Author: Nina Bingham

These days, a big part of any author’s job is the sales and marketing of their book. Not only do you have to pen an interesting and relevant literary work of art, but you also have to be equipped to peddle it on social media sites, and pitch it to more traditional media vendors such as radio, magazines, and TV. In short, you have to be willing to sell yourself. For me, because I was trained as a counselor where self-promotion is discouraged, even frowned upon by academia, it’s a concept I’ve resisted. It’s felt ingenious and even unprofessional to “toot my own horn.” Especially about such a sensitive and personal subject-my own daughter’s suicide. But the reality of the competitive book publishing business is that books don’t sell themselves anymore, so self-promotion is a necessary evil. In my effort to spread the word about my new book, “Once The Storm Is Over: From Grieving to Healing After the Suicide of My Daughter,” I’ve been contacting suicide prevention and mental health organizations. As I talk with people across the US and even in other countries, I’m astounded by how many people tell me their own stories of how their life was forever altered by the suicide of a child, a loved one, or a friend. Recently I was invited to be the monthly featured blog story for an international...