Thursdays with Amanda: Overly Aggressive Marketing Syndrome, Symptom Four
Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary. Every Thursday, she posts about growing your author platform. You can follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or join her Facebook group to stay current with her wheelings and dealings as an agent. Her author marketing book, The Extroverted Writer, is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
We’re on the last symptom of Overly Aggressive Marketing Syndrome, so in case you missed any, the symptoms have been:
The fourth and final symptom? Unbalanced application.
Test for this by noting the time you spend with family, the time you spend with yourself, and the time you spend with work/marketing your book. If you’re spending more time on your book than in the other areas of life, chances are you’re either in the middle of a book release, or you suffer from this symptom.
This is NOT an excuse to work less or play more or ditch all of those great marketing plans you had in place. Fact it, a writer’s busy times come in waves. Some weeks or months will be crazier than others.
BUT this IS a nudge to evaluate your time and how you spend it.
Those afflicted with Overly Aggressive Marketing Syndrome eat, think, and breathe their book and their sales. They check their Amazon rank numerous times a day (months after the book has released). They obsess over checking their Twitter and their Facebook and their blog comments. They take their computers or tablets to their kid’s football games and make excuses why they don’t have time to do this or that.
It’s workaholism, really. And it stinks.
Get control of this symptom by identifying the IMPORTANT things in life.
Outside of your responsibilities (You may have a 9-to-5. You may coach a high school sports team. You may volunteer at the shelter. You may be heavily involved in church), you want to make time for some very important things.
Family.
Friends.
God.
Yourself.
For some, time spent with your book may fall into the “Responsibilities” category mentioned in the paragraph above. But chances are if you’re already working the equivalent of a full time job, whether raising kids or doing the cubicle gig, there just isn’t room there for your book as well.
So where does your book fit? In the YOU category. Here’s why…
During You time, you’re free to do whatever you want. Promote your book! Learn basket weaving! Go to the gym!
The important thing to remember is that YOU time isn’t family time, though the book may help pay the bills. It’s not God time, though the book may help others spiritually. And it’s not Friends time, though it may feel as though connecting with fans is like interacting with friends.
It’s YOU time.
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of time. Most Americans spend theirs watching tv or reading or gaming or working out.
But the point I want to get across is that when we spend ridiculous amounts of time on our books, overlooking other very important things, we’re being selfish.
Spend your time wisely. It will prevent you from becoming an aggressive marketer, and it will keep the people in your life happy.
Have you found the balance? Maybe you’re still struggling with it?! Sound off in the comments below!
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7 Comments
I’m amazed at the amount of emotional energy marketing requires. I hadn’t expected that. Thanks for reminding me not to rob the important areas of my life and end up drained.
Yep, it’s an important commitment. BUT it shouldn’t rule your life 🙂
Synchronicity! Spent time this morning and blocked out my book promos and writing time. Feel a weight off now that I have a starting and quit time on set days of the week. Very liberating. And now I have a name for what I was feeling: unbalanced application. Thanks for reassurance I’m on the right track.
Very smart!
Great reminders for balance Amanda! 🙂
Amanda, I’m still not at a point where my blogs are up or am into Social Media to the extent we’re told to be, but my greatest fear is the whole “too much time” aspect of it. I do know it’s something that, once I’m into it, will have to be pretty regimented about in controlling time spent.
There’s definitely a balance, and self control is a must. But don’t let fear of getting in too deep keep you from giving it your all 🙂