How Do I Sell Myself?
It's time to re-define "marketing."
We’re going to go over a few topics here folks, so buckle up.
As with all of my posts, I’m simply walking through things that work for me. If there is worthy advice that you can apply, to so. I’m not telling you what to do, but I am going to be honest if I think you’re being a fool.
Our breakdown for this lengthy post:
Framing These Thoughts.
Step 1 - Admit that you have a problem.
Step 2 - Give yourself permission to be you.
Step 3 - Stop marketing.
Step 4 - What can a capybara teach us?
Step 5 - You are the product.
Framing These Thoughts …
To weed out those of you with sensitive stomachs or a strong moral character that prevents you from laughing at jokes, I’m going to show you one of the images I used to “market” SPACE PEW PEW.
If you read past this, you belong here. If this causes you to close this window, I get it, I’m not for everyone. No harm, no foul.
If you’re going to encourage people to drop reviews of your work, you need to communicate in a way that’s crystal clear. No grey area. Black and white, if you will. Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week. Try the spit roast!
(Admit it. You laughed.)
The above image serves two purposes.
Yes, I used that to market SPP.
Yes, it worked as intended.
My point here is, in the vicious world of fighting for attention, why are you getting yourself in the swamp, trying to carve out territory in the same way with the same crowd, when you could instead be carving out your own little corner - fearless and unique.
Don’t be one of these guys:
Be this guy:
Step 1 - Admit That You Have A Problem
If you ask 10 indie authors what the biggest career struggle is, I’d wager that “marketing” is somewhere in that 80% range of responses.
Okay, fine, you caught me red-handed with one of my favorite logical fallacies. It’s anecdotal to be sure, but I talk with authors every day, be it on the phone, in DMs, or in chats like Discord. It’s a never-ending stream of wanting to get your book in front of people, but lamenting that there’s this whole marketing song-and-dance you have to do.
Socials.
Content.
Conventions.
Talking to other people, even. (Oh, the horror!)
And I see the same run of excuses out of most everybody.
“But I’m so introverted!”
No.
Introversion has nothing to do with it. You’re just looking for an excuse to avoid people because you’re afraid of rejection - or worse - apathy. When I hear a bunch of authors trot out this tired and lame excuse, often being so disingenuous as to cloak it in “But I’m neurodivergent, you wouldn’t understand!” in order to shield themselves from honesty so they can remain in comfortable stagnation, this is what I want to do…
To all of you:
“I can’t keep up with all of the socials!”
That’s because you’re being an idiot. Pick the three that you find the least stressful to use. Make sure purpose doesn’t overlap. (X for short-form/daily engagement, Substack for long-form, YouTube for video, etc.)
Use them, and create accounts on the others only as placeholders to protect the username/brand. (I have unused accounts on a few socials, just there to hold “@quillitwithfire” or “@davidbadurina” and nothing more) Put up a single post, lock down replies, and have it point people to where you ACTUALLY spend some time online.
”I don’t know how to create a website!”
YouTube will teach you everything for free. Everybody and their mother has a free website builder available.
Stop being a little bitch about it, and get it done.
“I have nothing to say!”
You saywhatnow? You — you do know that you tell stories, right?
Now, repeat after me … aloud. I don’t care where you are.
I am not bad at marketing, I am afraid of rejection. (oof.)
I make excuses to avoid trying, because failure embarrasses me. (ouch.)
I avoid being myself, because if judged poorly, I can give myself the excuse of, “but they don’t know the REAL me.” (where’s the lie tho?)
I am capable of learning anything, but I convince myself it’s overwhelming because I’m afraid to fail. (harsh, but do go on.)
I pay far too much attention to how other people perceive me because I am addicted to validation. (belt-to-ass moment right here)
I am unique. I am interesting. I am worthy. (aww!)
If you cannot say these things to yourself out loud, don’t read another word of this post.
You aren’t ready. You don’t get it. Your brain is stuck in the fetid, negative swamp of self-critical ego. The rest of this post will be a waste of your time.
If you can say these things out loud and with some honest introspection, congratulations. We’ve completed the first step to re-programming your mind.
Step 2 - Give Yourself Permission To Be Yourself
If you know my non-fiction writing at all (and if you’ve just stopped by and subbed recently, howdy there!), you know that I have a lot to say in terms of marketing, and being your creative self.
This may seem obvious, but that squishy pink thing wobbling around in your skull? It’s actually yours. Your thoughts. You are in control. Give yourself permission to unleash it, only if it agrees to STFU with the Negative-Nancy bullshit.
Re-read those mantras above. Do you really expect people to trust you promoting your own work if you’re a scaredy-cat who can’t even believe in yourself? If you were an olympic diver, would people take you seriously if you put on those vinyl arm floaties before holding your nose and jumping into the pool?
No.
“Hi! I made this thing. I think maybe you’ll like it. Or maybe you won’t. You know what? Nevermind. I suck. I’ll burn it. I’LL BURN IT FOR THE BOTH OF US!”
—Random Author “marketing” on the socials.
Do you show yourself to the world in any meaningful way? FFS is your profile picture still NOT you?
That’s fine. Nothing says, “Trust me, I write awesome books!” like having no website, not using your real picture, having a username that looks like a strong password, and avoiding all genuine human interaction. Look out Brandon Sanderson!
I have an entire post about my re-brand, and how I’ve found and embraced my own creativity through a lens that allows me to create without a care. Those simple, straightforward ideas have put me firmly in the most creative headspace I’ve ever been in. I want you in there with me.
Learn to Chase The Muse!
I’m not here to stifle my own creativity, and I’m not here to listen to that voice that tells me I can’t do this or I can’t do that. Are you listening to that voice? Does your ego have a leash on you? When it says to obey in shame, do you? When it says “NO” and hits you with a rolled up newspaper, do you whimper and retreat to your ratty little author-bed by the fireplace, obedient and cowed, dreaming but never doing?
I used to do that too. Hated myself that way, in fact, it was kind of soul-destroying.
Now … it’s different. I’ve re-programmed the brain.
These days, this is what the interior of my mind looks like when I get an idea:
There is no questioning anything.
It’s not, “That’s not realistic.”
It’s not, “That’s stupid.”
It’s not, “This is a waste of time.”
It’s not, “People are going to think I’m crazy.” (Yeah, it’s definitely not that.)
When I was asked to write a non-fiction work, having never written non-fiction before, I wanted to say no.
I said yes.
We ended up creating Joy-Jitsu, and this book has changed lives.
When I was asked to be the Co-Creator and Showrunner for an anime, I wanted to say no.
I said yes.
I’m flying up to Alberta next week, to put in a full week of dedicated work on Tokyo Starchild’s pilot episode, and I created this teaser as a trial run, having NEVER done this sort of thing before:
I made a conscious effort to jump into anything and everything feet-first (with the obvious levels of discernment involved in terms of knowing how much creative bandwidth is realistic considering “life” stuff).
I start up that monstrous vehicle, and rev that engine until it’s ready to explode. I don’t use the seat belt. Every one of my thought processes slams their foot on the gas because doing anything less means letting doubt take the wheel and as soon as you give that bitch an inch, you’ll find yourself wheeling around on a tricycle and being lectured about not “getting too crazy.”
It’s like allowing a speed limiter to be installed in your war machine. It’s a WAR MACHINE! You don’t obey the speed limit in a war machine! What’s next, a bolt-action gatling gun so the zombie apocalypse doesn’t “get out of hand?” Reflective fabric on your ninja suit so you don’t get run over sneaking around in the middle of the night? Uninstalling the stripper pole in the back of the minivan? WATER GUNS instead of flamethrowers?
(okay, the water cannon maybe, especially if you live in one of those cities where douchebags sit in the middle of the road because preventing you from going to work and earning your paycheck has something-something to do with something-something-fascism-something-climate-change-Gaza-something).
I digress. Anyway.
Come on bro! Do you know who I am!? I’m the OPERATOR of this war machine! We’re all screaming across the landscape to a single focused destination, but the point isn’t the actual destination. The point is doing. It’s the ear-shattering engines, the music blasting, flame shooting off in different directions. Thumping drums like encroaching thunder in the distance. Dust clouds visible for miles! “SHIT, HERE COMES DAVID’S BRAIN! HIDE YO KIDS, HIDE YO WIFE, OH THE HUMANITY!”
And if we chase that destination and realize there was, in fact, nothing there?
Eh.
We burned through some gas, had a wild trip, and learned something about ourselves. We head home with a promise to get right back out there and slam the gas down with the very next idea, because there’s nothing like the joy of hopping into those neuron-fueled war machines, cranking the sound to eleven, and feeling the thrill of immediate acceleration into something strange and new.
What does this have to do with marketing?
Everything. Read on.
Step 3 - Stop marketing.
You read it right.
We’ve gone through the part where you had to give yourself some affirmations.
We’ve explored your neuron-fueled, creative war machine.
Now, it’s time to put all of this to use.
When we think of “marketing,” it usually means one of a few things:
Posting about your book.
Posting about your story.
Posting about your writing.
I have good news, and I have bad news.
The good news is that I have a uniform for you to wear.
It’s in the Quill it with Fire merch store, people.
The bad news? That shirt has two purposes - a reminder to others, and a reminder for you.
My mute list on X is about 200-users deep. And they aren’t bots. I don’t follow-back blind, so I tend to stay above the constant bot-scammer DMs that most people have to wade through.
I’ll tell you who I’ve muted, and I’ll tell you why.
I mute everyone that posts more than 2x a day with book promotions.
If I see two promotional posts in a row, you get the mute boot.
Now, I do these promo posts as well. Maybe once or twice a week max. It’s part of the game, and I get it. On those days where “life” takes over, it’s a quick way to pack it in and keep the social aware of your existence.
What I’m saying is, I understand the urge. You’re selling your book. You definitely give me that Souks of Marrakech vibe. I’m just trying to navigate and you’re out here shoving something in my face, “MY FRIEND! MY FRIEND! COME, COME! LOOK! LOOK! YOU BUY! BUY THIS THING!”
When I get followed, I look at your feed. If it’s loaded with book promo, I mute and typically don’t follow back.
I also don’t follow back right away. But if we interact a bit and engage, I get around to it.
Sometimes I’ll follow back, but leave you muted. From time to time I get surprised when I see a post with actual, interesting civil discourse, and then see that someone I muted replied, and then I’ll unmute that specific post, and even engage with that person. In some cases I’m proven wrong and I unmute. In some cases I’m proven wrong and I unmute and follow back. In most cases people stay in the mute bin.
Why?
Because I’m tired. It’s annoying. My feed is curated to connect with people, not to be overloaded with promotional garbage. It’s my feed, it’s my rules. If I wanted ads, I’d hang out on Facebook. Don’t take it personally, I simply loathe seeing it. Themz the rulez that keep me sane on the socialz.
The typical retort: “yoU DoNt HaVE to LOOK aT It!”
Exactly. And thanks to the mute feature, I won’t!
And dozens upon dozens of people are out there, just like me.
Which leads us to an important bit of perspective on re-defining “marketing,” courtesy of Boom Boom Der Supernova.
Step 4 - What Can A Capybara Teach Us?
Those of you who know SPACE PEW PEW no doubt know what I mean when I utter the phrase “Bobnog Cognog” or “Boom Boom.”
I’ve had the great fortune of allowing my brain to be unleashed and creative, and in turn creating memorable characters that people seem to love.
I’m not going to explain the book or go into too much depth. (I don’t want to have to wear the “uniform,” but I’ll do it to experience my own level of rule-breaking shame). Instead, I’ll show off this screenshot of an epic review of SPACE PEW PEW by Zach Forbes that you should absolutely read if you’re at all interested in things SPACE PEW PEW, to set up the insanity that I’m about to drop on you.
(Snag it here if you haven’t already.)
Here’s Zach’s take on Boom Boom:
When I recently hosted my buddy
on MIRTH QUAKE, I gave him a little surprise as a thank you for all of his support for SPACE PEW PEW, and as a nod to his love of Boom Boom. I surprised him with this on the stream:Now, think about what happened here.
Is this marketing? Well, no, not really. Not in the traditional sense.
I’m not selling anything. I’m not issuing any kind of promo. I’m not dropping descriptions about characters and world-building, hell I’m not doing *ANYTHING* that feels like traditional marketing. There’s no pricing, no reviews, no deals, no links, nothing that would be labeled “marketing” in a conventional sense.
I’m noticing that people REALLY love one of my characters, and instead of just letting him hang out in the pages between the front and back cover, I’m doing more.
What do other people see?
They see one of my characters come to life. They see a friend and guest on my show loving the gift. They see creativity. They see … FUN.
They see inside my brain. This is me. This is what I do. I create.
This is one way to engage with fans of my work, showing appreciation through effort. I’m staying true to my brand - Unfiltered, Unhinged, Unbothered.
I am also carving out space where other authors are not occupying it - outside of the book. I’m leveraging ownership of an IP to establish it firmly in multiple spheres - books, music, videos, and merch. That’s because I’m not “just” an author. I’m a creative. I’m a storyteller. I simply recognize and allow myself to color outside the lines of the book’s cover in order to show people that this story has value, that’s all.
I’ve given myself permission to enter a cycle of creative improvement. There’s no off-ramp here, because there’s never an “I’m done learning” moment.
AND I’M HAVING A BLAST.
When you’re having this much fun, you start to create MORE. It doesn’t stop at “book.”
It can include underwear.
(By the way, I have the Toshiro underwear, and it’s magnificent. And if you are wondering if it helps get your lady in the mood for sexy-time, I can assure you, you’ll hear the words, “Take that ridiculous underwear off,” and don’t go telling me that ain’t foreplay.)
Hate the game, not the player:
Creating can also mean a Nu-Metal song about Boom Boom (A remastered version, as I was unhappy with the background noise on the original, so enjoy this clearer version) …
Because yes, I’m cutting a SPACE PEW PEW album. Why wouldn’t I?
I might get vinyls pressed.
I’ll absolutely do custom CDs.
The album will be on Spotify.
Don’t tempt me with a good time, folks.
I’ll love putting it together, and fans of SPACE PEW PEW will hopefully love the project in return.
And if they don’t? Eh. I burned through some gas, had a wild trip, and learned something about myself. (call back, bro)
I’m doing fun stuff with Toshiro as well, because my buddy
asked, and he’s awesome. I want people that enjoy my work to know that the heart I pour into my stories is 100% as authentic as I am. (Toshiro here sporting his V2 body, even, from SPACE PEW PEW 2, Electric Pewpaloo.)(Quick nod to my Enabler From Another Mother,
for the inspo)This doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s pure joy. It wasn’t some kind of self-indulgent marketing scheme, it was simply recognizing that a fan of my work has a connection to one of my characters, and honoring and appreciating that with a gift was the right thing to do.
Taking characters that were an idea, and making something more out of them is an incredible feeling. It allows people who appreciate your work to have more to dig into. Trading cards, posters, sure. Maps? We love them. Bookmarks? Absolutely. Now we’ve got videos, songs, re-imaginings of awesomeness with more on the way.
You may recoil in horror at the “AI SLOP” above, and that’s your right. For me? I see this as a tool, and a tool that allows me to better connect with people who love my writing.
I’ll take my chances put side-by-side against someone marketing their book by re-posting the same graphic over and over again, or constantly cutting the price down to encourage people to buy it for cheap.
And how am I doing this? Leveraging skills, learning new ones, thinking outside the box, and letting the neuron-fueled WAR MACHINE drive me there, full-throttle. Learning. Creating. Iterating. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Do my friends and fans appreciate this sort of thing more than hopping onto my feed and watching me shove a book into their face a few times a day? I’d like to think so, but that’s out of my control, all I can do is be me and have faith that it will resonate.
Step 5 - You Are The Product.
The stories you tell come from your brain. The imagery you create is you. The characters, the world, the plot, all of it. It allows people to look into a window to both your brain and your heart.
When you’re “marketing” you’re selling a pile of pages with text on it. You’re hoping to lure people with a lower price. You’re selling a product. Just like a billion other people, fighting for attention in the swamp, hocking wares, spending money on ad campaigns, yadda yadda.
Keep something in mind, though. Everyone has a book. But there’s only one you.
When you realize that you ARE the product and you ARE the brand, and that you are in fact not selling anything, just connecting, you make friends and fans. People want to support the creator that they get to know. They want to be welcomed into your world. Roll out the red carpet, dumbass! Don’t leave them wondering, let them see who you are.
“But that’s so much work to connect with one person!”
Okay fine. Do it at scale. You can. That’s what I’m working toward.
By the way, it’s not work in my mind. It’s play. And if that play gets more eyeballs on my book, more eyeballs on my show, and more eyeballs on the great people I have around me? I know I’m moving forward, not remaining stuck in the mud.
“Yeah, but you can’t make money doing this …”
Wow. You totally got me there. You’re probably right.
Anyway, here are my YT channel stats.
Anyway.
Sorry to interrupt.
Please continue…
“But what about <etc. etc. etc.>”
I didn’t think I’d need to tell you to re-read the “aloud” parts again, but you’ve got that magically thick coconut sitting on your neck, so … scroll back up there and off you go for Round 2. Remember, aloud. I don’t care where you are, and if you’re unwilling to admit aloud that you’re afraid of how people perceive you …
… do you even understand what’s happening there?
Putting A Bow On It
I am not marketing when I market my books. I’m playing with video. Playing with memes. Making music. Honoring what God gave me.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I wanted to be Mark Twain. God gave me SPACE PEW PEW. Who am I to dishonor that gift?
All I’m trying to do is connect with fans and friends with tools and my brain. I’m letting people get to know me, without being afraid of their opinion, good or ill. I’m handing out bandannas and Slim Jims, having a read-aloud party with the people I love being around. I’m providing a space where my fellow creators can shine. I am CREATING because it feels good, and it gets noticed.
Stop showing people the mask you think they want to see.
Stop shoving your product in faces, hoping for a sale.
Stop being lazy about connecting with others.
Stop making excuses.
Create, connect, and never be afraid to show people who you truly are.
You won’t resonate with everyone, and that’s okay, because if you work from the inside out like this, you’ll find your tribe, and you’ll find them fast, and they’ll become rabid fans. Some will even become wonderful friends.
You are interesting. You are unique. You are worthy.
I believe in you, and I can’t wait to see what you’re capable of.
And if you still have questions after all of this?
OK. I got past the Space Pew Pew image, but not because I took it as a personal challenge. It's 'cause I ain't skeert of nuffin. 🤮 I bought the book to prove it.
I saw the headline and immediately thought, "Whore!"