Dear Sir/Madam, what you are about to read is an insight into everything that I am and everything that I aspire to be...
No. That is not what writing is about. If you are writing to be published, yes it is for the benefit of the reader, but it is not fair for a reader to assume that what you are writing sums you up as a person. People go through life, using their mistakes and lessons to influence themselves to make informed choices. Often, writers use this for their writing, but I do not believe it is fair to suggest that a piece of published writing is specifically for a writer to open up about themselves to the public.
However, in this day and age everything is about marketing yourself as a writer. You have to be interesting for people to read your books. It’s not like you could do a Charlotte Bronte and write under a pseudonym and expect decent coverage, it’s all about who you are and why you write. Nowadays authors go on book tours to market both their work and themselves. Fan pages, twitter and Facebook are all used to create interest in the Author as well as their work. People sell so if you want a book to succeed you yourself need to be successful. I personally don’t like this way of thinking, I’m pretty old fashioned in the way I think: if your writing is good, it doesn’t matter who you are. However, even I can’t help but judge an author by their past and how it influenced their writing so it’s a lose-lose situation really.
Below: All successful authors who have succeeded in marketing themselves. Is this behind their success as writers?
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| Stephen King: Promoting his book 'Lisey's Story' |
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| Phillip Pulman: Book Tour |
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| Stephenie Meyer posing for Paparazzi - pose based on her book 'Twilight' |
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| Jodi Picoult: Book Tour |
| Aaand J.K. Rowling, also subjected to marketing. |
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