“So, you’re a writer.” How many times have we heard that statement in social gatherings? Then comes the real punch line: “How many books have you published?” How does being a writer equate to the number of books published? You’re a writer if you write, right? Now the onus is on us as writers to promote ourselves and our work. In other words, to market ourselves as writers. Where do we begin?

First of all, we have to make ourselves known – as writers, of course. And this can begin at a social gathering where everyone is talking about themselves and what they do for a living or just in life in general. We have to consider the venue and the people we’re socializing with, many of whom have probably never written anything but a personal cheque and perhaps haven’t even read a book, let alone an article or short story. Yes, in other words, perhaps we have to dumb down our explanation of what it is we do and how we see ourselves as writers. This is only one step towards making ourselves known.

We can also do readings at local libraries, seniors’ residences, or schools. Or, even, give talks about writing and our life as a writer. Teach – that’s always a great way to present ourselves as writers. Give a teaching workshop or teach a class (any age group) and promote our writing skills in that venue.

Make sure we have a visible presence on the internet by building a website to demonstrate what we’ve done and what our skills are. Keep active on social media – make a special author page on Facebook or other social media sites and keep posting regular comments about your writing, or just writing in general. Study other pages and see what comments garner the most attention and re-posts, then use these ideas to create your own driven comments that literally ‘sell’.

You can even create your blog and post stories and articles regularly, or, as I’ve seen many authors do, use the blog to promote other authors in interviews or reviews. There’s nothing better to self-promote than promoting others – writers helping writers and all that.

Make sure you have a current author bio and that it’s visible on your various social media sites. Readers and publishers alike want to know about YOU! Who are you? What do you write about? What makes your writing sparkle?

Writers should belong to writing groups and actively network and socialize with other writers. It plots us on a learning curve, for one thing, but it also sets us up as serious writers.

Self-promotion and marketing yourself and your work is a lot of work, but well worth the effort. For one thing, it demonstrates our value as a writer, and it connects us to people who may be interested in our writing. Marketing is another way to get noticed by potential publishers and may lead to more writing jobs. And, finally, keep writing – for that’s what matters to a writer, right?