A group of writers
have entered the niche
one of my pen names
is well known in.
They reached out to me
to ask if I would help promote
their new releases.
They have never helped promote
my new releases.
They didn’t ask me
to be part of their group.
They didn’t acknowledge
I existed before their ask.
So I ignored them
as they had previously ignored me.
Was that petty?
Sure.
But that was also good business.
The help would have been
one-sided.
How do I know that?
Because if they hadn’t bothered
to press a button
to share one of my social media posts
before the ask,
they definitely wouldn’t do that
after the ask.
My time is better spent
promoting my own stories
and
helping those
who are willing to help others,
including me.
Before asking for support,
consider giving it.
Show you’re willing
to return the favor.