My Approach to Promotion

Yesterday on Jungle Red Writers, sophomore novelist Terry Shames pondered how much promotion is too much. I commented:

Hi, Terry and all.

I've just come from discussing promotion on Twitter. Given its 140-character limit, Twitter doesn't seem well suited to promotion, but I think the better readers get to know you, the more willing they are to put up with promotional posts now and then.

The key is to be true to yourself and your voice. For example, if you are genuinely moved by good news, let that come through when you share it.

There's also something to be said for believing your work will do most of the selling for you. Over-promotion in any medium makes you seem desperate for buyers, which of course repulses buyers. I simply offer readers a sample of my work and say, "If you'd like more, feel free to buy my book." The choice is always theirs.

I have no data to show that my approach works; it's just the way I'd appreciate being treated as a consumer.