just two scattered thoughts on the discussion about end of year self-promotion/”hey this work exists!” posts about stories for awards. I’m pulling this from a Facebook thread (and as a starting point for this, I agree with pretty much everything here):
1. one of the reasons I think this is more relevant now for short fiction at least is that there ISN’T a Big Three anymore; 15 years ago it was easier to (rather cavalierly) miss what was happening in the smaller venues. But what’s “small” anymore? Pieces from small and mid sized presses have a legit shot to be nominated for awards. There’s potentially a lot more room for lots of different voices. I say “potentially” because those factors of structural disenfranchisement based on race, class and difference still haunt the field.
2. It’s lonely work whether you promote yourself or don’t. The loneliness isn’t really going to change much. There’s always going to be an private interplay of ‘I want people to read my work!’ with the public “Uhhh, hey, read my work?” to varying degrees. Basically a good rule of thumb is to do whatever makes you Be Less Miserable.
I am not particularly skilled at this.
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