The ego works in ways that sometimes helps us, but often undermines our
efforts to succeed. How can authors use their ego appropriately so they can market
their brooks productively?
Ego is our sense of self, usually out of proportion to reality or certainly contrary from how others perceive us. Sometimes our ego gets the better of us. We act too confidently and overestimate our abilities or how much people actually like us. Other times, we lack enough ego, and shyly or weakly don't assert ourselves, believing we're not good enough or worthy of attention.
Many authors are egotistical. A fair amount are humble. Some are completely ego-free and seemingly fail to believe in themselves. Ego can help or hinder our efforts to market a brand, promote a book, and get a strong message out to the public.
So where is the happy medium and how do we harness ego yet what we truly desire?
Let's look at how he go hurts us. A big ego means:
·
We don't recognize
challenges that need to be overcome.
·
We fail to
acknowledge our shortcomings, thus, don't address them.
·
We insult or turn off
those who cannot stand listening to our bragging and self-absorbed comments.
·
We are blinded by our
belief in ourselves to the point we don't see what others need, want, or bring
to the table.
A small ego can also mean:
·
We lack the faith in
ourselves to get done what needs to be done.
·
Our fear and insecurity
leave us on the sidelines, fearful to ask others for help, too insecure to
network, and so unworthy of anyone's attention that we don't feel justified to
pursue it.
·
We greatly underestimate
what we actually have to offer others.
It's not easy, without years of therapy, to suddenly change one’s sense of self, personality, or image, but we can all make some adjustments to how we act. And how we act comes from our goals and dreams, past experiences, education, genes, environment, and many other factors. My hope is that you can change, even if incrementally. If you can use ego appropriately, you will succeed.
My approach to things is: Why not try?
If you have a low ego, so what. Just try. Reach out for things and pursue media exposure. It doesn’t matter if you feel unworthy. Let others reject you, if it comes to that. There is no reason to reject yourself. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by trying .
If you have a high ego, park it! Sure, act with confidence and conviction, but don't delude yourself. You can fall short and there are obstacles that require you do heavy lifting if you really want to succeed. Do not just assume everything will go your way. You need to work at it.
The egotistical author thinks the media will come to them, that readers will look for them, and that everyone should love their book. Nonsense!
The low ego author doesn't believe anyone will like their book, that the media won't see them as experts, and that consumers won't care about them. Nonsense!
The battle for book publicity and the success of writers comes not with book stores, the media, or the internet. No, it comes with your internal battle with your ego.
We all can benefit from an ego boost -- but we can also stand to be knocked down a peg or two. Find a happy medium -- a healthy enough dose of ego to drive you and a low enough dose of ego so that you remain hungry and humble. Your book writing career depends on how you tackle your ego, so take control of how you see yourself and you will be able to dictate how people need to see you.
Did You Know That?
“Whenever
it feels uncomfortable to tell the truth, that’s often the most important time
to tell it.”
--J-Lo
·
On average, Friday the 13th
comes every 212 days.
·
The funny bone is not even a funny bone.
It’s a nerve.
·
A 10-gallon hat holds only three quarts of
liquid!
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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative
opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of
his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as
one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a
"best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for
Book Expo.
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