It’s Not Just About Me!

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by Lillian Duncan

As Christians, life is not supposed to be all about us. And yet as writers, we have to make it all about us-sometimes. OK, a lot of times, especially when we have a new release like I do right now, (No Home for the Holidays).

We’re told to do good to others (Hebrews 13:16). Jesus even gave us a new commandment to love others (John 13:34).

So maybe we should write our books and forget about the marketing of them? But don’t our publishers deserve us to do our best when it comes to marketing our books and ourselves? Of course they do!

So how do we resolve this dilemma?

I’m sure there’s many different answers to that question. Here’s a few of my thoughts about it.

When we have a job that’s not writing, we know the right thing is always do our best at that job. So, one thing we need to do is to think of our publisher as our employer. Part of our job is to promote our books and ourselves as best we can. That should ease our guilt a bit about self-promotion.

Second, we should be careful not to become so obsessed with our writing that it affects our personal life. If we aren’t careful, we can spend every spare moment writing or doing social media. Make a point to shut off that computer and spend quality time with our family and friends. That will go a long way in easing the guilt.

And the third thing to do is to find ways to give back to others. This step will look differently for each of us. It might be about taking time to do some charity work either at church or in your community. Or it could be about giving back to the writing community through mentoring or just setting up a blog that gives other writers a way to promote their work. The possibilities are endless.

Philippians 4: 5 tells us to let our moderation be known to all men. If we remember moderation in all things is good, we can find a way to combine book marketing while still doing good for others.

No Home for the HolidaysLillian Duncan writes stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem! She is multi-published and writes the types of books she loves to read-fast-paced suspense with a touch or two of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net. Tiaras & Tennis Shoes is her personal blog at www.lillian-duncan.com.

Comments 0

  1. I am so glad I came across this. Beginning in 2008 up until 2013, I had 16 adult romance novels out and was pretty proud of myself until the Lord entered my heart and the Holy Spirit convicted me on what I was doing. I cancelled all my contracts after being born again in the blood of Jesus Nov. 2014. I know I have the gift of writing and have been praying about it. I will not write romance again as it destroyed my marriage…but by the Grace of God we renewed our vows March 2015. One fear I have is “idolizing” my writing. Promoting it feels like that. Your post is so right on about making it all about us. I really want my work to bring thought to others, especially youth, about the Bible and the Word of God. Thank you for this post. It has really helped me. Diane McEntire Vance

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