I’m still on the subject of marketing yourself. Noelle Sterne shares some insights in her blog, Seven Lessons Reluctantly Learned from Publishing My First Book « FundsforWriters.

The article comes after her success, but I think the first three points are important to consider even before you publish. Like the saying about hindsight being perfect, we can learn from the insights of those who have been there. I have summarized the points here for you.

1. Be prepared to tell everyone about your book. Have your one minute elevator pitch ready.

2. Accept compliments graciously, don’t self-consciously deflect them. You are a writer, after all.

3. Concentrate on your platform. Do everything you can to promote your book before and after publication.

Sterne refers to an article by Christina Katz in Writers Digest entitled 50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day  http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/50-simple-ways-to-build-your-platform-in-5-minutes-a-day. Here is an excerpt which confirms what I have already been thinking:

Writing rules. Self-promotion drools. Isn’t this how most writers think?

But as long as you view your writing as art and your self-promotion efforts as the furthest thing from art, your chances of ramping up a successful 21st-century writing career are going to remain slim to none.
These days, there’s an art to writing and an art to self-promotion. From the moment you start putting words to the page, it’s never too early to start thinking about how you’re going to share them. And once you begin to see your writing and promotional efforts as equally artful, something wonderful starts to happen: You find readers. (underlines are mine)

Finding and connecting with readers is where it’s at. There is no way around it.