Literary marketing consultant Laura Gallier has some great ideas on how introverts can approach marketing–read on!
The introverted author is by no means unusual (far from it!)
The introverted nature works very well within the creative fields; it often accompanies a vivid imagination and attention to detail, which are fantastic for an author. Unfortunately for introverts, traditionally, that same nature went against the idea of marketing and sales.
Introverts find socializing and big crowds draining.
This often leads to them fearing marketing as they have to deal with a good number of people for extensive periods. I’ve also noticed that introverts find marketing very unpleasant as they hate the idea of pushing themselves on others. All in all, they find it very difficult to get out there and promote their books.
To become more comfortable with promotion, Introverts need to change their perceptions.
Introverts likely view it as shouting in a crowded room and feel rather small amongst the much louder, more confident voices. Today, with social media marketing, they don’t need to shout at the crowd. Instead, they should focus on their strengths and the things they do enjoy: discussing their passions and making solid connections.
Introverts form strong connections with people who share their passions.
This should be used to their advantage! An important part of marketing is engagement and building relationships; this means taking the time to show an interest in and genuinely interacting with people. That’s great for introverts! This means they can focus on the one-on-one time and really shine on those topics which they’re passionate about.
Readers love to feel wanted, appreciated, and listened to. Introverts excel at that!
They’re happy to engage on that personal level, which leads to stronger connections and a healthier network. That network will then grow and give the introvert more people to share their passions with—which is where the introvert needs to focus. It’s not about forcing your book on people; it’s about making people shine, having them light up and come back to you because they feel valued. Introverts should shift their focus from promotion proper and the idea of sales and numbers; instead it’s all about those really happy moments and losing yourself in a conversation with a couple of people who share your enthusiasm and interests.
That probably seems like an odd way to approach it, but it makes sense when you understand that marketing is formed around what is often called ‘the feel good factor’. One of the best ways to make people feel good is to encourage them to talk, to give them genuine attention and make them feel wanted.
Sharing passions and providing new and interesting takes on them are fantastic ways to produce that feel-good factor. This will also form much stronger connections, which are then far more likely to support the introvert as an author. That support can come in the form of direct sales or promotion, as others spread the word and the passion.
People can’t help but pay attention and be drawn in when someone talks passionately and shares their love of something. They adore people who give them real attention and make them feel good. Introverts are great at that. You’re not bothering people; you’re not pushing your book on anyone. You’re just sharing your passions with the world and letting them take the next step of buying your book.
Laura Gallier is a passionate and driven literary marketing consultant originally from Southern England who took the leap and moved to Prague.
She does digital marketing consultations with indie authors and can be found at Literary+, which she founded.
Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Hi, Laura!
Really helpful article. It’s all about connections. I believe we often find other people (readers) like us and there’s no need to be afraid of bothering.
Thank you!
I am an introvert and not a writer. My husband pubished his book in June. He asked me to do the marketing. He wanted me to start twitter and blogs. It is hard for me, all I know about are hotel guests. Try to put that in action with them. Penni
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Excellent tips! I actually prefer the social media type of connecting vs. deer-in-the-headlights at a party connection.
I’m such a huge introvert. So glad to see some practical methods that I can use. Thanks, Laura!
Very useful post. Thanks. Now I’m going back into my study and shut the door. 😉
It’s good to see that this post helped you, good luck in all of your marketing efforts.
What a great post – I could really relate. Thank you.
Great post! I’m an introvert, and I know that socializing is uncomfortable for us introverts because we don’t like that superficial barrier that’s created from small-talk and networking. We like to genuinely CONNECT with others. So I agree with you that we should play to our strengths in this way when we approach the dreaded marketing… 🙂 Thanks for writing!
What a fantastic post! My first book comes out next year and boy oh boy do I NOT want to promote it. But this post made me think about the how of doing it in a whole new way. I think I can do this! Thank you!
Fabulous tips! A change in perspective can make a world of difference!
That’s the benefit and bonus of taking this route and method is that you form stronger connection which result in a better network and fanbase in the long run.
Very true. Even though I’m somewhat extroverted, I prefer to do my marketing in a more non-invasive way. I.E. I don’t spam people with links etc, rather focusing on building relationships with them.
I really hate the idea of trying to shout over a lot of noise at people who aren’t really listening. So even if my methods reach fewer people, the theory is that those I do reach will care enough to look at what I’m selling. 🙂
Glad I could help M.R and Gwen!
Laura totally described me, LOL! Thanks for the tips 🙂
I’m a solid introvert. The mouse in the corner squeaking in a room full of confident, bold people would be me. 😉 This post puts a new view on that though. Thanks!
Most of the marketing I deal with is online Natalie. This is the digital age, with e-books and social media, using the internet is the easiest way to reach our readers. It’s great to hear this post is helping introverts.
Great tips, Laura. I’m definitely an introvert. I’m glad that some of the marketing can be done online because that’s easier for me. And I love to switch the focus to other people so I can do that.
Thanks to you and Becca for having me here Angela. As you say, it’s so important that we come across as genuine within our marketing efforts. If or when we lose that and come across as false, we lose the trust of our readers.
Great advice Laura. It really is about using our strengths and doing what we need to do while still staying close to our comfort zones. I think we need to stretch ourselves to try new things, but nothing we do should feel false or fake. We won’t feel good about it, and our audience can sense it.
Thanks so much for coming by today, and I know this will really resonate with Introverts who by necessity, have to tackle the challenges of marketing and promotion.
Thank you both, it’s good to see that my suggestions and post can help some people.
Like Donna, I don’t think of myself as an introvert, but I do hate marketing. I like the idea of making solid one-on-one connections. Seems much less intimidating somehow.
Wonderful post! I’m not an introvert–though I do believe as I get older that I’m becoming a bit more so–but I still hate marketing. Some great suggestions here. They play in well when you’re at a conference and just trying to get to know other people. Get them talking about themselves.