Thursday, November 16, 2006

Self-Promotion

"Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius."
~ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart


As soon as I found this quote, I knew it was a no-brainer for today's blog. I started playing the piano when I was eight years old, and my greatest idol in the world of classical music has always been Mozart. His music is spell-binding, brilliant in its construction and purely pleasant to listen to…even more so when you discover that he wrote so much of it before the age of 25. Pure genius.

Well, as any published or aspiring author knows, promotion is the key to success. A few years ago, a writing friend of mine told me to start “getting my name out there.” I sort of said yes, yes, and then returned to my writing without worrying too much about it.

But here’s the thing I realized after awhile: really, it doesn’t matter how good a writer you are. Even if you manage to get yourself published, there are a thousand other writers out there who have also managed to get themselves published…and you’re all competing for readers and name recognition.

So how do you get it?

What do you think is the best way for an author to get his or her name in the public eye? What’s caught your attention, in the past? Reviews? TV spots? Oprah’s recommendation? A friend’s recommendation? Have you ever discovered a new author by browsing in the bookstore or the library or even online?

I know there are a few of you out there visiting for a quick read. Drop me a post and share your thoughts on this one!

2 comments:

Judy said...

Mornin', Allie. Some of my favorite writers I've found browsing... library, bookstore, WalMart. Anywhere I go, I look at books. And, I tend to go with what "sounds" good on the back cover. If I like that, I read the first page or two. And, if I like that, it normally goes with me.

That's my two cents' worth for the morning.

Marianne Arkins said...

I go mostly on the recommendation of friends or fellow bloggers. One sight I've found that I like -- and I have, thus far, agreed with her take on books is I Just Finished Reading...

I don't have time to waste, I'm too busy. But I blog hop A LOT and have found some great books that way, for example: Paula Graves book "Forbidden Territory" was very well done and I found her through Charity's group of friends, The Wet Noodle Posse.

I don't typically buy something off the shelf at the bookstore without checking out reviews that I trust first.

Did any of that make sense?