Why Are Authors Intimidated About Marketing A Book?

 

In my role as a book marketing consultant, I talk to many authors who have dreams of breaking through the clutter. But many are fragile and need not just advice, resources, and strategies, but love, encouragement, and acceptance.

One author told me recently that he feels intimidated by me, even though he knows I am on his side. He felt like his past errors were getting exposed anew.  He, at times, said he felt unprepared and dumb when talking to me. Though he was being harsh on himself, he was not alone in how he felt.

Writers can feel insecure about a lot of things, including:

* Their ability to write well
* How they talk about their writings
* How they handle praise and criticism
* What others in their genre are writing about

The act and art of book marketing can scare off writers. They believe they need to become someone that they are not, unsure of how to be themselves under the scrutiny of the limelight. They think they need to have boisterous personalities or look a certain way. They see marketing as a task for someone else, and want to just leave themselves to write books. 

Just walk away from the beliefs and unfounded fears that may have been your narrative but truly don’t serve you well now. That’s right. Just stop being a wimp and step out of your shadow. Silence that side of you that wants to run away and fears everything. 

Instead, take the mindset of the underdog who has nothing to lose by trying. You are not known, no one is aware of your book, and your prospects for success are low. That is not me being mean; just truthful. But here is the thing — that is only a momentary snapshot. It can change — not due to luck or randomness — but because you are changing how you go about your book marketing. 

Who cares if you fail and sound stupid while pursuing success? What does it matter if you get five rejections today when you can get a yes tomorrow? Where does it say you can’t lose until you win? By what made-up authority or self-labeled standard do you let dictate your life? 

Get your sorry-ass out there, make a mockery of yourself, and flame out! Big deal. Nothing bad will happen as a result of that. You had few or no sales prior to that, so you can’t get any worse. It is just the beginning of your ascent to rise. Eventually, you try, try, try, try and surprise: success. Then you build on it and now your foundation of good habits and productive tasks gets built up. 

Remember when you were maybe 12 or 13, waiting for your body to develop, to hit puberty and suddenly you have hair in previously empty spots, see male muscles sprouting, enjoy female breasts taking form, going on height spurts, hearing a changed voice… Well, your book marketing is the same way, only you don’t wait around for nature to take its course. You get out there and make your own book marketing puberty. You can transform into a strong, beautiful author! 

There is no upside to being shy, reserved, passive, conservative, or invisible. Only good things can happen if you try — and the potential upside of trying to succeed far outstrips any perceived or anticipated injuries one suffers at the hands of momentary defeat. 

You can do it! You have to.

 

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over 3.9 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.