Quote Originally Posted by her_Joe

The point I want to make is that many good writers fall short of success not because of their writing but because they are unwilling or unable to handle the political requirements of self-promotion. I know I wasn't able to handle it ... now that I'm older, I may give it another shot, but this time I'll be aware that it's up to me to sell the dang thing, whether I use a vanity publisher or a mainstream commercial press, no matter whether it's 'literary' or erotica ... unless of course I can find a way to use the name Harry Potter in the title and get away with it!

Write because you love it, because you have no choice but to express yourself in that way. Otherwise, you likely won't make it.
Maybe some good writers turn to porn as a way to avoid the publicity schlepping.
I've never heard of Ann Rice doing a promotional tour for the Beauty series though she did have to for the Vamps. It might be that an agent could negotiate a contract to minimize the amount of appearances you have to make. Then again how do you get an agent without having published? Sounds like catch-22 but I hear tell if you have a contract offer you might want to have a literary agent look it over and see if they can improve upon it. Of course they do take a cut for their trouble but they are supposed to represent the writers best interests
Mad Lews