More later, but for now, I wanted to share this interview I did with Shelli over at Market My Words, all about (you guessed it) marketing. An excerpt:
How important do you feel social networking is to authors?
Vitally important, I think. Gone are the days when an author could write a brilliant book, send it to a publisher, have it published to great acclaim, and then write another while remaining a virtual recluse. OK, fine, not completely gone — it still works for Thomas Pynchon. But are YOU Thomas Pynchon? Probably not.
Besides using Twitter and Facebook, etc. to add updated content to your website, social networking is fantastic for building a community. It’s all right there in the name, really. Social = community. Find other authors in your genre or age range, add your thoughts to their conversations, comment regularly, and you’ll find people who want to do the same to you. Not as a tit-for-tat thing, but because you’re adding to the community naturally. And authors are fantastic about promoting their fellow writers’ projects. I see that on Twitter everyday.
Once you’re established, social networks are also the ideal way to keep in touch with your fans. You may not be able to respond to every email or fan letter you receive, but you can tweet daily, and provide some of that back-and-forth with your fans that creates a lasting relationship.
Check out the rest of my interview and be sure to see what Shelli’s other interview subjects have to say.
4 thoughts on “Market My Words”
This is random –
But I'm not sure where else to ask this question!
How long does it usually take you to read a client's manuscript?
This is someone you've signed, and maybe working on revisions before submitting?
Great interview! Bookmarked!
This is so true. Authors need to put time into building a community online via social marketing.
A couple of questions for you, post-interview.
Any thoughts on whether (or how) the "social networking" is different for a MG author? I was once told that having a Facebook page might even be "creepy" for those who write for 10-12 age range. Obviously you're not trying to reach fans through Twitter, MySpace, etc. if your fans are fifth graders. Should you have these online faces anyway, for the grown-up fans and librarians, etc.? For the parents?
Also, you mentioned "oversharing" and I'd love it if you'd expand a little on that. What do YOU consider oversharing? Just the here's-my-query-process-in-detail kind of thing? Talking about rejection or other "down" moments? Too many posts about kids and laundry?