Author Promotion: Why You’re More Important Than Your Book

 

Author Promotion Is More Vital

 

As writers, we can sometimes get so caught up in our work-in-progress. ‘This is my book,’ we cry proudly. However, we forget about the most crucial aspect of it all – the author promotion! As artists, we need to remember that all of the novels we create come from within.
In this creative writing blog, I share how I have worked to draw a clear line between myself, Scott Gilmore, and my novel, Inside Iris. This is how I showed that I am more than Iris, Jade and The Resistance!

I Write, Therefore I Am

When I wrote Inside Iris, I dove straight into writing Anna’s Awakening – the second book in The Iris Trilogy. There were several reasons for this, the main one being that I was a full-time primary school teacher, and I had limited time in my summer holidays.
After this mammoth writing experience, I found it hard to take my head out of that world. I even had to stop myself from diving into book three!
I needed to realise that I was a writer, not just the guy who wrote Iris! I put Anna’s Awakening away into a drawer and focused on myself as a writer, author and content creator:

• Blog Writing;
• Article Writing;
• Creative Writing Workshops;
• Blog Content Planning;
• Social Media Planning;
• YouTube Content Planning.

I was able to get space from my work-in-progress, but still develop as a writer and get better!
Have you found yourself in a similar situation? Have you benefitted from taking the same approach?
Share it in the relevant comment box and let’s start a discussion!

Hi, There! My Name Is Scott & This Is My Book

I needed to introduce myself to the world and share who I was and what I did. As a writer, and a professional, I knew I had much more to share than merely one novel:

• Writing Experience – I had a varied writing and academic experience that many didn’t. This was especially true of new, young or developing writers;
• Teaching Experience – I have sat in many classrooms and witnessed writers come in and share the same generic, clapped-out workshop lessons with children. Some fellow writers see school children as easy money. As an educational professional, this is not the case. I felt I could develop creative writing workshops for young people that would be better than ‘write a character’ or ‘make a bookmark’.
• Multimedia Experience – In my previous career, I was an ICT Coordinator. This meant that I was trained in the use of iPad, areas of multimedia and also internet safety. I was able to promote my novel and use these skills within writing workshops in schools.

I, like many other authors out there, can show how I am more than an author! We all have various talents and skills that we should share with the world, showing how diverse we are.
What other skills do you possess that you may hide? What one talent or skill do you have that can set you apart from the rest?
Share it in the relevant comment box and tell us all now!

A Picture Paints…

When I was compiling much of the written content above, I knew it was important to let people see who I was and to hear my voice.
I also have an accent that is different to what many people may have heard before so…I…had…to…speak…slowly. If you live in Ireland or Scotland, you know how difficult this is, especially when we are nervous or excited.
When I started cultivating my SG Fiction YouTube channel, I wanted to:

• Record audio chapters of my book Inside Iris for possible readers, but also for young people who may be reluctant readers. This is an area I will expand in the coming months;
• Share writing tips videos to help others grow as writers, especially young people;
• Let people hear what inspired my novel and why I wrote Inside Iris in the first place;
• Share my every day, where possible with Instagram and social media.

All of the above helped me to ‘show not tell’. Those who followed me on social media or viewed my content on YouTube were able to see more of the person behind the book.
How have you let the world see who you are? What is your favourite platform for sharing, and why?
Share it in the relevant comment box and let’s compare notes!

 

Why Is Author Promotion More Important Than My Book?

As writers, we will get caught up in our work-in-progress at times. We forget that we need to tend the plant as well as the fruits that grow from it! We need to cultivate all aspects of ourselves as writers and artists to ensure that we are not one, or even two-dimensional.

In the months since Inside Iris’ release, I wanted to show myself as a multi-dimensional, multi-faceted creator of books, blogs, articles and audio/visual content. That way, I know I can show the world who I am, and what I have to offer. DM or email me at scott@sgfiction.co.uk to share who you are and connect today!