an untrained eye

A week or so ago I was feeling drained and irritable. With the release of my latest book, I think I’d OD’d on marketing (even though I didn’t do all that much it felt like I did). There are so many avenues of promotion and not enough time or will to do it all. I can’t keep up with the deluge of emails from Yahoo groups which flood my inbox. Facebook often baffles me. Twitter is a fast-moving river that leaves me stranded.

I am an introvert. It’s not natural for me to stand on a soap box and trumpet myself or my books. I’ve never sought the limelight (the opposite, in fact), yet since becoming a published author, albeit of modest success, I’ve become something of a narcissist as I obsess over my popularity or lack thereof. And I dislike that. I don't want to become a 'me-me-me' person. So I am now on a strict diet, avoiding all checking of rankings and stats and reviews. I’m also concentrating on what I value most—writing. I’ve started a new story, something a little different, and I’m enjoying it. Writing makes me happy. Like a bowl of warm porridge on a cold winter’s morning, writing fuels me and makes me feel satisfied. My new story reminds me why I’m doing all this in the first place. I have my doubts about the marketability of my latest story but it’s rescued me from my malaise, and that’s the most important thing. They say one of the best ways to market your work is to write another book, so that’s the marketing strategy I’m going with. It’s also good for your sanity.

As I write this I realise the irony of what I'm doing: drawing attention to myself by saying I don't like doing that! Maybe this post should remain in draft mode, but then again maybe not.