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Perhaps You Make a Great Writer — And That’s It
Telling writers to market their work is necessary and cruel
Aspiring writers often dream of the art, not the marketing. The thought of selling books and pleading for readership is far from one’s mind. With the advent of social media, the necessity to master graphic design, invest heavily in writing projects, and comprehend SEO is something that typically doesn’t register on a writer’s radar.
What happens when the dream of writing is postponed for those of us who struggle with marketing our books? Did we overlook something? Has it always been this challenging? Why do we feel deceived about the life of the Earnest Writer, the author who can sit at home, conjure up stories, write them, and send them off for publication? Where did all this additional hassle come from?
If you’ve made it this far, then be forewarned — I’m terrible at marketing and could be described as extremely introverted. With these two prominent character traits and skill sets, it’s hardly surprising that the discovery of my books by readers is almost nonexistent. With the overwhelming amount of noise online, it’s a small miracle that I managed to sell most of my eBooks under a pen name.
