A Pep Talk for the Socially Anxious Aspiring Author (And Also Me)

Hi there. If you’re reading this, I finally did it. I face my fears and did the thing that’s terrified me most about this journey to (hopefully) publishing I’m on: I put myself out there.

We in the writing community talk a lot about how we’re supposed to market ourselves to reach readers. Well I’ve been stalking blog posts for years and watching every youtube video I can find on the subject but I haven’t seen a whole lot of people talking about how scary that actually is. In the grand scheme of putting your heart and soul on the page and sharing it with a stranger, writing a blog post probably shouldn’t be all that terrifying. Here’s the thing, though: I know I’m a good novelist. My work may not appeal to everyone but, at the end of the day, I know my work is decent. What I’m NOT good at—what I’ve never been good at—is convincing people to like me. Like most writers, I’m shy. I’m introverted. I’m socially anxious. It’s one thing to spend months perfecting a chapter alone before allowing others to glance at it, it’s another thing entirely to try and market myself as a brand.

I just want to take the time to validate any aspiring author who is intimidated by the prospect of becoming a “personal brand”. Most of you are probably shy. Some of you may have been bullied and are still recovering from decades of being disliked. Maybe I’m projecting. Whatever reasons you may have to be scared, I get it. This is scary. I’m terrified of every keystroke I’m making here. I’m afraid the website I’ve spent hours perfecting and sunk actual money into doesn’t look professional enough. I’m afraid my newsletter is boring. I’m afraid no one will watch my youtube videos and—more than that—I’m afraid people will. I’m a writer, for god’s sake. I like a quiet life. I like to blend into the background. I like to be left alone with my books.

But if I want to go from writer to Capital A Author, I know I need to do these things. I truly believe people will enjoy my work if they only know it exists. So, I’ll put myself in this spotlight in hell to try and reach just one person. If I get one more reader from this rambling musing I had at 7 PM on a Sunday, it’ll be worth it.

A proverb as old as time is “success begins at the end of your comfort zone”. As much as it made me roll my eyes in high school, I know it to be true. If this introverted, socially awkward penguin can do it, so can you. I know it’s scary. The fear of rejection and ridicule is real. But you’ll never know your true potential until you try. Your work deserves to be seen which means you have to allow yourself to be seen. You can do it. You’re good enough. And I believe in you.

So friendship, let’s go on this journey together. Let’s market a book and become a brand. I know there’s a voice in your head keeps telling you it’ll amount to nothing but that voice is wrong. You’ll reach someone. You got this.