Introverts need not apply

To be a writer, or should I say successful writer/author, do you need to have a fearless ability to sell yourself, a killer instinct? Is talent not enough to secure a book deal? Are those less inclined to be so brazen about themselves less likely to attract attention from agents and publishers? Are they less worthy of publication because they don't blog or have the time/skill/confidence/money* (*delete as applicable) to set up a website or because they don't harry unsuspecting agents at conferences with rehearsed pitches?

I'm starting to think that the answer to those questions is 'yes'.

I'm finding this hard to get my head around. It sits very uneasy with me not least because I got out of the marketing rat race to write. Now I find that if I'm to succeed in that I'm going to have to throw myself back to the wolves. But hey, I've done it before I can do it again.

I recently discovered a book on this very topic which I have just purchased from Amazon's marketplace called "Get known before the book deal", by Christina Katz. I've only read the few sample pages offered by Amazon but she talks a lot about developing a 'platform' (images of high divers flit through my mind when I read that word, and perhaps that is what it's all about, she says as the penny drops. It's about raising yourself up above others although 'stilts' might actually be a better noun to use. It certainly sounds higher). I suppose in these tight economic times, just as the average shopper is more cautious, searching for ways to maximise the contents of their purse, the same is true for publishers. They want to be sure that their pennies will yield pounds, and that I can understand. So as they say "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" which is the exact reason I have set up this blog.

Bye for now...