marketing and advertising. Shockingly, I've found sometimes teaming up with other introverts in certain situations is an even harder, more awkward sell.

Believe me, I feel everyone's pain including my own.

Last April, I went to a book fair in Los Angeles and it turned out to be quite a different learning experience (this is the harder, more awkward sell I was talking about in the paragraph before). My family was in tow, we had brought professionally done flyers along to hand out. We also knew radio stations were supposed to be there promoting the event. So off we went, all pumped up and ready to mingle our little introverted selves. I had decided to be the life of the party and ready to encounter whatever we were walking into while self-promoting my tush off. Upon arrival and after checking out the scene, I was shocked. This book fair was quiet, people were meandering around but they seemed sedated. It was an extreme library type atmosphere. People at booths practically whispered when other authors stopped by to talk to them. They were happily sharing, but it was definitely a meeting of the introverts without a doubt. And I definitely didn't see any radio stations promoting anywhere, believe me it was so quiet I would've heard them from blocks away. Was I sucked into a wormhole experiencing an alternate universe? My family and I shared glances, I mean this was Los Angeles after all. We were so taken back, unsure what to do next. Why not celebrate and dance in the streets? This was everyone's time to shine, get more fans and introduce their work for goodness sake. Then I turned to my family and said, "well yeah, authors and readers...makes sense." We are so used to a society of extroverts trying to sell, advertise and market while being loud, pushy and refusing to take "no" for an answer. It just seemed so surreal. In the end, we did talk with truly gifted authors. But after listening to hard rocking music and guzzling down an energy drink to pump myself up for what I thought would be a very extroverted experience, I realized all I really needed was a pillow, blanket and a good book (which we took full advantage of later because that place was quieter than the hotel we were staying in) while getting my index finger flexed and loose for the "shhhhh" that might happen in case someone there got a little too rowdy. Which I assure you, never happened. You would've thought as a fellow introvert that would've been my happy place, but it throttled my world and not in a good way. When we found out no one was allowed to share flyers within the premises unless they had rented a booth, we promptly took our energy out around the neighboring areas sharing our flyers elsewhere.

Self-promotion can seem very vain, especially to the introvert. Once I took a publishing class in which the teacher did nothing but promote herself and her author friends. Again, I quickly glanced around worrying that a wormhole had sucked me into its belly. Her bragging got old really fast and even though her intentions were good, it came off as vain and extremely hard to watch as time went on. Instead of expanding her following, she was actually turning people off. So, there is something to be said about how someone reaches an audience and how they use that time wisely.

Social media can be a huge blessing to the all around introvert. You've worked long and hard to create your body of work with an end result to share. Sharing your work can be the most gratifying moments as an author and for others to enjoy and learn from. If done correctly, both the author and reader walk away happy from the experience. We all know how satisfying that is, because then you have word of mouth to help you become the author you want to be.

It's unbelievable sometimes how much help actually shows up and is willing to lend a hand, no matter what kind of -verted someone happens to be. And if this process seems too daunting, difficult or downright painful then hiring a professional is probably the right strategy for you. Just make sure that person you hire doesn't come off overbearing, vain or oversell to the point of turning off potential readers.



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