A mix of happy and sad news today, everyone. The sad: I'm leaving Dead Guy :( (more on why in a minute). The happy: Josh Getzler, who is awesome, will be taking my Tuesday spot!
To follow up on Dana's post, and all my authors will kill me when they hear me say this- I am just not made for social media. There are lots of agents out there who Tweet and blog and Facebook, but I am oddly old fashioned when it comes to doing it myself. I do have a Twitter at @michellebrower, but it's not natural to me to have a conversation in public. Yes, I am totally that person giving you an evil glare while you are talking on your cellphone and I am hearing all about your baby's medication-resistant diaper rash. I feel like I fall in the middle of the pack of publishing professionals; there are some de facto social media experts out there like Colleen Lindsay and Janet Reid, but then again some very reputable and very prosperous agencies don't even have a website. Little 'ol me- you can find me on Google, I keep my Folio page up to date, and I occasionally tweet, but I'm afraid that's about as much as I'm comfortable with.
However, YOU, meaning the person who is trying to make a living selling books that you've written, you DO have to learn to use social media, even if it's as natural as breathing underwater. And I have seen social media work wonders for authors in terms of making new friends, getting blurbs, having honest-to-goodness champions join in on the cause. I think I've distilled the process down to three simple steps.
1) Listen. Believe it or not, social media is not actually a promotional tool. It's something that people use to come together and form communities on the internet. So, from the first, don't worry so much about promoting. Listen to what others have to say, cheer them on, learn from their experiences. Soak it all in.
2) Respond. Now that you've taken the time to actually listen to what people are saying, interact with them. Still no promoting! Start conversations, ask questions, support the efforts of others, re-tweet good news, have someone guest blog, etc. Everyone likes to get a little attention, so consider it your duty to dole some out.
3) Be genuine. If you tell a favorite author you like their book, make sure you've read it and you do! Be honest in your dealings, like in any friendship, and that will carry you a long way.
After you've done all three, that's when you can start self-promoting, but you still have to keep listening, responding, and being genuine. See? Simple. Now you just have to actually do it, and that's the hard part. Ask Dana, she will tell you the rest!
Now, even though I'll no longer be posting on Tuesdays here at Dead Guy, I WILL still be haunting the comments (ooooOOOOoooo) so you haven't seen the last of me quite yet. Muah ha ha!
-Michelle Brower
Michelle, we hardly knew ye! But thank you for being a part of Dead Guy, and please don't be too spooky in future comments! (Thought I must admit that I love the idea of you being a ghost who periodically shows up in the comments just to say "ooooOOOOoooo".)
Posted by: Alison Janssen | April 05, 2011 at 05:48 PM
We're gonna miss ya, Michelle! Don't be a stranger!
Posted by: Jeff Cohen | April 05, 2011 at 10:40 PM
Michelle, thanks so much for your posts. You will be missed. I look forward to seeing some hauntings pop up here and there.
Posted by: Alli | April 06, 2011 at 06:16 PM