Shameless self-promotion by Annie Try

 Shameless self-promotion

That’s a good title, isn’t it? And now you are expecting a wonderful ‘how to’ blog teaching you how to become well-known and sell millions of books. 

Sorry.

Let me tell you how good I am at self-promoting. I am in Kent (I live in Norfolk) visiting my brother today and husband Ken’s brother tomorrow.  I had the thought before I came that it would be an excellent idea to find a bookshop or two while I’m here and introduce myself and my books. I still think that’s quite a good idea, but unfortunately I have failed to arrive with any books to promote, and have realised I don’t have a single bookmark with me. 

It’s a longstanding underlying problem.

When I meet a new person I don’t even call myself a writer but tend to say I’m a retired clinical psychologist. True, but people tend to back away or sometimes ask me if I am psycho-analysing them NOW. Although there was one occasion when I went to join friends in a pub to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday and there among the guests was the father of one of my 6-year old clients. Before I could even congratulate my 40 year old friend on reaching that grand age, the father of my client grabbed me and holding one of my hands up high shouted ‘Hey everyone - this is my son’s psychologist!’ The pub went quiet and watched a psychologist turn beetroot and shuffle away backwards.

Maybe it’s that experience that has me (in my rebirth as an author) walking past bookshops thinking ‘Next time I’ll talk to them about my book,’ and never doing so. Or not following up on talks I’ve done before to see if they’d like another talk now I’ve had another book published. Or not quite getting around to posting about it on Twitter (X) or other social media platforms. My dog is better at promoting me than I am.

I’m quite good at promoting others. I usually review the books I read. I recommend them to other people - even promoting books I’ve read on the church bookshop by talking about them from the front of Church. If I’m asked to join a blog tour or read a manuscript I am more than willing. I’ve run workshops to encourage others to write.

Am I the only one? No I know I’m not. Good Christian girls were brought up to be humble and self-effacing and promoting oneself feels counter to that. We struggle to put ourselves and our achievements in the limelight.

So if you’re reading this and thinking - ‘Oh yes, that’s me,’ then are we right to shy away?

No, we are not!

If we believe we are writing because God has something to say through our fiction, devotionals, poetry, essays or articles, then I know we must get it out there, we must not hide our light under a bushel because that is not within God’s plan.

Help me Lord, to step away from my reticence and promote You through my writing. Amen

Annie Try lives in rural Norfolk with her husband, golden-doodle and rescue cat.

She writes Christian novels and is on her church leadership team.