How Much is Enough?
I belong to several online writing forums and the subject of promoting one 's work comes up often enough for me to post a blog about it. Writers can sometimes become obsessive about finding as many avenues to promote, market and otherwise, expose ourselves and our books online.
My question is, how many web pages, blogs, forums and online activities can an author indulge in without seriously injuring their ability to work on our actual books? At what point do you realize that keeping sites like MySpace, Facebook, and other "friends" type sites become a burden and full of people that aren't going to buy or promote your book at all and merely want to post pictures and converse? And do you think all the web pages and web exposure actually do anything to sell your book or draw more readers to you?
Are readers really spending their time online to find authors and visit author web sites? I sometimes get the feeling that the only ones who are joining forums, checking out web sites and communicating with authors online are other authors. Pitching your book to other authors isn't necessarily what I'm interested in. If we are really honest, author-ego is present within all of us and we are most interested in mainly our own books. Be honest. And how many of us have so much time, with work and life, to really read as much as we'd like? I know I can't.
How do you reach the non-writing reader online?
My question is, how many web pages, blogs, forums and online activities can an author indulge in without seriously injuring their ability to work on our actual books? At what point do you realize that keeping sites like MySpace, Facebook, and other "friends" type sites become a burden and full of people that aren't going to buy or promote your book at all and merely want to post pictures and converse? And do you think all the web pages and web exposure actually do anything to sell your book or draw more readers to you?
Are readers really spending their time online to find authors and visit author web sites? I sometimes get the feeling that the only ones who are joining forums, checking out web sites and communicating with authors online are other authors. Pitching your book to other authors isn't necessarily what I'm interested in. If we are really honest, author-ego is present within all of us and we are most interested in mainly our own books. Be honest. And how many of us have so much time, with work and life, to really read as much as we'd like? I know I can't.
How do you reach the non-writing reader online?
Comments
As soon as you get a definitive answer, please advise.
I belong to far more groups, sites, clubs, etc. than I can possibly manage right now, yet when a new one comes along I'm right there, hitting the "Join this group" button.
There is absolutely no way to know if all this networking really produces the result of getting more readers. But it does get our name out there, and there is always the chance that after having seen a writer's name 347 times, a potential reader might check a bit further into what all the fuss is about, and perhaps even read a book.
I have found that of all the places to which I belong, most are almost totally low maintenance. I put my name there, put my books there, put my bio there, beg, plead, and grovel for the attention of anyone who might wander by, then go on to bait the next hook. (Honesty ain't always pretty, kid.)
Best,
Dorien
I have joined several groups and was at one point very active in all of them. Now I'm mostly on the fringe.
My MySpace page seemed very popular. I posted several short stories there and received very positive feedback.
But this takes me to my next question - how much does it hurt an author to be out there, to get recognized in groups, MySpace, etc and then disappear? Is it my overactive ego to worry? Perhaps they didn't really recognize my name at the time, although they seemed to. But what if they did? What if they did enjoy my stories and look for more and then I suddenly vanished?
What are your thoughts on that?
If you're using places like MySpace to showcase your short fiction and seeing a positive return and useful feedback, then I certainly wouldn't just "disappear." Have you considered trying to sell your short stories online? There are many webzines (although not sure how many erotica ones) that actually pay for short fiction. I don't want to sound mercenary and propose you only sell your fiction, but it might be worth some thought on your end. Also, if you ever wanted to publish your short stories in anthologies, some may not take previously published stories and some do consider the Internet publication (an entirely different topic for another blog post down the line, LOL). You might very well be getting the most from your MySpace space. Those who are reading your fiction there might turn into readers that will support you and buy your book. This is the kind of dialogue I wanted to see. If an author can use MySpace for his/her fiction and feels comfortable doing it, will it translate to future book sales? Could MySpace and others like it be a good place to pick up readers? I trust you will keep us posted once your book comes out.
I think it is a good idea to draw up an e-marketing strategy so that you don't disperse your energy all over the place.
It may even be worth it to get some help from a good e-marketing company with a solid strategy, someone that understands your target market.