Me no promote?

Of course authors should do what they do best -- daydream, research and write their next book.

But how much responsibility should an author have for their book once the book goes to market? Some authors take to the promotion and marketing of their books with enthusiasm and creativity long after the first edition expires.

Other authors find the prospect hideous.

Obie Joe noted a comment by Kathleen O'Hara in an editorial about the downturn in book customers in the Peterborough (Ontario) Examiner, and the resultant push to have authors use their time and creativity for more promotion, particularly with social networking. "I must confess that I am one of the multitude of hopeful novelists, and I'm beginning to find today's ultra-competitive, multimedia environment very daunting. Facebook and YouTube are not where I want to flog my work and myself. Perhaps, I need to attend the Paris Hilton School of Self-Promotion."

Hmm. Tapping his cane, Obie Joe wonders if authors leery of promotion could consider that social networking is just an updated form of conversing with one's audience. The conversation between author and reader is a valuable one; often such contact inspires writers to new junctions in their plots and characters.

Plus, the writing on a blog is writing, and any writing keeps the pump primed.