I’ve seen a lot of authors say that marketing is a waste of time.

That it’s time you could be writing. I disagree. Even time spent marketing is time spent writing. Everything I write is an opportunity to write better. Even these stupid posts give me an opportunity to edit myself. (I’m not saying I always make the most of that opportunity).

Choice of words, the flow of thought, the decision whether or not to make a joke at the expenses of someone who shall remain nameless (read as John) – all of these things are the kinds of decisions I’ll have to make when writing a story, so this is practice.

Everything I write is practice. Even if it’s some smart ass tweet, I’m going to phrase it the best way I can to get the most laughs or hurt the most feelings.

That’s why I don’t look at marketing as a waste of time. It is time consuming, yes. But, a waste of time? I don’t think so. Plus, anything that helps make new friends or bring in new readers is hardly a wasted effort.