Warning: BSP or How I Know I've "Made It"

Once published, authors face the dilemma of promoting their work. Where do they do this and how? Most use the Internet and its places of social networking like Twitter and Facebook, but they also use discussion groups, usually composed of other writers because “word of mouth” sells books.

Blatant self-promotion (BSP) is a hard task for writers, who, like me, generally spend their time alone writing. Being a “ham” just doesn’t come naturally because many writers are introverts and, after years of criticism, they stumble when speaking too loudly about their work, knowing the standards are high. Self-promotion is even more daunting when there are complaints on discussion groups about too much BSP. If even your compatriots don’t want to hear it, why would anyone else?

Grandma's job leads to murder in my
short "Lucky in Death."

I try to be shameless. It isn’t easy after being raised in an environment where promoting yourself was considered conceit. But I’ve also learned that if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. (Except, perhaps for your family and friends, if you’re fortunate) The SinC Chesapeake Chapter recently informed me that it had accepted one of my short stories, “Lucky in Death” for publication. The anthology, Chesapeake Crimes: This Job is Murder, will be published in 2012.

As a blogger, I read other blogs. One writer discussed various ways in which he knew that he had “made it” as a writer. I don’t hit the bull’s eye of high standards every time. But after seeing the other authors included in the Chesapeake Chapter’s anthology, I knew that “Lucky in Death” hit the bull’s eye. I had “made it.” Why?

Some of my fellow authors in the anthology are:
• Donna Andrews, who has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty awards as well as being nominated for the Macavity and Dilys awards
• Comedic mystery writer Karen Cantwell;
• Barb Goffman, an Agatha contender this year
• Agatha nominated Harriette Sackler is also the Malice Grants Chair
• Art Taylor, a frequent contributor to Ellery Queen Magazine, won the Derringer Award this year for “Rearview Mirror,” one of his novelettes, and
• Mystery novelist, Cathy Wiley.

I don’t know the other seven writers in the volume. But I do know that twenty-eight talented writers competed for fourteen spots in this anthology. Three judges, all popular published authors, agreed on those stories included. I’m proud to have a story in this anthology amongst such illustrious authors. Every now and then, I pull the brass ring. I’m savoring this honor so that when rejections arrive for other projects, I’ll remember.