Your Best Flaw: turning manure into roses
by Damon Suede
(A-game Advice was a monthly column offering practical
tips for winning promo that fits your personal style, strategy,
and measure of success.
Discoverability is a marketing concept
that’s gained a lot of traction in recent years. As publishing
mutates and bookshelves groan under tottering mountains of new
titles, authors scramble for ways to boost their signal above the
noise. For readers to buy our books, they must first know that our
books exist.
On the other hand, the romance community
stands out for its cooperation, reciprocity, and graciousness.
Romance writers are a spectacularly
nice bunch. As someone who
started out writing for film/TV/theatre I can attest to the venal
and carnivorous bent of most entertainment pros. That essential
kindness has built a powerful community and elevates our profession
as a matter of course. We cannot predict the next trend, but we can
write it.
In a glutted market, standing out is your
job. How can any one author get attention in a tsunami?
To claim your space on the genre
bookshelf, fans need to be able to articulate what is special about
you. Attracting the attention of editors, agents, and vendors
requires being able to point to your unique appeal. If your goal is
to create work that tests your mettle and changes the landscape, you
must take the risks of which only you are capable. You need an
edge.
Worried that you aren’t remarkable? Pay
attention to people’s remarks about you. Disapproval can point you
in the right direction, because your most aggravating quality often
broadcasts your greatest asset. Ask yourself: what makes you
extraordinary? Remember: the secret of remarkable people is that
people make remarks about them.
Strengths and virtues are all well and
good, but if you have any doubts about what kind of edge you have,
find that thing in you that irritates people. That friction indicates what makes you unique and
is the characteristic that will make you successful. As Cocteau
says, “What the public criticizes in you, cultivate. It is you.” The
things that make each of us stand out are exactly those qualities
that rock the boat and disturb the peace. Flip the rock and see what
squirms:
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What habits do you abhor or fear within yourself? How do you hide them?
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What are your worst, unshakeable habits? What trait gives rise to them?
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How does that personal characteristic disrupt and disturb the status quo?
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How have you used this essential quality to excuse bad behavior in the past?
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What are the positives buried within that unhelpful tendency?
Perfection is a myth. We all suck at
something. Every silver lining comes with a cloud and no HEA solves
the world’s problems for good. Each one of us carries flaws and
foibles that others find annoying, frustrating, or infuriating. For
romance writers that’s often a bitter pill, but our genre
expects us to reform rakes and transform vices into virtues. We all
have traits which don’t blend well in community settings. Own your
flaws and you wield a sword that cuts both ways.
Please don’t imagine I’m advocating bad
behavior. Simply acting like a jerk or a hack accomplishes nothing
good. Instead look for the primal spark you can't always control,
that take or trait that drives people bonkers when you're at your
worst. Harness that impulse, direct it properly, and your edge will
do more for your promo than all the swag and gladhanding in the
world.
Transmuting that negativity does double
duty. On the one hand, it redirects negative perceptions so that
your efforts aren’t wasted or misconstrued. On the other, criticisms
are always easier to hear than complements. Once you face your most
annoying traits, you can take ownership and control of authentic
deep-seated power at the core of your personality. After all, a
knife is only as useful as its edge.
Help the public see your work clearly and
steer them past wrong impressions. Set yourself up for positive
interactions by embody your authorial voice, loud and clear!
Transform that core behavior into a
professional guarantee which reflects your brand,
Don’t think about your flaw as a flaw.
Think about it as the point on which you can pivot yourself. If you
tend to deflect attention and huddle in corners, redirect unwanted
attention by enthusing about other authors. If you’re a jokey
babbler, use your volubility to encourage shyer, quieter folks. If
you’re a bossy nitpicker, provide structure for the scatty
improvisers in your circle. As Cocteau put it, “One is either judge
or accused. The judge sits, the accused stands.
Live on your feet.”
Here’s the best part: as the folks around you develop their
own professional edge, the reciprocal benefit is exponential. Our
repurposed flaws compliment and supplement everyone else’s. Not only
will you help your own career, but every other career in your orbit.
Win-win ad infinitum. Look
for the places where your irritating trait becomes the edge which
opens up possibilities for the community.
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What misconceptions or negative impressions can you head off at the pass?
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How does your edge amplify the core appeal of your brand and your work?
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Where does that edge influence your voice and your books?
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How can you reboot public perception and adapt for future interactions?
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Who can you help with your unique approach to the genre?
For readers to find our books, we embrace
the romance community while making it clear why our books might
matter. The shadows matter as much as the shine.
Our flaws really do cut both ways. They
are an authentic warp in our weave that ain’t going away. Like
Prospero with Caliban, you should embrace your detriments and
release them: “This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine.” Make the
most of your habitual failings and you’ll unleash all the power they
mask.
Originally published as part of A Game Advice for the Romance Writers Report.
If you wish to republish this article, just drop me a line.