Book promotion for introverts: a literary agent on how to sell your book even if you hate self-promotion!

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How was your Halloween? We had the cutest little X-Men characters (Storm and Magneto) and their parents come by for trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood, and I finally got to realize my dream of being called “That Hot Dog Family.”

(Yes, Jarrett, Pepper, and I are all dressed up like hot dogs. Yes, I forgot to get a picture. Yes, that gives us a great excuse to rock the same costumes next year.)

Anyway, one of the questions I get all the time around here is about book promotion for introverts; namely, how can writers who are shy build a following and sell books?  

So this week I’m sharing the 5 real-life tricks of book promotion for introverts: how even the most introverted authors can learn to love promoting their books. 

  

Book promotion for introverts: 5 game-changing tips to help you launch your bestseller

Book promotion is hard.

When I first started in publishing I was terrified—terrified—of presenting a book in front of the acquisitions committee, since it felt like “selling.” And selling made me queasy. I loved the book so much, but the thought of trying to sell a roomful of executives on that book kept me up at night.

But I finally did it, and I kept doing it and doing it, because I had to—it was just part of my job. Eventually, I started to see those meetings as fascinating and as a chance to learn about what gets readers—including publishing executives—excited.

My first agent lunch as an editor? Same thing: dread, nervousness, fear. My first editor lunch as an agent? Still scared. Even my first post on this blog: complete and utter fear that people would—gasp—find it and read it.

Such is the life of the introvert.

But what did I learn from doing all those things that made me shake in my boots? That those nerve-wracking moments are followed by my most rewarding moments. I dread them going into it, but after I feel a deep, warm glow of excitement.

That’s because humans are hardwired for connection. Yes, even introverts. And while introverts might not naturally enjoy speaking to crowds and promoting our work, when we focus on talking to one interesting person about one interesting topic, we light up.

Platform-building is just that: finding our people and talking to them about our shared interests. Yet it’s easy to lose sight of that and let fear take hold.

But here’s a secret: Most bestselling authors are introverted, too. The majority of my authors would describe themselves as private, shy, or introverted. (Even Ree Drummond admits she’s a true homebody and would be happy never leaving her ranch.)

I’ve had many authors share their fears about book promotion with me, and eventually I started to see the same patterns that were holding them back.

But I’ve also seen many introverted authors overcome those fears and master the art of book promotion for introverts. And so I realized there are certain tricks successful authors use that can take the fear out of book promotion and make it easier–even fun–to get out there and share about your book.

Book promotion for introverts: 5 real-life tricks introverted authors use to master book promotion

1. Shift the focus from “self-promotion” to “serving others.”

I talk about this here, but this is the single most important paradigm shift that every author must make in order to succeed. Most bestselling authors believe, at the very core of their being, that their purpose is to improve readers’ lives.

I think we can all name a handful of books that have changed our lives, and we’re grateful to those authors for proudly sharing their work, instead of squirreling it away.

And it doesn’t matter whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction—if you believe your work could brighten someone’s day, provide a fun escape from tough circumstances, or show them a clearer view of what life really is, you’re helping that person.

(Because, really, some days we want to tackle our problems head-on, and some days we just want to hide under the covers and live in Narnia.)

2. Pretend you’re talking to just one person.

Thinking of ourselves as writing or speaking to a faceless crowd of potential naysayers is enough to send any introvert running. Trust me, I’ve seen it in hundreds of writers: as soon as the critics and naysayers come to mind, their creativity and courage dries up.

Instead, approach any task with just one person in mind—that one archetype of a target reader who is going to completely love your work. Think of all of your book promotion as a one-on-one conversation with someone who’s going to fangirl over the same things you do.

And in your back-pocket, keep this Teddy Roosevelt quote as a reminder that you won’t be one of those cold and timid souls:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

3. One small step at a time.

There’s no way around it: figuring out how to build a platform and promote a book (and then executing each task) is intimidating. It’s a massive undertaking that can leave us confused, doubtful, and so far out of our comfort zone that we want to just forget the whole thing and go back to bed.

But we don’t need to figure out everything about platform-building and book promotion all at once. We just need to take one small step in the right direction.

Maybe that’s signing up for a Twitter account; maybe that’s registering for one conference; maybe that’s committing to reading one article about how to blog. Zero in on the one ridiculously manageable thing you can do today, and then do it. Then reward yourself in a small, happy-making way, and before you know it, you’ll have a positive feedback loop that’s pushing you inch-by-inch toward your goals.

4. Think of it as research.

If talking to new people still makes you shake in your boots, try thinking of social situations as opportunities for character research. There are many characters out there, right? Not all of them good—true—but all of them infinitely more complex than any character in a book.

With the right mindset, you’ll see that people are fascinating, and if you can relax enough to listen rather than worry, you’ll discover all sorts of interesting things. As C.S. Lewis said, “We meet no ordinary people in our lives.”

This also helps us shift the focus from ourselves (“What do I say next? Am I doing this wrong?) to the other person (“I wonder what they think about this topic. I’m curious to hear how they found themselves doing this.”).

5. Remind yourself that it’s a practice, and that you’ll only get better from here.

Book promotion is not unlike manuscript drafting—if you go into it trying to nail it on the first try, you’re going to seize up in a spiral of pressure and perfectionism.

That’s why accepting that the first try will be terrible, but that you’re going to start somewhere can be so freeing for writers.

 

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You won’t get it right at first—I’m sure we all have a cringe-worthy list of not-so-smooth social interactions that we’d rather forget. And that’s okay. You don’t need to be the life of the party; you just need to get comfortable talking to new people about your work.

And little by little, inch by inch, you’ll start building the confidence and sense of purpose that helps turn aspiring writers into bestselling authors.

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5 quick reads for the week:

1. Substance over style is key when it comes to both first impressions and book proposals.
2. Dropping numbers in fiction sales seem scary, but that just means it’s time for us to find even more great books to champion.
3. This has always been a pet peeve of mine in publishing, and I’m so glad people are finally talking about it.
4. Wait, but I need this coping mechanism.
5. Need even more reassurance that you’re going to rock it at promoting your book? Here are 5 things you can STOP worrying about with book promo.

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What we’re eating this week

Remember last week when I said I was unstoppable? This week, I am very stoppable. In fact, I may not be getting started at all. But I have an excuse: we’re hosting 16 people for Friendsgiving on Saturday, and our new house is, um, not very Friends- or Giving-ready yet. Plus, I’m on a business trip in NYC; Jarrett’s in DC; Pepper’s in CouchNap City; and clearly we’re all doing the best we can.

Monday: Taking my grandma to Smashburger, which, really, is just better than my cooking anyway.

Tuesday: The gorgeous Cereal City Guides to New York, London, and Paris by my authors Rosa and Rich are out in the world, and we’re toasting to their beauty at McNally Jackson in Williamsburg. Aka, wine for dinner!

Wednesday: ???  Mystery dinner, but not the fun kind.

Thursday: What kind of food does Target serve? That’s probably what we’ll eat because we can now claim residency after thirty trips in three days.

Friday: What do you eat the night before a big holiday dinner? Takeout! I’ve never been prouder to be so stoppable.

Cheers!

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