Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead

by Nancy Ancowitz

Get noticed . . . and get ahead!

All too often, introverts get passed over for job offers and promotions while their more extroverted colleagues get all of the recognition. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In Self-Promotion for Introverts®, business communication coach and intrepid introvert Nancy Ancowitz helps introverts tap into their quiet strengths, articulate their accomplishments, and launch an action plan for gaining career advancement. You will learn how

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Business, Psychology, Personal Development, Leadership, Health

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2009

Reviews

[Leo . · Rating 4 out of 5]

How does an author get somebody to buy their book?

After the long and arduous task it took

To get published and noticed, hope for a sale

Get the ball rolling, break from this spell

Pass on to their friends, promotion is exasperating

Waiting for units to begin accumulating

Just three pounds and four pence, not a lot of loot

The process can be frustrating, exciting, a hoot

The price of a cup of coffee, one would think

Half of which, maybe poured down the sink

Not a great loss but, money down the drain

Coffee has gone, never seen again

Yet a book lasts forever, it will always be

To glance upon, lend to friends, and family

Shared with reading buddies, and book clubs, Twitter, the Web, it takes time

Plugged on YouTube, blogs, and Facebook, and Amazon Prime

Striving to reach, the next step in recognition, popular, new

Hoping to reach readers, and get a decent review😰😌😕😱😪😤😅😂😧😷😰😱

By Leo.🐯👍

I am losing the will to live

And I have so much more to give

A year has pass

I am exhausted, running out of gas

Emotional turmoil, never ending hill

Rattling with medication, and a happy pill

A handful of book sales, hardly any pay

Demoralised, wasting away

Have two more books to publish, but no money in the bank

Readers who have given reviews, I wish to thank

This self promotion, is a chore

Trying to get recognition, more

Will I ever get some uplifting news? A review? A sale maybe?

Enough to boost my self esteem, something to make me happy👍💓🐯

[Res · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know; maybe this got very impressive after I dropped it. Problems:

- It conflates introversion with social anxiety. I mean, it claims it doesn't -- it describes the difference -- but all the tips for introverts are really about dealing with fear.

- It spends an awful lot of time defining "introvert" and giving lots of advice about determining whether you are one. Um, I picked up a book called "Self-Promotion For Introverts"; pretty sure I've already answered this question.

- It was very heavy on inspirational quotes from famous and non-famous people, page after page of them, sometimes with one paragraph of introduction to the quote or elaboration on it. Very light on any sort of details. Like a magazine article grotesquely swollen to book length.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, a really effective way to make me hate your book is to mention right off the bat how difficult you find the process of writing to be, and how the only thing that motivated you to start writing the book was that signed contract. (My doctor said it was the worst eye-roll sprain he’d ever seen, but I’ll be fine.)

I was just looking for a way to raise my profile a hair at work. But the author of this book, while careful to include self-employed individuals (probably because she is a self-employed individual), seems blissfully unaware that not everyone works for ABC Widgets, Inc. All the tips are geared to the corporate world, and trust me, what might work to impress the CEO of a Fortune 500 company is liable to translate as sheer lunacy in the public sector.

It was also disheartening that the advice for introverts could mostly be described as “Be more like an extrovert!” Gee, thanks.

There were suggestions to take classes, or hire a coach, or spend every waking moment networking (oh, BOY, does this woman love networking). The very first thing she recommends is assembling what she calls a Dream Team. You’re supposed to ask a dozen people to write down really nice things about you so you can have a file of nice things to read when… I dunno, when people ignore you because you’re an introvert? If I knew a dozen people that I was comfortable asking for paragraphs of praise, could I honestly call myself an introvert? Also, if you have to ask people to say nice things, do they count?

The author also allies herself with the positivity movement, which by itself would be reason enough for me to one-star it.

So, if you a) live in New York City, b) work for a profit-seeking corporation (or are self-employed), and you actually like public speaking, parties, schmoozing, and Linked In, this is the best book about being an introvert you’ll ever read. Everyone else, never mind.

Full disclosure: there were 6 disks in the audio book, and I made it to the end of disc 3. I couldn’t take any more.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

My two initial impressions of this book were not good: the cover has glasses on it for some reason (does that mean only introverts wear glasses or if you're introverted you wear glasses?) and the first chapter implied, to me, if you're an introvert you have low self-esteem. Not true.

The rest of the book reminded me of "What Color Is Your Parachute?", but written with specific attention on how introverts can do those activities.

I'm still slightly unclear on exactly what networking is - it seems some people assume that every time you contact another human being that's an opportunity to promote yourself, career-wise. Which is just oogy to me.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like the workbook accompaniment to Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, although it seemed that Ancowitz often confused "shy" with "introverted"--the terms are not synonyms.

Ancowitz relied too heavily on a small number of people (if I saw one more quote from Cathie Black, I was very tempted to throw the book across the room), but overall, she's brought a solid book to market.

A good tip: Advocate for yourself like you would advocate for a friend. (5)

[Maryna Ponomaryova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Одна з тих self help books, які начебто і мають все, щоб допомогти - і стуктуру і практичні поради, але якось воно все таке, що і так знаєш і немає якоїсь таємниці (може її і не має впринципі, але нащо тоді такі книги?). Книга Quiet авторства Сьюзан Кейн суміжної теми сподобалась набагато більше.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Ancowitz provides a self help book that talks to the introverted reader, making suggestions and providing encouragement. This is very much like other career minded self help books I've read, but it does focus on issues that "introverts" may have. That made this book more than just an OK book. The author is a character in her own book, which is common in self-help books - using herself as an example. The ending is an overt suggestion that coaching may help, and surprise - the author is also a coach! Make your own conclusions here.

I listened to this on audio. As is common with self-help books, I wouldn't recommend the audio version if you value viewing or using the tables and tools referenced. The audio was fine for presenting the concepts, but it isn't all that helpful in doing the work to create new personal habits. I think the physical book would have been a better choice.

[C. Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've done a lot of studying about promotion for introverts since I'm a writer by profession and speak on the subject. I read this book to seek new angles for my presentations, but found little I didn't already know. A major rub for me was the author's repetitive mention of the fact writing a book was new to her, and she wasn't really a writer. Once was enough. She means well and covers a lot of ground, and for someone who's never thought about promotion as a withdrawn individual, it would offer some good advice.

[James Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find that self-help books usually fall into one of two categories: helpful and appropriate or wildly irrelevant to my own personal situation. Self-promotion for Introverts is one of the former. I am a lifelong introvert, writer, and IT professional who has struggled with putting myself out in front. I found Nancy Ancowitz's descriptions of her encounters with celebrities while writing this book particularly familiar in terms of the thought processes she went through before approaching each one of them.

The book is insightful and a good slice of the life of an introvert who is just trying to make her way in a world that seems wholly designed for the upward mobility of the extravert: the noise, the persistent distractions, the value placed on "multi-tasking" (which I've always felt was simply a euphemism for "distracted" as far as human beings are concerned).

One minor failure in the eBook edition of this title is the fact that the average eBook reader is not going to be able to make use of the nice tables and forms Ancowitz creates to help guide the introvert toward his or her own best potential. Unless you copy the forms and tables to paper, which would of course break your concentration on the task, you won't be able to put these tools to adequate use. This is not a failing of the author; it is more an appeal to publishers to consider the format of the book when you include tools like that. Ereader devices do not always support HTML forms (yet), so perhaps readers can use other innovative means of implementing such tools in the meantime (the Nook allows you to take notes, for example).

Like any good introvert, now that I've finished the book I'm going to take some time to chew on its information before deciding how to best use what I've learned. It is truly nice to see books about self-promotion geared toward the introverted in the marketplace.

[Emma Sea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not find this a useful book.

Partly this is for the same reasons that Res outlines in their review: Ancowitz assumes introverts have trouble with public speaking etc, which isn't necessarily so. But the big thing for me is that the focus is heavily on promoting yourself within a corporate structure; how to take more of the credit for what you did in a team, rules for job interviews, how to negotiate with your boss for a promotion etc. I was more looking for self-promotion for introverts who are entrepreneurs. While some of the tips do apply to those self-employed, I found a lot of the advice so general and broad that it wasn't super-useful.

There's a section called "Position Yourself as a Valued Expert" which I agree is a really good idea. My last workplace used to do a lot of this, encouraging employees to end up as the go-to for media soundbites and quotes. But in this book it's about 3/4 of a single page, which basically only says, "join organisations, volunteer your time." For an introvert, this in itself isn't useful advice. You only end up as the volunteer who does a shitload of work but gets no credit because you're not promoting yourself within the volunteer organisation. Hooray, now you have double the problems.

So, maybe a good book for others, not so good for me.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a bit of this book had nothing to do with being introverted... it was either how to self-promote or the author self-promoting her conversations with "famous" people. (I don't how you got the quote or what you were wearing - just share the quote!)

I did enjoy the parts of the book that had to do with introvert vs. extrovert and how to work better together. The Lexicon table in chapter 8 is fantastic, and would benefit extroverts as well.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information but slightly exhausting to read more than a chapter at a time. The author's personal experiences/anecdotes start to grate after a while, too.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn’t what I’d consider an Arsenal in my self-help library, as I don’t work in a job that requires tons of draining interactions with others or I have to do tons of self-promotion. I think this book would be helpful to an introvert working in the corporate world, or in any job that they feel they have to do a lot of pushing themselves outside their introvert bubble.

Here are some tips:

Be proud of yourself as an introvert. You have many strengths that can be very valuable in the job market, not to mention as a good friend, family member, etc. we are very good listeners, researchers, writers and good friends.

Choose friends who understand your introversion.

Balance thinking with talking. As introverts we sometimes get lost in our thoughts. Try to find a balance of thinking before you speak but also not remaining completely silent.

Take stock of your accomplishments/good traits when negative self talk creeps in.

SHOW UP. This is often the hardest part. Show up to meetings for work, family events, etc. just being there is good for your relationships. If you find something particularly draining and are dreading it, try to schedule alone/grounding time for yourself first so your introvert battery is fully charged.


Stay in touch with colleagues. Emails, texts, whatever works for you.

Promoting others is a sneaky way to promote yourself as well. When you speak positively of others, it shows you are a good listener who notices the goodness in others.

Know if you’re a highly sensitive person. Definition: nervous system is sensitive to subtleties, and your brain processes information & reflects on to more deeply. Web resource: hsperson.com

Make networking situations more bearable: choose events where you’re likely to feel welcome, do something that makes you feel grounded beforehand, scope out a comfortable place (just not the wall!), remember all eyes aren’t on you, learn about other people, drink lots of water.

Remember an 80% solution that you are able to implement is better than a 100% solution that you don’t. Speak & act, don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

“Introverts get overwhelmed by a lot of choices. Just write it down, make it smaller. It becomes more doable and feels more attainable.

“Focus on small things that allow you to feel good about yourself.”

“If you work best under a deadline, get or make up a deadline. Get support rather than fighting what you know you need. Don’t waste your energy comparing yourself to all the self-motivated.”

Build your confidence with little wins.

Remember there’s a difference between giving up and changing direction.

Just the act of setting small goals can get your brain thinking in the right direction.

Don’t plan lots of social activities back to back.

Avoid comparing yourself to extroverts, they manage their time and energy differently than you.

Easy ways to self-promote that are introvert friendly: network through the internet! Emails, LinkedIn, write for blogs or start your own. Write articles for magazines, journals, etc. talk on a podcast about something your passionate about or start your own.

Have answers to common small talk questions prepared ahead of time so you don’t freeze up and forget everything about yourself. “So tell me about yourself” “what do you do for a living?” etc. you could even write it down and keep it in your wallet.

Public speaking: practice lots! Research & know your stuff. Have notes & take notes.

Remember interviews give you a good upper-hand: introverts are best one-one. Use your introvert skills & research, prepare, write! Research about the company, have your outfit picked out, know where you’re going and who you’ll meet with.

Manage your negative self-talk. The more confident you are (or pretend to be), the better you’ll come across at appearing like you have your shit together and are enthusiastic.

Promote yourself in the spirit of helping others. Ask what you can do, and follow through. Figure out how to deliver on your job as much as you can, go above & beyond.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me about 3.5 years to finish this book! There are reasons for that. It was a really good book, and I wish I had read it in my late 20s. It would have been so helpful to me then! As it happened, this book came to me after I had already learned some of its lessons (the hard way). Reading this book also made me realize what a good fit my current job is for me, because so many of the possible introvert challenges do not exist for me in my current role. (This is another illustration of me, figuring out the hard way, that a more extrovert-oriented job that I previously had really was not a great fit for me.) But even though the timing of when I read this was off for me, personally, I still appreciated this book and would recommend it to other introverts—especially those at the start of their careers. The best tip, IMO, was: before you go to a social event, think in advance what some things are that people there will want to talk with you about (and start thinking about what you’ll say about those topics).

[Lacey Louwagie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have gotten more out of this book if I had my own copy. Instead, I had it checked out from the library on interlibrary loan, so I couldn't even renew it ... which meant I had to sort of zip through it, even though there are a bunch of exercises you're supposed to do, which I didn't do (although I tried to do a few of them mentally). The author is a career coach, so I think she tried to translate a lot of the exercises she does with clients to the pages of this book. And while I think they'd work better in a coaching context where you could get feedback, this is a decent alternative for those who can't afford or don't have access to coaching.

What I really wanted from this book was some guidance on promoting myself as a writer, and "Hungering and Thirsting for Justice." There was a lot that was relevant, but the way it was written just had me thinking more about career development than book promotion. And I actually already do pretty well in the career development area; I'm a decent public speaker, I interview well, etc. I'm the kind of introvert that does well in social situations if the roles are really clearly defined -- as they often are in work situations -- but I really despise "in-person" networking. And reading this book doesn't make me inclined to like it any more, although it does help me remember that there are a lot of alternatives to that that I can excel at as an introvert, like social networking.

So, I'm glad this book exists, even if I didn't really get what I wanted out of it. I still wouldn't mind getting my own copy someday so that I'd have time to work through some of the exercises as they relate to the marketing side of my writing career.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancowitz has really great ideas for self-promotion in this book. As an introvert, I have a very hard time getting myself noticed at work and putting my ideas out there. I have been trying to move into a different position where I work and so far have been unsuccessful. Prior to reading this book I started taking steps such as volunteering with an employee club at work and volunteering to do other job duties outside of my regular job duties. Now I am going to put the ideas Ancowitz mentions in this book into action. I like her idea of hiring a career coach. I am definitely going to do that because I need help preparing for interviews since that is the area I believe I am struggling with the most. The chapter on turning off the negative self-talk was very helpful. I do that all the time and now I am more conscious of when I start doing it and I stop myself. This is a very helpful and encouraging book for introverts looking to promote themselves for whatever reason.

[Starfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up as research for the upcoming training call I'm doing for introverts who want to promote themselves online - but it actually ended up teaching me a lot about managing my energy levels and generally staying sane as an introvert, completely independent of any promotion.

It's easy to read with no shortage of useful, practical tips for introverts trying to get comfortable with being visible in a highly extroverted world.

My only criticism is the assumption that all introverts are readers, and all extroverts aren't (or, in another place, that extroverts don't understand or use the Internet)

It's a pretty mild criticism though, especially when everything else in there works so well.

And yay, it gets me a tick towards both my business book and my self-development book goals for 2013 too!

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. Didn't really find it worthwhile, but that is perhaps because of the field I work in - I felt like I knew all of this already due to my knowledge of career development and MBTI. But despite that, I found the overall style and tone of the book dull. She made introverts out to be complete wallflowers who are incapable of any social interaction. Granted I am an extreme introvert and I struggle with this too, I think it was the use of all the imagery and "use your gifts!" language, along with all the reflective activities, that was unappealing to me. Just seemed really cheesy. My favorite part however was the chapter on opposites - which gives some tangible examples of how to deal with extraverts in the workplace and other situations.

[Michele Wucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recent proliferation of work about the unique contributions and needs of introverts has been a welcome addition for those of us who need our quota of quiet time to be happy and productive. I was honored that Nancy asked me if I'd be willing to be interviewed for this book. I already knew her to be an articulate professional with something important to say. Self-Promotion for Introverts is a valuable resource not just for introverts but for anyone who doesn't want to come across as "me-me-me!" but who may be passed up for credit where credit is due because they hesitate to put themselves out there. Nancy has practical, thoughtful suggestions on how to get recognized without feeling like a squeaky wheel.

[Oskars Ozoliņš · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, as sort of half introvert/extrovert myself I found some things to think about and pay attention in future. Is this book "meant" for introverts only? No, almost everything whats written in this book you can relate to self promotion in general, how you should behave, talk etc.
I liked that book encourages to pay more attention to everyday things. It gives you ideas for what to look for, where to look - how to observe people, communication and eventually how to use these observations in your own interests.

Also there was a lot of good excersises which sadly I didnt take, they will help to think and analyze about yourself

[Robert Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well-written and easy to read. I enjoyed all of the personal stories that were included from many of the different successful people that Nancy Ancowitz included within the pages. I think her ideas are spot on, and I can see how she has been a big help to other introverts as they built a better career for themselves.

If you're an artist, this book can be a big help for how you approach the public relations aspect of your career.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated Ancowitz understanding of her audience and the way she did not encourage introverts to try to be more extroverted, while dispensing practical advice and wisdom throughout her book. I started off expecting to skip around throughout the book (and it could certainly be read and utilized well in this way) but kept finding myself settling in to read, not wanting to miss nuggets of information.

[Ann Addley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't a big fan of this book. It the layout was great and there was a handful of helpful tips in there. But I felt that though it claimed to be written by an introvert, that many of the suggestions were not in fact sensitive to the particular terrors of introverts trying to self promote. Maybe I'm nitpicking the book seems to be a nice introduction to self promoting just not specifically for introverts as it claims on the cover.

[Melody Daggerhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes of Interest:

I selected this book because (surprise!) as a writer and artist, I am an introvert. Most writers and artists are introverts because the jobs lend themselves well to working alone in a distraction-free zone. Which is also why a lot of writers and artists have a lot of trouble promoting themselves. It feels awkward, loud, and pushy for people who would rather not be in the spotlight. So, it is often viewed as a necessary evil when it comes to doing business. If that description resonates with you, you might be an introvert. And this book is here to help.

What could have made it better for me:

Nothing pulled me out of this book as I was reading. I did zone out a few times and have to stop mid-chapter and put it down, but I attribute that more to the fact that business and marketing are among my least favorite things to read about, rather than the author’s writing style or information. There’s no helping the topic when in need of marketing advice. But I think this book tackled the topic better than anything I’ve read so far on it because the author speaks precisely to introverts on a level we all understand.

At one point in the book, she compares being an introvert in the world of business to being left-handed in a world built for right-handed people. I felt that was a good analogy. The social world often frowns on introversion as a deficiency, and competitive free markets certainly weren’t created for quiet people who would rather not draw attention to themselves. But this book helps the introvert understand where her strengths lie and how to use those quiet skills to her advantage by finding a marketing strategy that applies to personal preferences. The book is well-organized with no distracting errors and is comprehensive, so I have no criticism toward improvements.

What I liked about it:

For starters, I like the way the book is organized to flow from discussing qualities of introversion, through the process of self-assessment (which is an introvert specialty) and working through ways to apply introvert strengths to various marketing strategies, into how to conduct networking, interviews, and public speaking engagements. It exceeded my expectations in terms of details and ground covered.

It also exceeded by expectations in terms of how much work it coaxes from the reader in order to apply what’s been learned. There are several lists, charts, and questions to reflect on and answer throughout the book and at the end of each chapter. It was designed like a workbook. The reader practices by doing, … which, of course, makes the information read stick better, as well as making it more meaningful when applied to personal situations. I read with a notebook and pen in-hand, so that I could take notes and do the exercises, and I think that made a real difference in my takeaway. In that sense, it’s the kind of book that you get out of it what you’re willing to put into it.

The main premise of the book is to teach introverts how to lead with their strengths, rather than focusing on their weaknesses. So, after listing my strengths and accomplishments, I had to rank some marketing tactics according to which ones I was most likely to actually do. The first half of the book focuses on the internal work of pairing personality and achievements with actionable goals. It came as no surprise to me that managing a website, blogging, and micro-blogging were my top choices. But I ended up with six other possibilities in second place that I’m also more likely to succeed at than some more common tactics I would hiss at and run away from.

The second half of the book focuses on advice from celebrities and experts and the author’s own experiences as a business coach and introvert herself to deploy those actionable goals as individual tasks. So, things like doing research, writing resumes, conducting interviews, networking, knowing your target audience and sphere of influence, elevator pitches, business cards, public speaking, and much more are covered in detail.

One thing I probably never would have done before reading this book is to consider who I admire for their authenticity in self-promotion and why. One of the exercises is to pick three people who are authentic and three people who are unauthentic and compare my reasoning as to why I am drawn to one set and repelled by the other. Then I’m asked to consider how being authentic or inauthentic applies to me. That was a bit of an eye-opener because it not only revealed the qualities I admire and need to nurture in myself, but it also revealed the biases that make me shut down in the presence of certain personality types. I need to be aware of how that affects my own authenticity when it comes to self-promotion, or how I receive it from others. The sweet spot lies in presenting authenticity to the target audience and putting yourself in their shoes asking, “What’s in it for me?”

Recommendation:

If you are an introvert and would like to learn about self-promotion in a way that suits your personality, I highly recommend this book. It is not only inspiring, but practical on both a big and small scale. When you finish reading, if you worked through the exercises, you will come away with a doable plan and actionable steps that won’t feel as overwhelming as most marketing advice. It will be tailored to you and your strengths. And that in itself is empowering.

[Sergei_kalinin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Это уже третья книга про интровертов за последние полгода :) Довольно неплохая! Хотя, пожалуй, в ней меньше всего психологии, но больше всего само-маркетинга (self-promotion), но с поправкой на интроверсию.

Решил сделать в блоге своего рода дайджест, собрав вместе наиболее полезные материалы из этой и 2 других книг: http://s-kalinin.blogspot.ru/2013/11/...

[Michael Joseph Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for introverts. There is much in it that I will continue to use. I decided that I need to put them together in a binder so that I can make all these great insights more effective.

[Kim Thebwordpoet · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Great marketing tips, self-promotion ideas, self reflection, great resources, and inspirational."

[Ellen]

From The Hired Guns' Books That Can Change Your Life.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. It gives some good tips that I have used, and which work.

[Susan Wight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful tips here but it seems to me that American introverts must be a lot more extroverted than Australian ones.