Email
PrintFinale: Waiting on my cutout
Illustration by Mario Noche.
My husband, Ray, and I were watching a scene in a television program about a couple attending a publicity event for a friend who had self-published her book. I laughed loudly when I saw the four life-size, cardboard cutouts of the author standing around the book table.
That’s what we’ve come to in the writing world. It’s all about the writers instead of the writing.
Or so it seems these days. But it’s not just writers who have been caught up in this self-centered era—thanks to social media and the ability to digitize our lives on a moment’s notice on YouTube, blogs and such. In fact, experts are calling the Millennials the most narcissistic generation in our history, mainly because of the ever-expanding technology allowing them to promote their daily lives.
Some people view writing as a glamorous career. For me, writing is my work. After getting journalism degrees at Ohio State, Ray and I knew the only way we were going to feed ourselves (and later the kids) was by writing. And so we wrote.
I have always struggled with the concept of self-promotion, but writers have to play the game, especially if they are pursuing book deals and big magazine pieces. In today’s world, promotion means more than an ample bio and writing samples. A writer’s website is a must. And, New York book editors are asking potential authors how many Facebook fans they have and how many followers watch for their Twitter tweets. (They want assurances that they’ll be able to sell books to all of their friends and followers.)
I would rather let the work stand on its own, but to be successful you need to follow the rules—even if you aren’t comfortable with them. Thus, I find myself squarely in the middle of a paradox. At the same time I’m observing this turn in our culture, I’m not only following those rules, but also actively promoting them—that is, teaching writers and just about anybody else how to unleash the power of me.
Let me explain. A few years back, I was trying to sell a book idea at a New York conference to editors about big brands based in Central Ohio. (Note to Les Wexner: A ton of New York publishers are ready to buy your autobiography—as long as you promise to sell it in Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret shops. Perhaps it could be boxed up with some panties and lip gloss?)
The Penguin editor to whom I was talking at the conference turned the table. “I think everyone needs a brand,” she emphasized. The next few minutes turned into a spirited conversation about Millennials not recognizing their valuable technical skills and failing to put their social networking expertise on their résumés.
“It’s not just the Millennials who need personal branding, it’s everyone,” she restated, as our conversation came to a close. “Send me your bios and I’ll get back to you.”
A month later, the Penguin editor delivered an offer we couldn’t refuse: She wanted us to write The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Branding Yourself. This was partly because of Ray’s experience writing about various Central Ohio brands for this magazine (he happens to be editor now) and my résumé, which includes several books for middle schoolers about celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Bob Marley.
So, here we are in the midst of this me-centered climate and we’re guilty of writing a book so that people can make any career all about them. And at the same time, we’ve tried to follow our own advice. We’ve promoted the book, published two years ago, but to a limited degree. For instance, no mention of it has appeared in this magazine (until now, so I guess we’re making progress).
My new line of work continues. This month, I’ll be at a writers conference on the coast of Georgia giving a presentation called . . . Branding for Writers.
First, I have to run to the printer. My life-size cardboard cutout is ready.
Sherry Beck Paprocki is editor of Columbus Monthly Homes, as well as an author and communications consultant. Although she’s not comfortable with self-promotion, you can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
