Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Author's Tool #2: Ego

Ego.

A writer needs one.

Correction: a writer who wants to sell his or her work needs one.

In today’s publishing world of self-promotion, self-promotion, SELF-PROMOTION, you’ve got to slip on that “I am great. Hear me roar!” mantle or you’ll never get to stay in from that non-published cold. (They might let you slip in the door once, but you’ll be hustled back out into the snow before the frost is off your buns. Trust me.)

Don’t get me wrong. You don’t need to become an ego-maniac. You are more than likely not a literary god at this moment in time.  No need to act like it. (There’ll be time enough for that once you actually scramble up the authorian Mt. Olympus.)

But, you do need to be able to put on a good “Read me now” show.

Fake it if you have to. Use that imagination that’s gotten you this far to spin yourself into the next great, big thing. Eventually, it will be true.

(And you and your literary buns will shiver no more.)

Until tomorrow…

Chloe

CONFESSION: My ego is held together with spit and glue (and the occasional rubber band when things get particularly squirrely.) It’s tenuous at best, particularly on release days like tomorrow. So, don’t fret if it doesn’t come naturally. Just hold it together long enough to sell, sell, SELL!

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