Be Your Own Publicist: Cold Pitching & Confidence

Part two of apparently a new series??

I’m Tawny, author of Dry Humping and co-author of The Sobriety Deck, co-host of the Recovery Rocks podcast, and co-founder of the vinegar-based botanical spirit, (parentheses)

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I wrote about being my own publicist a few weeks ago. Several subscribers and friends have told me how much that piece resonated with them, so I’m keeping the conversation going.

In This Issue:

• I answer a subscriber Q about cold pitching on Instagram

• A few words on confidence

• Upcoming book proposal courses

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Be Your Own Publicist

Advocating for ourselves is freaking hard, y’all. We have to be our own advocates on a daily basis by making doctor appointments, doing the chores we hate doing, or psyching ourselves up to call certain people who stress us the fuck out. We’ve accepted that there are just some things we must do while being human. This is how I think about being my own publicist: just one of the many chores on my to-do list.

I’ve learned that nobody¹ cares about my career more than I do. That’s just how it is. Sure, my loved ones support and believe in me, but nobody is pitching my work for me. So my options are to either hire a publicist who is financially incentivized to care about my career or learn how to do what they do.

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Which leads me to a subscriber question:

“I admire your courage and confidence to cold pitch on Instagram and other platforms. Question: How did you know you were ready? Did follower count, # of posts or trusting spirit have anything to do with it?” -

Melanie Thompson

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This question is important because it shows how social media has society in a chokehold. Melanie’s not alone in thinking we need to have a quantifiable number of followers or posts to be deemed “worthy.” We’ve all become so obsessed with appealing to algorithms that we often forget who we are and what we bring to the table because algorithms and SEO decide what’s on the menu.

Platform is a recurring topic in my book proposal classes. Students think they need a certain number of followers or a personal brand to get a non-fiction book deal. Sure, those things can help, but let’s take a moment to explain why they help. Seeing why a platform is important can help you realize that you already have an existing platform elsewhere, probably IRL:

• Having a certain number of social media posts shows that you’re consistent. Where else are you showing consistency in your work?

• Social media engagement shows that people are interested in what you say. Who engages with your work outside of social media?

• Follower count shows that your work either appeals to a certain number of people or you spent money on followers (please don’t spend money on followers!!!!) Who are your real-life “followers,” the people who believe in you and support your work?

  

  Kintsugi art by SIMON LEE on Unsplash

Your question began with a note on confidence, so I want to acknowledge my resume² here. Writing, pitching, and publishing my book (and collecting bylines!) was an arduous process that broke me down in damn near every way. I’m still putting the pieces back together. But the glue (or the metal in my kintsugi)³ that holds those pieces together is the confidence I gained from the experience. And as I say in my book, I gained a significant amount of confidence when I quit drinking.

I’m not saying everyone needs to quit drinking or write a book, but I am saying that you might need to find ways to build confidence in your life.

So, to answer your question, send a cold pitch when you’re confident in what you have to offer. Then, when a pitch gets rejected, channel whatever makes you feel confident to pitch again. And again. As I said earlier, nobody cares about your career more than you. If you don’t pitch your work, who will?

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Upcoming Classes

I have two virtual book proposal classes coming up! Book Proposal 101 is a one-night event covering the basic elements of a book proposal, while my Book Proposal Boot Camp is a six-week intensive for folks ready to write their proposal this fall.

Book Proposal 101 VIRTUAL August 1, 7-9EST

Want to write a nonfiction book but have no idea where to start? This course will help you understand what a book proposal is and how to actually enjoy writing one.

Whether you're pitching a nonfiction book or a nonfiction card deck, Book Proposal 101: Stop Dreading It and Start Writing It will help you feel empowered by the proposal process rather than overwhelmed.

OK, you might still feel overwhelmed, but you can totally do this!

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Book Proposal Boot Camp VIRTUAL September 5th - October 10th, 7-9 EST

This 6-week intensive course picks up where the 101 class left off. In a virtual group setting, students meet with me for two hours a week to finally dust off that old Google Doc and get to work. Each week is structured so students can focus on one aspect of a book proposal at a time rather than feeling overwhelmed by the whole thing at once.

Each session ends with a 20-minute Q&A where students can ask about publishing, proposals, finding an agent, preorder campaigns, and book marketing.

Curious about my teaching style? Read this interview with the founder of WritingWorkshops.com

XO,

Tawny

1. I have an incredible literary agent who cares deeply about my career. He goes above and beyond his role as an agent, but it’s important to note that a literary agent is not a manager or a publicist.

2. I have to LOL when I mention the word resume because I’ve never had one. I’ve always worked in customer service or as a freelance/contract worker.

3. Kintsugi (Japanese: 金継ぎ, lit. 'golden joinery'), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair"), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. (definition from Wikipedia)