You'll Have Time

At my event at the Huntsville Library last night, I was asked about what to do if you're a shy, introverted type and you don't know if you You'll Have Timecould do book signings, promotional stuff, interviews,or anything out in public like going to conferences or even schmoozing people at dinner.

This is what I said:
1. Almost every author I know is an introvert. we figure out how to put on a face and pretend we're extroverted for a couple of hours a day.
2. And then we crash. It's not abnormal for me to spend a day before and after an event just relaxing and getting nothing done because I have to recover from expending so much energy.
3. For your first book, it is extremely unlikely that you will end up having to do much in the way of self-promotion. Mostly, you're off the radar. Sure, a couple of book signings and a talk to a handful of people.
4. If you want to do school visits, practice on your own kids' classrooms. It's hard to be too nervous looking into the shining faces of a group of 7 year olds.
5. Do social media (if it appeals to you). For many introverts, social media is the panacea. You get to have as much social contact as you want while you want it. Then you just turn it off and live in your own head again.
6. It is a reality that successful authors in this day are expected to do yearly touring and interviews and other stuff. If you get all that, before you panic, remember to be grateful for the attention. Then feel free to panic.
7. Talk to your agent and editor about what their expectations are. If you are really unable to do anything, they can work around you.

So basically, there's time for you to get better at it. No one is really good at it, but we fake it with practice. It takes a lot of energy and you have to build that into your equation.