So, you’ve got your blog running at full steam… (See Today’s Author: Part I at Carrick Publishing — Blogging.)
You’ve been toiling for weeks, churning out your most interesting thoughts, spinning tales into cyber-space.
What’s that you say? Your site had three hits yesterday? Two of them were your mother?
How do we entice readers? You’ve got a great topic. You’ve used images to heighten the visual appeal of your page.
With today’s Social Media tools as close as your nearest WiFi connection, there’s no excuse for toiling in isolation.
Some of the popular outlets for writers include: StumbledUpon, DIGG, CrimeSpace, GrapeVine and GoodReads.
In our experience, there are 4 primary Social Media forums that can help you connect with people who share your passion:
1- Twitter is loaded with potential connections who are waiting to hear from you. They won’t all share your interest in WollySprocket Handbooks, but Twitter offers easy-to-use tools to find your fellow WollySprocket enthusiasts.
The key advantage Twitter offers is its fast, fluid nature. In 140 characters or less, you can josh, share a blog link with your followers, post a photo of your new grandchild or ask for advice.
2- FaceBook is another great forum for finding friends who read, write, publish and are eager to discuss books and e-books.
One of the things I like most about FaceBook is the ability to easily check in on family members, friends and fellow-artists/writers to see what they’re up to.
3- Google + is a newcomer to the Social Media whirlwind, but is quickly making a name for itself, especially among the younger crowd.
One of Google +’s claims to fame is its easy access and connectivity throughout the Google Empire.
4- LinkedIn is a quieter and often overlooked forum. We think of LinkedIn as a professional network, where we can connect with colleagues in our “day jobs”.
For writers, LinkedIn is so much more. It’s full of Writing and Publishing Industry groups, where seasoned professionals gather to chew the fat on the hottest topics of the day.
Joseph Konrath hit the nail on the head with his recent blog post: The Value Of Publicity (A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, Wednesday, January 18, 2012). Konrath points out that, despite our best efforts, it’s tough selling books.
Even the hottest publicity does not always pan out in terms of heightened book sales.
Social Media may not drive high volume sales. However, it will start your sales-engine. And, more important, it can connect you with others in our industry. These people talk ‘books’, all day every day.
If we ever hope to master this industry of ours, it will be through the friends we make as we build our platform.
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In Today’s Author: Building a platform, Part III, we’ll focus our discussion on one of the most beloved and writer-friendly forums out there: Twitter. We’ll look at using its Search capabilities to find folks who share our passion.
Join me for this series at: www.carrickpublishing.com .
Attending Bloody Words 2012? Hope to see you at our workshop on Building A Writer’s Platform through Social Media.
Donna is an executive member of CrimeWriters of Canada and the author of three mystery novels as well as a short story anthology. Her titles include: The First Excellence (winner of the 2011 Indie Book Event Award), Gold And Fishes, The Noon God, Sept-Iles and other places and Knowing Penelope.
Donna blogs regularly at www.onfreedomroad.com , www.carrickpublishing.com , www.donnacarrick.com and http://donnacarrick.blogspot.com/ .
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Not toiling in isolation is a big one. By watching and listening to a lot of professional authors on assorted platforms, I came across a lot of tips and information that helped in developing the writing skills. It’s on the job training in the real world market. But also, just the fact that we are not alone, is a bit of a revelation. It’s better than thinking there’s something wrong with us!