A lot of other writers hate it, too. So often the process turns into a case of the tail wagging the dog: The promotion becomes the focus, not the writing.

You can be an introvert if you have an understanding publisher who'll let you be selective and do only what suits your temperament or what's really important--e..g., in your case, a big show on the CBC, the Globe & Mail, and your local bookstore (all of which, in my view, you never want to turn down).

The promotion gets out of control when publishers expect to you do too much marketing or promotion that may have negligible benefits your book. You have a right to say no to some of it.