a poll and a teaser
Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 3:40AM in Toni McGee Causey
I would really love it if you all would help resolve a bit of a mystery for a lot of us freaks/writers/authors/scribblers...
Lately, I've seen a tremendous amount of discussion on a couple of writers loops I'm on, and elsewhere on various blogs, about how important social media is to a writer's career. We all pretty much agree that it's important to have a website (she said, the person who has not updated her own in a long time, yikes)... but there is the assumption / pressure / voodoo guesswork that it's critical for an author to also be present on Facebook and Twitter and other social media sites.
The assumption is that social media helps authors sell books. And the corollary is that a lack of presence means lost sales (bad author, bad author).
I think these are incorrect assumptions, but I could be wrong.
My theory is that most people who "follow" an author on Facebook or Twitter do so after they've already learned about the author--usually by buying their books or visiting them on blogs. I'm not sure that the exposure to the author on Facebook or Twitter actually compels a follower who hadn't already been interested in buying the author's books to then do so.
Does that make sense to you all?
Now, don't get me wrong--I enjoy Facebook and Twitter and I think that it's funt to build a relationship with readers, and I know in my case, many readers have become real friends, so that's a lot of lagniappe, there. Subsequently, there have been times that these friends have talked about someone else's books and I've gone to check that book out and then I bought it. But I bought it on word-of-mouth, not on the author having posted information. (In each case where this happened, the person had bought and read the book; they had not re-posted anything from the original author.)
I also know that there have been a few times when I've seen an author be so... repugnant... on their social media interactions, that I am no longer interested in their books, so the social media thing can definitely backfire.
So I'd like to know if the mandate to "get a FB and Twitter account" to "help sell books" is a fallacy... or if it helps... or if sales are just an occasional side benefit.
Would you mind telling me which of the following is true for you? Please feel free to pick more than one if you do some of one, some of the other. I'm looking more for overall trends here, so feel free to elaborate.
Now, this is not just aimed at readers, but I really hope you all will come out of lurkdom and post. To make it fun, one lucky commenter will receive a $25 gift certificate to the online bookstore of their choice.
POLL
a) I follow authors on FB/Twitter after I've read their books, not before.
b) I follow authors on FB/Twitter after I've heard about them from their blogs -- this does not mean I have bought or will buy their books.
c) I follow authors on FB/Twitter after someone else has mentioned them / tweeted about them / shared a link, but that's more out of curiosity, and does not mean I will be buying their books.
d)I follow authors on FB/Twitter, and in some cases (or all cases), have then subsequently bought their books.
e) I follow authors on FB/Twitter after I heard about them from their blogs, and I have then subsequently bought their books.
f) I follow authors on FB/Twitter after someone has mentioned them/tweeted, etc., and I often then buy their books.
g) I follow authors on FB/Twitter and ended up buying something they recommended. (Doesn't mean I bought that author's books, though.)
h) What the hell? Who the hell follows authors on FB/Twitter? I don't "follow" authors online, and I still buy books.
i) WRITE IN YOUR TAKE ON THE USE / ABUSE / FALSE ASSUMPTIONS about Facebook and/or Twitter.
And now, for the teaser part of the post...
For the next two weeks, you will see all of our workspaces and hear about our writing processes. Well, everyone except moi... mine was posted a couple of weeks back here. I think this is a first for us--a concentrated two week look into the same aspect of each of our lives, and how similar--and different--we all are.
On my Sunday, two weeks from now, we have a round-up of photos from a bunch of cool writers friends, and we're adding more through this week. (Seriously, you will love glimpses into these writer's workspaces -- Lee Child, David Morrell, Laura Lippman, MJ Rose, Anne Stuart, Lani Diane Rich, Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, Cindy Gerard, Erica Spindler, T. Jefferson Parker, CJ Lyons, Jeff Abbott, James Born, Gayle Lynds, Jonathan Maberry... and YOU.)
I want YOU, yes, YOU to send me your photos of your workspaces, because you're a part of us. So many of you have visited with us every day, and we'd love to include you in our pictorial. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A WRITER. We LOVE READERS. There are a bunch of writer friends who post here for whom I do not have an email address, and yes, I want you on board. All of you. What a cool round-up that would be.
Here's what you do -- take a photo of your workspace. I don't care if it's a barn, a desk in a cubicle, an assembly line, a backhoe... take a photo of your workspace and email it to toni [at] tonimcgeecausey [dot] com. Any photo will do, and don't worry if it's dark or whatever--I have Lightroom, I can deal with it. Email it and tell me in a sentence or two something about your workspace and what you do there.
C'mon. Join the fun. I've got photos right now of everything from a Starbucks to a highrise apartment to a bed. (Yes. A bed. Which is so perfect.) So send me yours, dear 'Rati. You belong here.
Now, on to your answers! And thank you.
Facebook, Toni McGee Causey, Twitter, Work Space 
Reader Comments (55)
For me a regularly updated webpage is most important.
However, the biggest influence on buying books lately--in the last two or three years--is if I read something that intrigues me by an author on a blog. For instance, I've bought a lot of the Murderati members' books, solely on the strength of your blogs. And enjoyed most of them. Even guest bloggers have a better chance of selling me on their books than authors I've never had the slightest bit of contact with, and the same holds true of books recommended by bloggers.
Facebook is such a time sink. If I were writing full-time I would rarely post there. And I don't actually "follow" anyone, other than to read random posts made. If I "like" a post FB tells me when there's more activity after I "liked" it, and sometimes I'll reread to see what other comments were made, depending on how amusing the original post happened to be. But if none of you were on Facebook it would not make any difference to me. Again, much, much more likely to read a blog.
Sorry.
I will ocassionally visit a author website or blog, but FB/Twitter doesn't hold an attraction for me. I'll read reviews and comments from another author and at times will buy the book to see if all of the praise is just lip service. I hate it when I get taken in, but that doesn't happen often.
P.S. You won't see a photo of my writing place--too embarassing. Remember that scruffy old recliner Fraser's dad sat in? That's it.
POLL
a) Almost Always
b) The only time I follow an author on FB if I have not read any of their books is if at least one of their books is in my TBR pile and I participate in discussions on one of their blogs.
c) Nope
d). See answer to b
e) See answers to a & b.
f) See answers to a & b.
g) YES and other readers who recommend books, but only on FB pages authors I already read.
h) I don’t tweet. I don’t have time to follow Twitter, I can barely keep up with DorothyL. I also think Twitter promotes the “I just did the dishes posts” On mundane things like this I don’t care if one of my daughters does it, let alone anyone else.
On FB I follow authors I read except per b above. I am not sure why you would follow authors you have never read? On fan pages you have to press a button that says “like” How do you know you “like” an author you have never read her books? BTW I like authors who have both "fan" pages and friend you on their personal pages. J.T. has a note on her personal page that says "this is filled with silly putty" As I post below, I like silly putty.
i) FB use: For me FB and authors are an interesting phenomenon. I am not a fanboy. I follow my favorite musicians, some TV shows, and many products I use. But I have never once posted on these pages. They are information only. But reading is such a personal medium and so integral in my life I want to know authors, I want to support them in their work. I not only like the FB pages where discussion is solely about books, tours and links to nifty reviews, but off topic stuff too. Last week Pari talked about making homemade applesauce. This sparked a discussion about apples, pie etc. It was old fashion, over the back fence conversation. Does this type of discussion directly bring in new readers, probably not. But it does cement relationships with current readers and I can’t believe it doesn’t increase word of mouth sales. And isn’t word of mouth the ultimate social network?
FB abuse: I think an author’s use of FB can distance readers and hurt sales. There are some FB pages where the author just gives information about books and it is all marketing. They don’t even interact much with readers about their books, let alone anything else. Worse, some FB pages read as if the author is not FBing at all, but some publicist or assistant. These are not common and are usually the pages of authors with huge bestsellers. I don’t bother much with their FB pages.
False assumptions: FB pages directly attracts new readers. Social networking is about, well, networking . . . building connections and relationships. That is what attracts new readers and reinforces the bond with current readers.
i. I will say this. I cannot stand it when authors don't give readers an opportunity to contact them with feedback online. I'd never heard of this until my cousin got interested in Stephenie Meyer books, and was heartbroken that she couldn't e-mail the author about how much she loved the books. An author doesn't have to reply to every comment s/he receives, but it seems so arrogant to say, "Sorry, I'm so famous that I don't have time to receive your feedback." That's infuriating.
I know that's a bit off-topic, but I think it ties in with the whole Internet presence issue. I think it's important for authors to connect with their audience outside of their books, but I don't think it's necessary to join every social networking site available (or any of them for that matter.)
Facebook, I really use that to keep up with all my hippie friends I knew thirty years ago. and I mostly think it's annoying for anything else.
For some reason, I get anywhere from four to ten friend requests per day, the vast majority of them from people I don't know. Since part of the reason for doing this in the first place was to get the word out about the books, I go ahead and accept. Many of them seem to be aspiring writers, but that's fine with me, because that's a group to whom I can easily relate. They're very likely to be readers, too!
And maybe I'm one generation past getting the social media thing. I kinda do both and it's nice to know what family/friends are doing but to use it for promotional purposes? Yikes, too much like a blaring commercial in the middle of a drink with friends.
We're having a big ol' thunderboomer of a rain storm this morning -- perfect reading weather. Woot!
Voice is important to me. I'll read Dudley's book without promotion just because I like his comments. Same goes for others here.
Usually, Facebook isn't going to sway me one way or another about buying a book, I like all the other stuff that goes on at Facebook, not too much the promotion. I have "hidden" some writers who are using it only for promotion 'cause I found it to be pretty boring.
I do think websites are pretty important, especially if there are samples of the writer's work available. I'm able to tell from a fairly short piece of writing if it's a book I'm going to like, or if it's a writing style I enjoy.
P.S. A photo of my workspace will be difficult. Sometimes I'm in the living room at my desk... sometimes I'm in the kitchen with the dog... sometimes I'm in the recliner in the family room... it'll have to be a collage.
I don't do facebook, and I resisted twitter forever but caved when I needed a way to hype my flash fiction ezine. I got a personal account a bit later to hype my own published fiction and poetry.
I'm much more pleased when people follow my blog and come in to read me and comment on a regular basis.
Twitter is most useful for me as a fun little flirty lift to the day. I worry about the people who "live" there and who live and die with their follower numbers.
I like twitter followers, but all the jockying for more followers got old for me really quickly. It's a time suck and not something that I'm interested in investing energy into. When people find me by accident that's great, but I'm not out casting a net or getting software to "enlarge my twitter following" [yes they have that]
I've also seen the obnoxious behaviour on twitter and it has soured me on a couple of artist's work.
I don't think we need to know everything about every artist whose work we like. I'd enjoy a little old fashioned discretion making a comeback.
So, to answer your question Toni. Um....no. I don't think more social media is always a good thing.
I don't follow authors I like online. I buy their books.
You know, I really don't like it when an author adds me on Facebook (follows on Twitter, sure, it's there for everyone to see, but FB I find more personal), which they probably find me through mutual friends. But, really, just because I read books from 20 of their friends doesn't mean I want to read theirs. They must realize that when I like an author, and I want to "befriend" them, I'll look for them on Facebook. So, there's no need for them to friend me. I feel I'm being used for promotion, right there. Like they're suggesting themselves to be. Really, is anything sadder than "Will you read my book?" Maybe I'm being too critic here. (And I mean really unknown authors here. If there's an author I often interact with in a blog, and they add me -- knowing I'm me, from the blog -- than I'm more than happy to add them as my friends! :) (I don't like to authors I randomly know from blogs because it may seem weird).
What was the letter/option for that again?? :P
My workspace is my bed. But... If I were to send a picture, I'd send a picture of my bed made, in which case it would not be my workspace since when I'm "working" (aka reading school stuff, taking notes, doing some kind of homework) everything thrown around, pillows on the floor, stuffed animals hanging on for their dear life. Wouldn't that be cheating? :)
I am more influenced by author's blog posts, because if I like the way they write I am more likely to buy their books. For example, I met Allison Brennan when she was a guest blogger on a blog written by a member of my local RWA chapter. I loved what she had to say, and her style, so I bought one of her books and then followed her here. And here, I met the fabulous Toni McGee Causey and Tess Gerritsen, and now my bookcase is home to Bobbie Faye and Jane Rizzoli and I am so glad. So for me, it's blog posts and Amazon recommendations and word of mouth.
And I am so excited about seeing the photos of the author's work spaces!
First, FB is for family and friends. Second, I would say the majority of readers of author blogs are would-be writers looking for insight. . . .also, blog visitors more often then not are already fans of the author so it is preaching to the choir. Myself, I follow half a dozen blogs, does that mean I read them all everyday, no. It depends on the subject that the author of the day is writing on. I think that is probably a pretty average reaction by most blog readers.
Here is some unofficial market research you might find interesting; The day job is dealing with insurance matters for a very large university hospital, and right around the corner from me is a call center of roughly 80 people. . . . 98% are women, age 24-60, the largest book buying demographic. Now to get coffee I have to walk through their work area, and being one of those would-be writing types I am not about to pass up a chance to take a peek and see whoes books are on their desks, and here is what I see.......1. the majority of books are mystery/thrillers...(the guys tend to read paperback fantasy/sci-fi).....2. there is an even split between hardcover and paperbacks, and only a few are from the library......3. most of the authors are women, with Brown, Robb/Robers and Evanovich most common, though I have seen the names of authors on this blog....male authors tend to be Patterson, Grisham and King......4 And here is the BIGGIE.....I would bet my salary that less then five of these women have had any kind of social media interaction with an author, and that includes visting an authors web site.....hell, I'll make that 3 women.
But what I do hear at work.....is one reader asking another about a book, if it is any good, etc?......and the answer to that question has a bigger impact then all the internet social media. And here is the kicker, if the answer is positive, it is usually followed by either an offer to loan or a request to borrow the book in question.
Is the science behind this perfect, no far from it, but I haven't met a perfect human yet.
Since you didn't post pix today, everyone gets to be horrified tomorrow with my post. Argh.
I don't follow most authors on FB. Though I have a Twitter acct., I haven't started using it yet.
I have 2-3 pages on FB; a personal page, a "fan" page and the Big Chile (Left Coast Crime page).
I despise being marketed to. That's really strange since I'm such a PR maven.
So, my personal page is for fun conversations. I don't look at it as a vehicle for selling books . . . simply as a way to expand my world and meet interesting people. The "Fan" page is for talking about writing, posting my daily numbers, and if I have an important announcement about my writing, I might . . . might, put it there.
The Big Chile page is to start getting people engaged and to answer questions. I also maintain a blog on the convention website -- right now the content is the same in both places b/c I want people to get in the habit of checking now (I'm asking questions about NM) so that when they need info, they'll ask.
I DO follow writers with blogs - 99% of them i have read their books - sometimes before finding their blog - sometimes after. Usually find the blog via links - like their blog and buy their books.
I follow sites like this more often than note - as they give me the perspective of more than one writer. NEAT.
There is one blog i follow that i have not read his written work (scalzi) - as i don't normally read his genre. BUT i love his blog 'whatever' and have bought books based off his "The Big Idea" column - actually picked up books based off that column that i would never have found. I will eventually buy his books - as i would assume they would be as good as his blog.
Now given all of that - SOME writers share too much info. Will not say names but a good example is a top seller in urban fantasy whose books should now be sold in romance (nothing against romance - which i do read) but come one...the 1st 5 books are so different from the others. She shares way too much info on her personal life and honestly that ruins the books for me. DO NOT over share...we are interested in your writing process, ideas, etc but not your personal life. Superficial sharing is fine - but intimate details - keep em to your self.
Non media related - i have been to a few cons JUST to listen to a writer i like speak.
As an author, my philosophy is unless you're a total ass, being on Twitter and Facebook won't hurt sales and may just help. But in the end, who knows?
My theory is that the books themselves are their own advertising. Write a good book and people will be looking for the next one. Have your book in the top ten of a Kindle category and the ranking itself becomes a self-fullfilling advertisement.
In the end, readers are looking for a good book, not a new e-buddy.
On the answers... this is fascinating. I can't wait to see the rest of the answers today. I promise to compile them and post the results! Please keep them coming!
I use an author’s website for three things. To read their faq/bio. To look at book tour schedules because sometimes you do go to Seattle and for some authors I will drive 6 hours for a signing. To get the books’ titles an order. Finally, please, please list your books by series and by order. If you have more than one series split them out.
Blogs: I don’t care if you stay on a book/publishing theme, though personally, I’d stay away from the third rails of politics and religion. Inconsistency is the hobgoblin of blogs. If you are going to blog try to do it in some regular manner. Not everyone uses a feed reader. Use a feed! Some authors’ blogs don’t have a feed setup, right J.T.? Finally, setup a crosspost to FB. I know, FB has a problem with timely posting of them, but someday they’ll fix that.
Doug - I strongly disagree with your analysis, except the word of mouth part. One author's FB page has grown from 3500 followers last fall to over 9000. She has an active discussion page for readers to play in. When she posts, even about cupcakes, she'll get 20- 100 responses. She doesn't talk about the writing process at all and I have seen very few aspiring authors post writing related questions. Almost all of the followers are dedicated readers who love the author's books and like the author. I did a quick survey of followers at the 5000 mark. 20% were men and 80% were women, right down the national demographic. One of the most common post is a reader saying she/he gave or recommend the author's books to a friend and they love them. You can't tell me this does not have a marketing impact.
Sorry about posting three times but as a computer consultant I live on the web, hell I even order pizza on the web, so I have some strong opinions about it.
On the other hand, I see a big risk of social networking causing "frictional" erosion of one's writing career -- especially from lost writing time, diminished focus, and less time imagining your next novel (that is, the time writers spend "living" with the story and characters of their work in progress).
In my opinion, there's only one reason to participate in social networking sites: because you enjoy it. I don't think it can be justified as a means of promoting one's writing career.
Too much of Twitter is about what people ate, but I like it at times because it can help relieve my worry about people. When the flooding in Nashville happened, I watched for JT's Tweets to be sure she was okay. A short blip on Twitter can ease worry.
I tend to follow blogs with multiple authors, like this one, or blogs where guest authors get a chance to shine. I've found some wonderful authors that way, people I wouldn't normally have read otherwise (I'm thinking of Natalie Collins here, actually), and I love the way my favorite authors introduce me to their favorite authors and it becomes this ginormous kudzu-like expansion.
As has been mentioned above, though, FB and Twitter accounts make authors more accessible, and to a fan, that's important. It builds loyalty, not something to be taken lightly.
When I said "FB is for family and friends" I was speaking about how I use FB, which is the way most people use FB. An author having 9000 friends on FB is great, but did it really impact her readership/sales? I doubt it did, since like you said "Almost all of the followers are dedicated readers who love the author's books and like the author", so I am guessing most of those "friends" were already her readers/buyers before they became her friends.......so again as with most author/reader social media it involves preaching to the choir, not growing the author's visibility or readership/sales base.
Also when I said "the majority of readers of author blogs are would-be writers looking for insight" I was speaking of Blogs, not FB. And maybe a "majority" might be a little strong, but looking at how often people responding to posts mention their own writing, I don't think I am that far off the mark.
The bottom line, is yeah it may be great for an author to have 10,000 FB friends and their blog read by thousands, but if these friends and readers are already Buyers, then no social media didn't increase the authors visablilty/sales, and wouldn't the author be better served writing their next book? Isn't one of the reasons we read blogs, etc., is because we don't have a new book by our favorite authors to read?
I DO end up buying things because of these connections. I find out about anthologies a favorite author is in that I wouldn't buy otherwise. Or a book is highly recommended by several people I follow so I check it out.
I've tracked down magazines because a writer has a short story in it. I've also read fiction that a writer has posted on-line and gotten hooked on them and then bought books.
So I think that a presence can certainly help. Most writers on FB and Twitter are interesting and make me want to read them more.
On rare occasion someone is a complete nimrod and I mark them off my reading list. That is quite rare.
I do like to visit author web sites, especially if an author is new to me and has written multiple books in a series. That way I can see the titles and the order in which I should read the books. When I see that a web site has not been updated in years, I do get the impression that they don't really care about their readers or have not written anything recently.
I find out about new authors though print reviews such as Booklist and Mystery Scene. I have also come across new book reccomendations by reading book blogs, which I enjoy.
So I suppose the answer is some sort on interaction on the internet is probably helpful to sales. Just because I don't use it, doesn't mean that others don't. I'm probably in the minority when it comes to Facebook/Twitter. I want real friends, not virtual ones. A real friend will take me to the hospital at 3:00AM when I'm writhing on the floor in pain, a virtual friend can't.
I also have crossed some authors off my list because of what are to me abhorrent views that they have posted on blogs. While their books may be good, I can't justify giving money to support someone whose opinions are repellant to me.
I spent money with wild abandon this past weekend at the Brisbane Writer's Festival with a multitude of justifications, including developing a mild brain crush on someone's writing, supporting a friend, and yes Val McDermid why does the bridegroom obviously not survive the wedding day? I have much more measured response online. Oh and as aside do not trying reading JJ Cooper's 'The Interrogator' at 3 am because you can't sleep.
I found Murderati through a mention on an author's blog a couple of years ago. I tend to use the author sites to see what they have out, almost out and excerpts of work. Sometimes you also get led to good blogs. I have also found some great authors from guest posts here too. Thanks. Like a lot of other people commenting today after finding Murderati I sought out books by the Rati..
I get what you are trying to understand so I hope my response is helpful to you.
I put Facebook and Twitter in different catagories however they are similar.
Facebook - If I am searching for an author on FB it is because I loved their work. I ususally start with the author's own blog/website and if it interests me, then I go to Facebook. I friend them. I love the group comment sections after a status post because I can read what other fans are responding. I especially love when a FB author comments on my stauts or my wall. Woot hoot! I also like when I can read the full URL address of post or blog recommendation. Like that is why I am here today. Toni Causey posted on FB. (love Toni Causey BTW)
Twitter - If I have friended the author of FB, I will check out to see if they are on Twitter (I don't start with Twitter.) I have found more NEW authors on Twitter that have peaked my interest than FB. The reason is the re-tweets. When I frequently see one of my Twitter authors retweet other authors (unknown to me) and I like their posts, it will encourage me to want to follow their comments too.
I find FB more personable. I love when the authors often try and communicate with their readers and publish teasers posts about up and coming books. I love when they just relax and talk with their fans and post something personal like "My son won an award" etc...Shayla Black and Maya Banks are my favorite FB author friends because they are always talking with their fans. There never seems to be "drama" URG! Speaking of drama, when I see an author that I like go all drama and weird on me, I drop them. I feel kinda bad for authors because I know as fans, we tend to put them of pedestals but venting on FB about writing or publishers or SPAMMING them (basically anything that is about their craft) I really hate it.
Twitter is probably harder for authors to ever really get the chance to respond back. Twitter is kinda like a stalking tool. LOL If an author responds back on Twitter it is a one on one conversation. Other fans don't see (unless they are friends too) and often on Twitter some authors posts like every 10 mins. So even though a tweet makes you smile or makes you think you'd like to respond, you don't really because it could be hours later and that would just be to hard to match up the response to the comment.
So both have their pros and cons.
However, Twitter HAS become an excellent source of links to articles and posts about writing and publishing (and news), although that can become overwhelming pretty quickly. After all, how much do I really need to know about what someone "thinks" is going to happen in publishing and how many articles can I read about someone else's career path? Still, good source of information.
I'm more likely to try a new writer as a result of a blog post (and am MOST likely to try a new writer just by browsing; really, I'll try almost anything). Sometimes that link comes from Twitter, but not usually. I once got a (much appreciated) book recommendation from someone via Twitter -- had just finished writing a rather intense scene and needed something "light" to read. Asked for suggestions, got one almost immediately from someone whose opinion I trust, it was a writer I'd been planning to read but hadn't yet, went over to Amazon, bought the ebook and was reading within minutes.
I know people have found and read my blog via Twitter and maybe someday (once I'm published) they'll buy my books as a result of that connection. Though I don't view Twitter as a place to "promote" -- that's irritating as hell.
Facebook? Um, I don't know. It confuses me. Seems like it's all about posting pictures and I think we've discussed how I feel about that. Then again, never say never.
Looking again at your questions, they all seem to revolve around "why/when do you follow" people on T/FB. Aside from industry professionals, I guess I follow people I think are fun/funny or who have "talked" to me. Or who seem likely to talk to me. Otherwise, what's the point? It's not about amassing followers, it's about making friends. There are writers I don't/won't follow because frankly they intimidate the hell out of me. I'll still read their books, but chatting with them? Not going to happen.
Bottom line, Twitter and FB don't sell books. Good writing sells books. Social media connects people to other people, and the reasons for and satisfaction derived from those connections are as varied and diverse as the people involved.
Looking forward to seeing everyone's work spaces and hearing about different processes.
K
Twitter is a complete waste of time. Really. It's absolutely pointless. I still have close to a thousand people following me over there despite the fact that I've posted about twice in the last six months. What does that tell you?
Obviously, nobody even knows you're gone. Or cares. And when I go to the home page and look at the tweets by all the people I'm supposed to be following, all I see are a few either uninteresting or semi-interesting blurbs and a shitload of self-promotion.
Facebook is fun. It's a place where I can relieve stress when I'm on deadline—which is all the time, lately. I don't really look at it as a promotional tool, but more of a yeah-me-too tool. It's always nice to hear those me-toos when you're a little stressed. Other than that? I don't think it helps much career-wise.
Blogs. I have a blog called castingthebones.com. I have several articles for writers there and I often get thank you emails. At one time I considered making it a pay membership blog, but realized that was a little ridiculous, so I gave away the milk for free.
Except I asked my readers one favor. I asked that if a reader/aspiring writer gets anything from my articles that they consider buying one of my books, and I added a link to Amazon for all of my books.
The sight has been up for over a year now and not one single book has been bought through the site. And I get a TON of hits on that site. So how-to blogs do not sell books.
Blogs like Muderati. A great place to, like Facebook, get things off my chest. But the pressure to come up with a decent post every couple weeks sometimes weighs heavily and sometimes interferes with my writing time—which isn't good. I have no idea how many Murderati readers, casual or otherwise, have bought and read my books, so there's no real way to measure it's value to me as an author.
So, all in all, I'm beginning to think of social media as a nice distraction, but a completely useless time suck for authors. In fact, I'm think self-promotion is pretty much a waste of time altogether.
The only way authors will ever sell books is through strong publisher support.
Good point, Dudley. You can now click our photos to go to our websites.
Hope this helps!
I try my local indie store first and then if it looks like it's going to take forever to get hold of a copy...I look at an alternate to Amazon online bookstore. So in my case I will be buying your book based off your Murderati posts, and your website, but it won't be via Amazon.
I also want to amend my previous possibly snippy comment about shallow social networking ( that was a poor description brought on by an early morning, no coffee and a crowded train where I was typing with my knees almost to my shoulders). Origami typing at it's best.
I may not understand the allure of FB and twitter, but I do respect other's right to engage.I'm also really interested in what this poll shows.
I would never have bought down among the dead men, the boulevard, the harrowing, or crap, what's cornelia's? too tired to go paw through the mountain in the corner, if not for this web site. Yeah, it makes a difference
But re the poll - h
I don't think signings do a thing, either. I don't think appearances at conferences do anything in terms of sales (they're more about networking).
In other words, I pretty much think self-promotion is a waste of time. I sell better in the UK than I do in the US and I've never done a lick of self-promotion over there.
Maybe I'm just in a bad mood because I have a deadline approaching. :)