*Written with Veridion Smart

There was a time when writers could simply write. They could pour their hearts into a story, send it off to a publisher, and trust that the people responsible for bringing books into the world would also help bring readers to them. 

For a handful of authors, that world still exists. For most of us, it doesn’t. 

Today, whether we’re self-published or traditionally published, writers are asked to wear many hats. We are storytellers, researchers, editors, and increasingly…marketers. And for many authors, that last role feels the most uncomfortable of all. 

After all, writers didn’t start writing to promote themselves. In fact, many writers (like me) are introverted extroverts. In other words, while we enjoy busy families, an active social life with our close friends, and often hectic schedules, we also live in our own little bubbles. We like to create stories and characters. We don’t want to be bothered by the mundane problems of actually getting out into the world and making a living. We’re also shy (some of us, painfully so), and it’s almost impossible for us to get out and mingle.

We started writing because something inside of us demanded we tell a story. Perhaps a memory. Maybe a truth that refused to stay silent. 

I often ask myself: Could classic authors like Ernest Hemingway find an audience today? He was a great writer, but was he that great? How about F. Scott Fitzgerald? William Faulkner? Even Stephen King, who came along before the Internet became a viable sales tool? Or my favorite author in the world, Leon Uris? Every book I ever picked up by him was a book I knew I wouldn’t be able to put down – and no marketer or publicist had to tell me that.

The publishing landscape has changed. Even talented writers with powerful stories often discover that simply publishing a book is not enough to ensure that readers find it. Visibility has become part of the journey. That realization can feel discouraging at first. But it doesn’t have to be. 

Marketing, at its best, is not about shouting into the void, or jumping naked into a fountain (as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald did), or turning storytelling into a sales pitch. It’s about connection. It’s about helping the right readers discover the stories that were meant for them all along. 

Every book has its audience somewhere. 

The challenge today isn’t just writing the story. It’s helping that story find the people who need it. And when that connection happens, something remarkable occurs. Readers recognize themselves in a character, find comfort in a difficult truth, or feel understood in a way they didn’t expect. 

That’s the quiet magic of storytelling. 

So, yes, writers today may need to step into the unfamiliar world of visibility and promotion, a world that seems to be more and more dominated by scam artists and fake publicists, and less and less about great writing.

But, you say, “I’m an author! I never wanted to become a marketer.” That no longer matters. In today’s world, your goal is simply this: To make sure the stories you need to create aren’t lost in silence. 

Because, trust me, somewhere out there, a reader is waiting for exactly the story you need to tell.

*This blog was written with TIP THE PIANO MAN in mind. If you’d like to read that amazing novel inspired by true events in my own family, there are a number of retail outlets from which you can buy it. Here’s the main link:

https://www.amazon.com/Tip-Piano-Rosetta-Diane-Hoessli-ebook/dp/B0CW19VFR4/