Monday, August 7, 2017

Can Writers Promote Other Writers?



While talking to a poet and author about promoting him to the media, he asked if I had any reservations or concerns about promoting the writings of others since I, too, am a writer. 

At first, I thought about how I love to write but also that I love to promote books and authors. I believe advocating for an individual’s ideas and thoughts can spark action, change, and the betterment of society. I would hawk a book sooner than a widget or a corporate entity. But then, I thought about it some more. He wanted to know if I can promote a book that’s not mine – could I push the writings of another, perhaps more than I would my own writings?

It’s best to have another individual to promote your writings than to be your own advocate. I don’t see a conflict in promoting the books of others, especially when their writing belongs to a separate literary genre. 

Writers should see each other as collaborators, not competitors, as we collectively assist to inform, enlighten, inspire, or entertain the world. Writers are the creative backbone of culture and society. We need a variety of books discussing varyious subjects, written in diverse styles with numerous viewpoints. 

If I can help promote books to the media – and the public at large – I can assist in the shaping of how the world thinks, and ultimately, how we act towards each other.

Though I’m a book publicist by trade, I think all writers should help to promote literature within the greater author community. Some write for fame, some fortune, but in the end, what’s left are the words we share and the unique sequences that we place ourselves and others in. Books are our legacy and the sooner we get more people to read more books the better off we shall be.

All writers need help promoting their books. I feel lucky to be positioned to bolster the research, creativity, ideas, and narratives of others. I feel good knowing I help to improve literacy, further free speech, and raise the intellectual bar for a nation all too often focused mindlessly on celebrities, gossip, games, and recreational substances that impair the mind and dull the soul.

There is an obligation and burden that comes with promoting the works of others. We are placed into a position of championing the vision of another when we may have doubts, concerns, or conflicts with what they have written. But it helps the writer and reading public to determine what they accept and embrace. My role is to put it out there, to be transparent with the information and literature I receive regarding sharing it with the media and the public. Can an author’s words be harmful and come back to hurt society? Quite possibly. Books represent people and many people are unethical, act out of avarice and lust, or have natural human imperfections that limit their utility, goodness, or purpose. But we need more books, more readers, more debate, and more shared knowledge.

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs 

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