I Don’t Want to Be an Influencer
I have been going out with my friends every Friday night since 1994. Wow, we have made a lot of great memories during those fun times. It is the typical guys’ night out with eating, drinking, and talking about every topic under the sun. Well, except for one: writing.
When I decided to become an author in 2016, I did not tell anybody what I was up to except my family. Thinking back on it, I was going to try writing a book and if I did not succeed, delete the file. Then my friends would not know that I had failed. I guess that is the safe way to do things.
It was a long road to getting self-published, and the first time my friends learned I was a small-time author was when I showed them a print-on-demand copy of my first book. They were really impressed and said I was the last person they thought would write a fictional book. I agreed.
Since my big reveal, I rarely bring up the topic because writing is not the vibe of our Friday nights. I prefer to discuss what happened that week, local/national news, family, and entertainment. On the flip side, writing is a private collaboration with my computer. Not a lot of verbal communication there.
Last Friday, we were discussing bad interviews, and I mentioned that I wrote an article describing my 19.5 worst ones. They were all stunned. “You write articles?” I have mentioned this activity in passing, but it falls under the same umbrella of keeping my writing life separate. I pulled up the article on my phone, and we discussed all my bad interviews, and then my friends chimed in with their own bad experiences—a nice trip down painful memory lane.
One friend commented, “Hey, you should start a YouTube channel! You’ve got all the material prepared. Just read your articles.” “Nah, not my scene,” was my response. But why?
I have indeed created many articles, and being a YouTube influencer would likely lead to book sales, which is my goal. Plus, I have an acceptable appearance, a passable voice, and know all about video. Thus, this activity should be easy to accomplish.
My problem goes back to why I do not talk about writing with my friends. Inviting a bunch of strangers to see my face and hear my words is not appealing. I prefer privacy and security.
Still, you might say, “Well, if your goal is sales, this will work. Man up, push past your issues and make some money.” You might further say, “And who knows? You might have a lot of fun. You will certainly not know unless you try.” Begrudgingly, I agree.
And there is some additional proof. About a year ago, I worked on a startup business with a friend. One of my roles was to be the public face of the company because my partner is shy. So, yes, I was ready to be interviewed and make videos describing our product (advertisements), which had all the ingredients of an influencer. Sadly, the venture fell apart and the term “irreconcilable differences” covers the issues. We both could have been billionaires. Dang!
Without that kick-in-the-pants, I never attained the public-facing confidence. Walking in some mall and having multiple people recognize me? Creepy.
Well… why not a test case? I could make a video and not show it to anyone. Then, at least I would know the difficulties and effectiveness of the result. Err… No.
It seems like I am doing my absolute best to keep my life private, but modern technology offers another option. I could use AI to make a character read a script. I see more and more of this every day on YouTube, so this is indeed a viable marketing prospect. Meaning, there is no real obstacle. Therefore, I am out of excuses.
Dang, that is completely true. Still, I don’t want to be an influencer.
You’re the best -Bill
August 06, 2026
When I decided to become an author in 2016, I did not tell anybody what I was up to except my family. Thinking back on it, I was going to try writing a book and if I did not succeed, delete the file. Then my friends would not know that I had failed. I guess that is the safe way to do things.
It was a long road to getting self-published, and the first time my friends learned I was a small-time author was when I showed them a print-on-demand copy of my first book. They were really impressed and said I was the last person they thought would write a fictional book. I agreed.
Since my big reveal, I rarely bring up the topic because writing is not the vibe of our Friday nights. I prefer to discuss what happened that week, local/national news, family, and entertainment. On the flip side, writing is a private collaboration with my computer. Not a lot of verbal communication there.
Last Friday, we were discussing bad interviews, and I mentioned that I wrote an article describing my 19.5 worst ones. They were all stunned. “You write articles?” I have mentioned this activity in passing, but it falls under the same umbrella of keeping my writing life separate. I pulled up the article on my phone, and we discussed all my bad interviews, and then my friends chimed in with their own bad experiences—a nice trip down painful memory lane.
One friend commented, “Hey, you should start a YouTube channel! You’ve got all the material prepared. Just read your articles.” “Nah, not my scene,” was my response. But why?
I have indeed created many articles, and being a YouTube influencer would likely lead to book sales, which is my goal. Plus, I have an acceptable appearance, a passable voice, and know all about video. Thus, this activity should be easy to accomplish.
My problem goes back to why I do not talk about writing with my friends. Inviting a bunch of strangers to see my face and hear my words is not appealing. I prefer privacy and security.
Still, you might say, “Well, if your goal is sales, this will work. Man up, push past your issues and make some money.” You might further say, “And who knows? You might have a lot of fun. You will certainly not know unless you try.” Begrudgingly, I agree.
And there is some additional proof. About a year ago, I worked on a startup business with a friend. One of my roles was to be the public face of the company because my partner is shy. So, yes, I was ready to be interviewed and make videos describing our product (advertisements), which had all the ingredients of an influencer. Sadly, the venture fell apart and the term “irreconcilable differences” covers the issues. We both could have been billionaires. Dang!
Without that kick-in-the-pants, I never attained the public-facing confidence. Walking in some mall and having multiple people recognize me? Creepy.
Well… why not a test case? I could make a video and not show it to anyone. Then, at least I would know the difficulties and effectiveness of the result. Err… No.
It seems like I am doing my absolute best to keep my life private, but modern technology offers another option. I could use AI to make a character read a script. I see more and more of this every day on YouTube, so this is indeed a viable marketing prospect. Meaning, there is no real obstacle. Therefore, I am out of excuses.
Dang, that is completely true. Still, I don’t want to be an influencer.
You’re the best -Bill
August 06, 2026
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