I think you're presenting a false dichotomy. Self promotion as a directed activity is not always so cynical or an attempt to get more than you deserve. It does

I think you're presenting a false dichotomy. Self promotion as a directed activity is not always so cynical or an attempt to get more than you deserve. It does not always involve dashing your "unique hopes and dreams." Branding is not any more "bullshit" than, say, economics or art are. I agree. That's why I also dislike people who say things like "You are an artist" or "You are an [economic term thingy]" too. (This last one is theoretical but I would dislike this being said.) When you tell people that THIS IS THE WAY THINGS ARE without including a counterhypothetical HERE'S WHY YOU MIGHT NOT CARE ABOUT THIS, you're doing an injustice to yourself as a writer. It's dishonest to write about a good thing without also carefully demarcating the limits of that goodness. "If you build it, they will come" is a terrible line that promotes antisocial behavior and irrationality. It works well for the outsider artist who truly does go off and build a monument, but if you're writing a "how-to" article you're not targeting outsider artists. The real line to teach is "Friends are the best thing ever, in business too!", and then to suggest that marketing techniques are the best ways to make yourself visible to future friends. God knows that's the only fame I've found worthwhile.