S. Worthen | Weblog

Fiction writers almost all need to promote their work. Novels rarely receive a PR budget these days, and there's only so far they'll sell on their own merits with no promotion whatsoever. Cover art only goes so far to make up for an unknown quantity. Fiction writers thus spend a goodly portion of their time promoting: handing out bookmarks and cards, running mailing lists, using blogs to advertise, appearing at conventions. They need to sell; that's what makes future contracts possible and hey, if they can sell out their advance, they may eventually accrue income as well.

( Thoughts on academic book advertising... )

Should academics promote their work more? The market, social tensions, and slow review processes won't always cooperate. But what's the point of writing a book worth publishing if the author doesn't believe in it enough to tell the world about it?