Self-Promoting Your Workshops

I believe I've documented in earlier entries my panic about preparing for a class I'm teaching for the first time this Saturday: Get Published! The Ins & Outs of Magazine Submissions.  I made myself sit down for five hours last Sunday and plow through setting up a syllabus and content.  Turns out it may all be for naught.

So far only 1 person has pre-registered for the class.  (And a big "thank you" to you, anonymous student.) It's my own fault.  I hesitated on sending out press releases because I was worried about being prepared.  Now I'm prepared with great content and ideas and no one to teach it to. Of course there's always the chance that between now and Friday a great horde of people will see the light and sign up, but I'm not holding my breath.

On the one hand--yea.A cancelled class frees up my Saturday, takes away the pressure and hey--I still get the promo on  my site that I offered the class (so much of marketing is...I was about to write "deceptive" but that's not it.  It's an illusion.  I can create the illusion I'm offering a great many classes and workshops and while it's true I do offer them, it's also true that a lot of them don't make.  But I can still list them on my resume and writer's bio and no ones the wiser. )

I spoke at Saturday's writer's panel on the importance of networking and self-promotion.  It never ends.  I'm knocking my head against walls, trying to get this blog the way I want it, not because I'm making any money from it but because I'm counting on it pulling in some loyal readers and establishing a reader base. Self-promotion never ends.  I'm always looking for ways to connect people, help others, get my name and book title and website address out there.

It's hard because you never know where the payoff will be.  You might spend big bucks on a conference and no magic sparks occur and the next day you'll attend a free lecture in a podunk library and make the connection of a lifetime.  That's also the fun part of it.  Nothing is ever wasted and everything is for a reason.  The fun part of life (also the challenging part of life) is figuring out what those reasons may be and what to do with the opportunities laid before you.

Which is a REALLY long of saying shame on me for not being proactive on those press releases.  No one to blame but myself.