Many writers dream of someday being, well, a famous writer. You know, signing autographs, doing readings at bookstore chains or on college campuses. Maybe being guest of honor at a science fiction or gaming convention, if you happen to write in one of those genres. It's great to dream, isn't it? The reality is that getting to the point where you really receive decent recognition for the writing you do is even harder than getting your work published to begin with.

Some writers get lured into the myth that once published, they need only sit back and let the publisher's promotional mechanism do its work. Magically, the writer will become a household name in a matter of weeks as the publisher waves the wand of advertising and sprinkles the faerie dust of promotion.

Most publishing companies, in reality, have relatively little money to spend on advertising, and the money they do spend will be spent almost entirely on sure bets: proven authors who have already garnered an audience and made money for the publishing house. Most books by first-time authors get almost no promotion at all from the publisher, even if the author is so lucky to be signed by a major player in the publishing field.

In the small press, the situation is even worse. Small press companies are often hard pressed to pay their authors, let alone promote them. Even if you use the services of a literary agent, the weight of the promotional burden must fall eventually on your own shoulders.

You can't just be an author and hope to make a financial success of your writing. You need to be a marketing person as well. If you don't, no one else is going to do it for you, at least not to the extent that it really needs to be done.

In order to self-promote, you need to equip yourself with some basics: business cards, letterhead, a bio, a website. You also need to have some of your writing available in a convenient form to sell or give away. This might involve a small self-publishing project, or you could purchase copies of your work from the publishers. You won't be able to promote yourself, if you can't put a piece of your writing into the hands of a potential reviewer or potential fan.

Keep your budget in mind, though, and don't get scammed into buying hundreds of discounted "contributors' copies" of a magazine just because your name appears in print. You never have any obligation to buy a magazine just because they printed your story, and look with suspicion on publishers who try to pressure you into doing that. You're creeping over into the realm of the vanity-press, and that's a place you don't want to be. Remember, you don't need a garage full of your publications. Just get enough to use as samples when the opportunities to network present themselves.

And networking really is the key. By keeping in touch with the people who have published your work, no matter how small, you may find newer and bigger opportunities that could lead to further publication and beyond. In the meantime, keep writing and keep marketing. Self promotion need not be obnoxious, but you also needn't be shameless to take full advantage of the chances you're handed to become a published… And well-promoted author.