What do people have against self-promotion? Especially people who don't write, perform any of the arts or paint themselves?
Why do they criticize self-promotion?
I want to disseminate what I write. I want a wider audience than my Facebook wall can provide.
If the groups I post in allow it, what axe do such folks have to grind here? It is not spam, it's not mindless advertising, it's my labour of love provided free of cost for your enjoyment and my greater visibility!
How does it affect this self-appointed brigade of people?
Isn't this attempted censorship?
Isn't it co-opting the promotion of the arts?
That any recognition that you get should come through proper 'official' channels only?
That smacks of bureaucracy and red tape at best, nepotism and hegemony at worst.
Someone inboxes me, that it excites jealousy. I am advised not to show overt enthusiasm in acknowledging acceptances.
How is your jealousy, my problem friend?
Do you think I'm incapable of jealousy?
I am an adult. I can control my momentary envy. I can rise higher than my petty instinct, to recognise the hard work and achievements of others.
Please don't scare me with your jealousy.
Please allow my growth through the promotion of my own poems and stories.
Self-publishing is actually self-promotion.
If you're ok with that, you should be ok with this.
My writes stand on their own merit for the likes of others. You need not like it if you're so annoyed that I dared to promote myself in any other place but my Facebook wall post.
But who are you, to decide and determine where a person should promote herself?
What is wrong with promotion exactly?
Some say it is personal promotion, and in bad taste.
My friends, I am not promoting Amrita, the person, but the work, a poem, a painting or a story. Which falls under the aegis of Art. And Art is universal. As for taste, good or bad, my work is bound to be linked to my name, so if you like my work, you may come back to read more.
This is not personal promotion to aggrandize oneself, but to find acceptance, a niche for one’s work. It is common sense.
If I am promoting my ink in an unsuitable group, say Science and Astronomy, Cooking or buying and selling of consumer goods or real estate, that would be objectionable and disagreeable
But, surely in a group that showcases poetry, painting, memoirs recollections, opinion pieces humour et all, it is perfectly natural?
All the great groups of internationally published writers I belong to on Facebook encourage every one of its members to Share! Share! And Share!
To promote their talent to showcase their work.
Everywhere I submit my work I am actually instructed to promote on Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, my own pages and yes all the groups that allow it, groups with similar interests, content and theme.
Are such esteemed and experienced littérateurs wrong?
Why look down your noses on self-promotion then?
If you say it commercializes art, oh! don't make me laugh, please! One individual sharing her labour of love, or her published articles cannot possibly open the floodgates of commerce.
Every anthology published tries to break even. If it makes a profit, then does the artwork inside die because it made a profit? And so it becomes commercializing Art?
© Amrita Valan 2021