Book Description

The Shy Writer is described by Midwest Bookreview as a ". . . 'how to' book for aspiring authors who want to spend their time writing and avoid or at least minimize the hard-pounding, palm-sweating, throat-choking that comes with a fear of performing in public." (Midwest Bookreview, February 2005)

Chapter 1
Understanding Shyness

• Your Hair Color
• Super Hero Syndrome
• Labels
• Introverts vs. Extroverts
• Your Comfort Level

Your heart races, banging against your ribs, your chest, your throat. Fingers grip a pen to
disguise the shake. The other hand flattens on your leg, your side, and your leg again drying the
moisture that never disappears. You did not bargain for exhibition when you entered the world of
writing. What started as a reclusive haven for your creative muse evolved into a public forum to
sell your work. Good work should sell itself, you say. . .you wish.

You read the lists, blogs and newsletters about making a living at a craft that requires hours of
quiet time. We hear the stories about writers who self-publish to hold a book in their hands only to
learn that selling it is a whole other issue. How-to books deny that writers are generally a
reclusive lot, but face it, the majority of writers love to write, hate to sell, and wish the world would
encroach only when beckoned.

I firmly believe that some writers quit writing because of the pageantry of marketing, and as one
of those leery about staring at a roomful of people examining my hair and clothes, I felt some
sense of salvation necessary. The genuinely shy writer needs relief from such public scrutiny,
whether from the masses or the few. After experiencing the agony of publicity and witnessing
two-hour book signings where bookstore employees outnumbered the attendees, I decided
writers everywhere needed a reprieve.