Book Review: Self Promotion for Introverts
Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead by Nancy Ancowitz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I think I would have gotten more out of this book if I had my own copy. Instead, I had it checked out from the library on interlibrary loan, so I couldn’t even renew it … which meant I had to sort of zip through it, even though there are a bunch of exercises you’re supposed to do, which I didn’t do (although I tried to do a few of them mentally). The author is a career coach, so I think she tried to translate a lot of the exercises she does with clients to the pages of this book. And while I think they’d work better in a coaching context where you could get feedback, this is a decent alternative for those who can’t afford or don’t have access to coaching.
What I really wanted from this book was some guidance on promoting myself as a writer, and “Hungering and Thirsting for Justice.” There was a lot that was relevant, but the way it was written just had me thinking more about career development than book promotion. And I actually already do pretty well in the career development area; I’m a decent public speaker, I interview well, etc. I’m the kind of introvert that does well in social situations if the roles are really clearly defined — as they often are in work situations — but I really despise “in-person” networking. And reading this book doesn’t make me inclined to like it any more, although it does help me remember that there are a lot of alternatives to that that I can excel at as an introvert, like social networking.
So, I’m glad this book exists, even if I didn’t really get what I wanted out of it. I still wouldn’t mind getting my own copy someday so that I’d have time to work through some of the exercises as they relate to the marketing side of my writing career.
Some useful resources from the book:
Help a Reporter Out: This site is based on the idea that everyone is an expert at something. Reporters use the site to find quotable subjects for their stories. You can sign up to get alerts and see what reporters are looking for — and respond if it’s something in which you have expertise.
SheSource.org: A repository of women experts.
One Person/Multiple Careers by Marci Alboher: Another book for my long “to-read” list!