selling – C. D'Angelo

How do you feel when you talk about yourself? I have never thought about this question in depth until trying to be a published author, which I now am thanks to the four times #1 Amazon New Release novel The Difference publishing last month. Woo hoooo! But back to the question. Think about the feelings that rise within when talking about your accomplishments, your struggles, or your goals. If you are in the writing world, you probably have been faced with this situation since marketing is needed to sell your product, the book. But I feel like I’m selling myself as well since I am my brand. Obviously we all know we need to talk about the product to sell it, but doing it is another story, at least for this shy author who was raised not to brag.

Now take what I said in the first paragraph. Did you catch the irony of me proclaiming to be a shy author and alluding to it being strange to talk about myself yet sharing how my book made it to #1? This is exactly what I am talking about here. Inserting that information in this post is uncomfortable for me because I feel like I am showing off, but I need to tell you notable facts so that you know my book is worthwhile to read. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of any success that occurs, but it still feels unnatural for me to basically say, “Hey look at me.” Don’t even get me started on needing to take selfies!

Now try sharing information like this almost every day publicly where anyone can see and judge you. That is my world of being an author trying to sell my book/future books and pitching services for writers. Are you cringing yet? I am! Yet, I push on past the societal standard of not dominating a conversation about myself.

I’ve struggled lately with a good problem from this original good problem. How do I know when to post on social media about book information like a wonderful review or picture of my gorgeous cover vs posts within my themes (Italy/Italian culture, book setting locations, reader/writer topics, family/genealogy, and inspirational quotes)? I use my judgement for when I feel like it may be overkill to talk about my book one more time in the week, but I also need to talk about it to continue making sales. I also won’t lie to you by saying I don’t want to show all the pretty pictures people have taken of my book because it’s artistically fulfilling. But, okay, okay, I promise not to post those daily. A balance is needed so I space them out. I never want to be one of those authors who only post about their book. What fun is that for my followers? Also, there is more to me than the book and more I can offer the followers. Just as I do in these blog posts, I want people to relate and feel heard, as well as be inspired. A variety of posts are needed to achieve that goal.

So how can I come to terms with shouting out my winning situations to continue raising interest about my book? Here is what I think at this moment in time that I hope can also help you if you have a similar circumstance:

Just do it. Yes, Nike is right. No matter how I feel, I need to carry on, share the fabulous info, and create the book post.
Ignore the possibility of negative thoughts from others. I won’t hear them anyway. And if they share them with me, I don’t have to take it as fact. As the phrase goes, haters gonna hate.
I’m doing the best I can with the knowledge I have. I think most people function this way, so let’s embrace that idea. Keep this in mind before judging too. I try to do so.
Visualize success. The mind is so powerful that we can dream things into reality (with some action of course). Use your imagination for seeing yourself in your successful space, then share without a care. Did I just come up with a new phrase? Hmm…
Embrace being proud of myself. This is okay! This is healthy.

Tell me if you have had any of these similar thoughts and how you conquer them. Selling ourselves doesn’t have to be frightening. Let’s make it fun and help each other out along the way. Now excuse me while I go and post about myself.

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