Why I Don’t Count Followers, Mentions, Google Alerts, or Blog Hits Anymore
By Lisa Janice Cohen | May 23, 2011 |
Kath here. Many of you might recognize today’s guest poster, WU community member LJ Cohen. LJ is a poet and an aspiring YA novelist. She’s been with WU since our early days, and we’re thrilled to have her with us today. Enjoy!
‘Progo,’ Meg asked. ‘You memorized the names of all the stars – how many are there?’
‘How many? Great heavens, earthling. I haven’t the faintest idea.’
‘But you said your last assignment was to memorize the names of all of them.’
‘I did. All the stars in all the galaxies. And that’s a great many.’
‘But how many?’
‘What difference does it make? I know their names. I don’t know how many there are. It’s their names that matter.’
–from “A Wind in the Door” by Madeline L’Engle
I know the conventional wisdom. If you’re a writer, you need platform. Once that used to mean connections in a specific subject area for writers of non-fiction. Now it means the whole array of social networking for fiction writers as well. Honestly, you can’t turn around on the ‘net without some post or tweet exhorting the Power of Platform and of Harnessing Your Social Network to Sell Books. I swear, it’s starting to look like all those emails for Viagra.
I’ll admit it. I drank the social networking cool-aide. I began to have panic attacks when I didn’t get any retweets or blog comments on a given day. I began to feel like a failure at this whole platform thing. But, here’s the kicker: I don’t have a book to market (yet) and even if I did, hawking my wares online is no more my style than grabbing a soapbox and shouting about myself in the middle of the Boston Commons.
It’s not me. It will never be me. I’m an intensely private person. Surprise, surprise–a writer who is an introvert. I like long stretches of quiet alone time, time to think without distractions or background noise. Yes, I was that girl in elementary school who got in trouble for staring out the window during class. But I’m also no hermit. Nor am I ignorant about the need to self-promote to succeed in today’s publishing world.
Here’s the paradox: I love blogging. I enjoy the discipline of public writing as well as the connections I’ve made and rediscovered on facebook. I think it’s great that so many interesting people link to so many fascinating things via twitter. I’ve even dipped my toes into tumblr and discovered, to my delight, an entire community of folks as crazy for Doctor Who as I am. Social networking isn’t evil. It just has an overrated sense of its own self-importance.
Just as the early days of the internet were all about sharing information and making connections, (who remembers the compuserve and AOL message boards?) social networking was initially about being, well, social. Now, so much of the ‘net is about selling that it’s easy to forget how powerful, how vital those fledgling networks organized around common interests were. For the first time, it was possible to create communities without the limitations of geography. It is easy to take this for granted today, but more than a decade ago, I was able to find and join a poetry workshop where I didn’t need a babysitter, didn’t have to drive an hour, could read in the wee hours of the night or during my lunch break, and write in the narrow margins of my life. I am still an active participant of that workshop.
If I am growing weary of tweets that only serve to shout ‘look at me, here I am’ either by selling something or repetitively linking to the person’s latest blogpost, I can’t imagine I’m the only one. So here’s the question. Can we get back to the social in social networking? Can we leave off the in-your-face sell to late night infomercials? One of the tenets of online behavior that I follow is not to blog/tweet/fb anything I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying to someone’s face and in public. Our friends and relatives would tire of us in a very brief time if every interaction included the equivalent of the three year old shouting ‘ME!” If you wouldn’t force your book or your latest review under the nose of every person you meet in the grocery story, should all your online communications do so?
Communication is about mutuality. It’s about offering and receiving. In the push for platform, we need to recognize that there is a tremendous difference between having a conversation and shouting. My number one reason for deleting someone from my RSS feed or my follow lists is that their voice is the on-line equivalent of the late pitch-man, Billy Mays. The people I choose to follow in various social networks have something to offer me in return for the gift of my time. Sometimes what is offered is simply interesting or relevant information, other times entertainment, still others, conversation and connection. Over my years of participating in online communities, I have even made dear, close friends.
Do I have a platform? By a strict definition, no. I have an online voice. In most respects, it matches my voice in real life. And though I strive for honesty and emotional connection in my web based interactions, I do keep a distinction between private and public. (After all, who really cares when I have a latte at my neighborhood coffee shop. . . ) I maintain my online presence because the people I’ve met through social networking have profoundly moved me and enriched my life. I maintain my online presence because I hope to be able to do the same for others.
I hope that when I do have a novel published, both my online and in-real-life communities will be interested in my success on a personal level, because we already have a relationship. Perhaps some will be moved to buy that book, or tell others about it. Ultimately, that will be their decision. There are only a few areas in which I have complete control: writing the best story I can write, and conducting my relationships with integrity. For me, that means respecting my craft and my readers. My followers are individuals, not commodities.
Followers and readers. How many do I have? Well, “I don’t know how many there are. It’s their names that matter.”
LJ Cohen is a novelist, poet, fiber artist, potter, and relentless optimist. After almost twenty-five years as a physical therapist, LJ now uses real clinical skills to injure fictional characters. Find LJ at her writing website and blog or digging in the dirt at StarField Farm.
Ah, you are a brave, brave woman. I wish I could cut out the networking and just be social. I just joined twitter because I was told I am supposed to have a twitter presence. I just don’t have the time or patience for it though.
Why do we make ourselves jump through virtual hoops to create and keep an online presence? I should be writing my novel now instead of going through my blogger dashboard…
Great post-thanks.
I’m no expert here, but I think you can only do as much social networking as feels comfortable and authentic to you, or it will be a drag on your energy and creativity.
And there are a lot of times I check into social media when I am avoiding the writing, working hard to convicne myself all the while how crucial to my career it is.
:)
Whew! I feel SO much better now! Someone thinking the same thing as me! I also don’t have my book published yet, but feel so pressured to have an online presence that it takes away from time spent to actually write (given that I currently work F/T outside the home). And Kerry Ann, I feel your pain! I joined Twitter for the same reason and now have a love/hate relationship with it. I love the updates from other writers and some agents, but it’s otherwise a non-stop shout session. As a fellow introvert, it’s too much for me. I feel drained from all the online presence. I gave up the Internet for a week a few weeks ago, and it was wonderful. I actually had focus! I actually accomplished goals!
Thanks for the post – I’m sure there are many others who can relate.
I’ve taken social media breaks when I start to feel drained. There’s an addictive quality to checking for updates that can be very destructive to my concentration.
And because I have problems with disciplining myself, I ended up installing a firefox addon called leechblock and set it that I only have 15 minutes in any given hour to be on FB/Twitter/etc. It helps keep me focused.
Those are really interesting points. I always felt like social networking should be more selfless, but you explained why better than I could have.
Thank you. I probably use twitter about 75% to RT something interesting someone else has mentioned or linked to and 25% my own content. I don’t know how ‘selfless’ I am. But I do strive to be less ego-centric. :)
Great perspective. My favorite author blogs and twitter feeds are from those people who, while they may mention excitement over their new book being released etc., also talk about writing, their life, and other fun stuff. I’m trying to keep that in mind as I blast (or at least sputter) into the digital frontier.
Sputter–what a great word. That’s how I feel a lot of the time in this brave new publishing world. :)
Ah, this post is like the May breeze coming through my long-sealed windows. Amen, and thanks.
LOL–that May breeze is hazy and humid here-abouts. :)
LJ, How refreshing. I’m so ambivalent about Facebook and Twitter that it’s a wonder I haven’t split into two people. I’ll work to be as courageous as you. Thanks for sharing.
LOL–don’t feel courageous most of the time–just overwhelmed. :)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It’s so good to hear someone else feels like I do. The value of social networking lies mostly in the social aspect, and there’s a lot to be gained through actual online conversations.
And, Jen, Z. I can definitely relate. The pressure to create an online presence and market one’s self can be pretty stressful for someone who doesn’t even like to be noticed walking into a room.
Yay! Another like-minded thinker. I, too, like to blog. It engages me in a way that 140 characters could never do. I think through blogging, I have the best of all worlds, friends I would never have met any other way, a place to extoll my creative outlet, and the sharing between other writers.
I don’t FB or Tweet. And honestly, I think I would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to do so. It’s too much work. Blogging takes up too much of my time already.
Perhaps someday when I have a book published, it will become the necessary evil, but not now. There’s too much writing to do.
Thanks for sharing this rant about the whole “social” media sphere.
Many of us are commiserating, virtually, with the points you have made!
Refreshing. I think social networking can be great, but only if you are genuine (because you WANT to be) and surround yourself with genuine people. I know that can be hard to do online but come on…we’re writers…we should be able to spot character :)
I appreciate your honesty. Great post.
I agree, Sara. Great point about seeing through the words to the character of a person…that’s what we (are supposed) to do best. :)
Jody Hedlund, in my opinion, is a beautiful example of an author who conducts herself with grace. She’s built a platform through generous posts about the writing and publication process. Though she mentions her work at times, it’s never to make a push for readers to purchase.
She’s all about class. I hope when I debut I can follow her lead.
I freaking LOVE this post! I feel the same way, entirely, and I applaud you for saying what so many of us are thinking. Like you, I hate the idea that I have to “build a platform” online, instead of just making friends and having conversations. And like you, I am quickly dropping anyone who is only out to promote themselves. I don’t watch commercials on TV, and I don’t need them in my online feeds.
“There are only a few areas in which I have complete control: writing the best story I can write, and conducting my relationships with integrity. For me, that means respecting my craft and my readers. My followers are individuals, not commodities.”
Hear hear!
I agree with everything you’ve said. I’m also unpublished, but I recently decided to bite the bullet and start and “author blog” and twitter account, but my goal is (in your words) to create an “online voice” for myself and NOT a “platform.”
I’m also like you in that I don’t want to listen to a sales pitch from… well, just about anyone. The only people I follow, either by reading their blogs or on twitter, are people who are saying interesting things. I’ve “unfollowed” several people that I know (and enjoy!) in real life simply because the online version of them was too tedious.
I do still like to check on my blog hits though… :)
Ah, I like this post! I enjoy twitter and my blog for the social parts, and I hate the selling. I LOVE my online writer pals, the support they offer, the books they recommend, and I don’t mind at all when people link to interesting blog posts (their own or others!) once or even twice. But what I value most about social media is the ability to socialize–to make friends with people who are passionate about the same things I am! I have a book to promote, or at least I will soon, and I admit, the whole thing gives me the shivers when I hear the words “marketing” or “promotions”. I am also an introvert, and I don’t feel the least bit comfortable telling people they should buy my books. But I love all the people I’ve met and continue to meet online, and I really enjoy the dialogue about the things I love.
I’ve only been blogging a few months so I’ll admit to still checking just how many hits I’ve had. Then figuring out how many of them are mine. But I like your post. That’s the attitude I’ve tried to have.
Thank you so much for all the supportive replies! I actually had forgotten that today was the day the WU folks were publishing this blogpost. True and funny: I follow WU on my RSS reader, but only get the headlines. Saw the headline for this post and my first thought was, ‘cool, someone who thinks like I do.’ Then I realized it was the post I wrote.
And a damn good post it is! Like so many others who’ve commented on your post, I feel happy and relieved (yes! Phew!) that someone is coming out at last with the crucial distinction that social networking is MORE about socializing than “building a platform”!
For a fiction writer – who’s basically an introvert – all this stuff about platform building and tweeting/FB/blogging about one’s writing is so…painful. I prefer to talk about what interests me – the things that irritate me, the things that delight me – the way I would when I meet friends for dinner in a little Roman trattoria (yes, I’m lucky, I live in Rome…)
Which is why I love blogging (2 posts per week is about right for me – leaves me time to write my fiction: because that’s what I really want to do!)
All of us bloggers who love blogging for the sake of it – and not to push ourselves on others – should unite around your post and raise it as a banner!
This reminds me of the Stephen Leather post where he observed that many new writers were too busy promoting their books instead of working on their craft.
I guess my thought is, does an online voice matter without something to sell? And even if we do have a voice, does that even matter anymore? If the writing is good enough, won’t it eventually gain notice?
It’s mediocrity that everyone ignores, and mediocrity that everyone is too busy plugging. Isn’t this the tediousness we are suffering from?
I had a lightning bolt moment when I was looking at an author’s new book on his blog and realized I had zero interest in buying or reading the book. Love the blog, but zombie dinosaur robots* (*for example) aren’t my thing.
I suppose I may mention the book to someone, or recommend it to a friend, and I’m sure some readers will buy a stack, but that post really put things into perspective.
Yes, social media matters. Writing matters more. Writing is very very important, and you must try very hard to procrastinate in new and wonderful ways, like, say, posting comments on blogs. :-)
Just kidding! Posting on and reading WriterUnboxed is my happy fun time. I’m on a legitimate break, I swear!
Thanks for a great post. I’ve been a playwright for 20 + years and have just written my first novel which launches next week. I’ve been doing my best to use FB and Twitter with some serious reservations, all of which are covered so well, above.
It is a breath of fresh air to discover Writer Unboxed and these informative posts and comments. This feels so much more “real” to me; I can “hear” a writer’s voice, consider their point of view, appreciate a well written argument.
Many thanks!
I am entirely happy to read an author’s work when I’ve already encountered them on the internet. And I understand how hard it can be, so I can tolerate a certain obvious effort to sell books, even when I’d otherwise find it wearing. But when the only thing I can glean from an author’s blog posts and Twitter stream is an endless series of spam that says nothing more than “Buy my book! Cheap! Buy, buy, buy!”, then I conclude they have nothing to say I’m interested in hearing.
My point is that your strategy would be far more likely to reach me than the relentless hype usually urged on writers. I can’t buy every book I read about under any circumstances (much as I wish I could), so I’m going to allocate my precious book buying dollars and my even more scarce space to a book I know I’ll find worth keeping.
Hi there! I absolutely agree that social media tools, if used incorrectly, come off like commercials and probably do more harm than good for a writer’s reputation. However, if done well, I think writers (published and unpublished) can make real connections with readers and other writers (who also become readers of your work). Plenty of writers are out there on Twitter discussing writing in general, publishing in general, and helping to promote new writers’ work. I think there is plenty of good happening out there. It’s easy to unfollow (on FB, Twitter, etc) anyone who is overdoing the “platform” thing.
I love the distinction you make between a platform and an on-line voice. Your focus on integrity and connection makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks.
I like/love/admire the thought behind this, though it’s hard to ignore the numbers when they’re everywhere (especially for those of us fascinated by data).
I initially began tweeting and blogging as a platform — but that’s not at all why I continue. Like you, I’m an introvert who loves the public aspect of blogging! I never expected to make connections, dare I say friends, with other writers and readers of my blog, but I have! I have also found lots of great writing information & resources via Twitter, so it’s okay with me if I need to look through other information to find it. And of course one person’s platform may be another person’s useful information!
I’m so pleased this post had such an impact! And in the interest of honesty and true confessions, I have to admit I have checked this comments thread several times today. :)
And yes, it is hard to completely ignore all the numbers and metrics. The balance for me is to connect with the people behind those numbers.
I hate to be the contrarian here…oh wait, I love that role actually so here it is. I do think it’s okay for us to take a break and rage against the machine now and again but the reality is this post is Social Media and I only came to this title because one of your faithful posted the link on Facebook. Ninety percent of my web traffic to my author site comes directly through Social Media and yes…following numbers do matter. I know it’s frustrating folks…but come on, enough of a break at the rest stop…let’s all get back on the bus and get rolling along again.
This is a great post. I feel exactly the same way. I love to build relationships online. There are so many great people out there and writers create such a supportive community.
LJ,
Wow. Thank you for boldly sharing a piece of your thoughts on the social networking craze. Like most everyone else in the comments above me, I agree with you. Wholeheartedly.
I, too, have been thinking through the PUSH advice for writers on social media. I’m not a push kind of person. The people I enjoy following on FB and twitter are the people who have a personality, who share interesting or entertaining or helpful tidbits. Somehow, that adds to be a PULL for me–a draw toward forming a friendship, toward a person with a name.
Beautifully said. Write on toward your YA novel!
Jennifer
“The people I enjoy following on FB and twitter are the people who have a personality, who share interesting or entertaining or helpful tidbits.”
Ding, ding, ding! That’s really all you have to do. Be interesting. Find things that interest you and share them. And everybody is interesting in different ways.
Bold, honest, and oh so true. Love this post, so the first thing I did of course is “tweet” it!
Love this post! Thanks to a fellow writer who was kind enough to point out my mistakes, I’m realizing I can’t be spouting off about word count and pushing my blog constantly. I need to connect with people and make online friends just the way I do in real life – by being myself.
Social networking has become a venue to push ourselves, and it’s a fine line to walk, especially for unpublished authors like myself. Kudos to you for putting the truth out there.
And I second the praise of Jody Hedlund. I don’t normally read her genre, but her class and kindness on her blog propelled me to buy her book, and surprise, surprise, I loved it!
Thank you to all the gracious commenters–it’s a relief to know I’m in such good company. Thanks for making the swim upstream against the social media current a lot easier.
Great post!!! How boring is it to promote ourselves all the time? The readers get tired of it. “Followers” are interested in an author’s writing life, reading thoughts, etc., but if every update says, “buy my book,” the next step is to be UNfriended.
I didn’t know there was anyone out there who would write about this with such grace and intelligence, and not be afraid of the inevitable backlash it would create from those who promote “social media” as if it were akin to getting a polio vaccine in the 50’s!
As everyone before me here has said, we should be using FB and Twitter and all the rest of it as a “platform” for making friends and sharing thoughts and ideas, instead of a “platform” for gaining viewers and more numbers on our “hit” list.
Patti
Thanks so much. You took the words write out of my heart.
Yes. Thank you for this. Wandering Author also articulated my thoughts:
—
My point is that your strategy would be far more likely to reach me than the relentless hype usually urged on writers. I can’t buy every book I read about under any circumstances (much as I wish I could), so I’m going to allocate my precious book buying dollars and my even more scarce space to a book I know I’ll find worth keeping.
—
On my Twitter feed I see a steady stream of tweets and RTs blaring “only $0.99!” or “buy now!” or “writers follow writers!”. I’ve never clicked on one of those. I will often click on links to blog posts, if they sound interesting, and I interact with people I’m following or people who use the hashtags I’m watching. If somebody I’ve interacted with a number of times tweets about their new book, I might very well check it out. But the interaction has to come first.
It probably helps that I don’t have anything for sale yet, so I mainly have the connections to focus on, which means I notice who is and is not doing the same thing I am.
I often find books through other means that have much less to do with aggressive social networking – recs from friends, lists from awards or websites, posts on blogs I already follow, Amazon’s “customers who bought X also bought Y”, and so on. It’s worth remembering that those other methods still exist.
All that said, I will admit to being slightly obsessed with my follower count. ;-) My brain likes numbers…
A wonderful post LJ! It truly defines exactly how I feel about social networking and the importance of what it means to the individual using it. I love the personal connections I’m making via my blog, and you’re right–it’s their names that matter. Quality vs. quantity, quality wins every time.
I hear ya. That’s what drove me from Twitter and what I am wary of becoming. I’m so glad you wrote this, and it’s perfect. Thank you
THis is THE BEST post I’ve read on the subject. I signed up for Twitter, face book and began a blog all once –last fall. Because “everyone” said a good idea. That meant my publisher and writer friends. I almost barfed first tweet. I said I’d give it a year. After so many years “alone” in my office -the social part — the connecting- wow. But now, I feel you said everything I feel. I’m convinced this media does not “sell” books it just gives a billboard. Blog page or brag page?
Is your novel finished?I can hardly wait to read it after reading this. I will tweet and face book about it for you. (: (If before this September. ‘Cause Then I’m off facebook. )
Well said, LJ. Thank you for putting so eloquently into words how I feel about Social Networking.
I especially resonate with this quote: One of the tenets of online behavior that I follow is not to blog/tweet/fb anything I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying to someone’s face and in public.
This is a really great post! I’ll posting this on my blog, too!
Thank you for an excellent post. I find myself more interested in following people who talk about their opinions and their day than people doing the hard sell. I don’t have anything to sell yet so I just want people to chat to, or who make me laugh or think.
I haven’t unfollowed anyone doing the sell thing so far because I sympathise with their uphill struggle to promote their books the only way they know how, but I’m certainly not buying the books either. Sad thing is, most of them were a lot of fun until they had something to sell. It’s like a switch got flipped.
I have no idea what I will do if I have something to sell. I have my head in the sand on that one right now. Probably carry on chatting about how other people’s days are going, because that’s what I like doing.
One irony in all of this is I know that self promotion via social media has worked for a bunch of authors. It just doesn’t work for me. I’m willing to get my work out there, make connections with people who I think will enjoy it, and hope that the quality of my writing and my integrity as a person will help spread the word.
Another irony is that, yes, guest blogging *is* social media. I am astounded at the number of comments here and the number of folks who have chosen to follow me on FB and Twitter as a result. However, I didn’t write this as a calculated effort to gain followers; I wrote it because it’s something I have been struggling with, something I believe.
So, for me, the take home message (and one I hope came through in the post) is that social media isn’t evil. It just needs perspective.
It’s been a pleasure meeting all of you and reading your thoughtful comments. Thank you and kudos to the WU folks for allowing me the space here on their most excellent blog.
This post helped dilute my fears of the web propagating selfishness. Thanks! Keep it up.
Interesting perspective thanks for writing,
The introverted writer has always needed help in getting his or her work read; hence agencies, publishers, marketers, book-stores, librarians etc.
All specific people placed in between the highly talented but introverted writer and the reader?
I don’t think that has changed at all? Do you?
The mechanism has for sure… you need less of those people, or their skill-set is completely different… as is the writers. I mean you are writing a blog for others to read… you weren’t doing that 15 years ago.
Now the Writers middlemen, are web-developers, social engineers/marketers. I think it is the same job just a different title.
Thanks
Geoff
Great post :)
It all comes down to common sense and rules of proper social behavior.
Thank you for sharing :)
To me, this spirit of “If you build it, he will come,” makes sense. No one will listen to anyone who is not being him or herself. To be noticed, don’t try to be noticed. Be something people notice. I hate it when people push things at me. The more they do, the faster I run away. I love to find things on my own and make my own decisions. I’m sure all humans (most) are this way.
Where is Jane Friedman? I am certain that she is going to come looking for a place to post her rebuttle! :) I am not a fan of tweeting just to tweet. I don’t like the people that feel the need to tweet their latest bathroom experience, but I like to keep in touch. I like to form networks and connections. I think it is as necessary as it is helpful. However, I agree that we should give the numbers a break and focus on the work at hand…writing. Tweet/blog/FB because you enjoy it; because you want to connect with people…not because you were told to do it.
Wow!
It is amazing to see so many people here agreeing that they HATE “building an online platform” … when that is exactly what they are doing here OR what they describe themselves as doing & enjoying!
[As LJ herself points out in the comments, the great irony here is that her blog post & its comment thread is an excellent/model example of online platform building and social networking.]
Frankly, I believe much of this discussion is an argument over word choice. It sounds dirty if you’re building a “platform,” but it sounds artistic/writerly if you’re developing a “voice.” Call it whatever you like if it makes you feel comfortable with it. But whenever you participate in an online conversation, that’s social media and platform building—from blogs to e-mail newsletters to specific sites like Tumblr and Facebook.
The trick is that we each must choose the specific channels that appeal to us most, the ones that amplify or complement our strengths (and voices!)—which is hopefully also where our readers want to engage with us, too!
That’s why I would *never* tell any author, “You MUST be on Facebook.” Or, “You MUST be on Twitter.” Nonsense. Not if you hate it. Not if your readers aren’t there. Not if it produces unhealthy habits, behavior, or bad work.
If you’re being driven crazy by some aspect of online platform or social media, then it’s a sure sign you’re taking it too seriously. I don’t closely count my followers, retweets, comments, visits, etc. I monitor huge increases/decreases (that is, I stay aware of what produces conversation/activity), but that’s just common sense—to know what produces results. But to obsess over it? No. I agree: We should all stop pressuring ourselves. See my post here: “You Don’t Have to Blog, Tweet, or Be On Facebook.”
https://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2011/02/08/YouDontHaveToBlogTweetOrBeOnFacebook.aspx
Finally, speaking as someone who has self-identified as an introvert since childhood, I’ve never bought into the extrovert vs introvert dichotomy when it comes to online networking or marketing. I think it’s used by people who don’t understand what meaningful marketing looks like. It has nothing to do with being an introvert or extrovert.
Meaningful marketing isn’t about the hard sell (or those people who annoy ALL OF US with their shilling). It’s about knowing who your audience is, how you serve them, how to reach them—and how to *communicate* with them in a way they understand and respect.
Last time I checked, introverts were as good at communication as extroverts, particularly introverts are allowed to take as long as they want to think through what they want to say, and craft a message (or hone their voice!)—which is why online media is such a great marketing channel and platform builder for introverts. They get to have a conversation exactly when they are ready.
I actually don’t think what Jane says and what I say are mutually exclusive. :)
Do I want to build a community of people who might enjoy what I have to say and write? Of course I do. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here in cyberspace.
“Meaningful marketing isn’t about the hard sell (or those people who annoy ALL OF US with their shilling). It’s about knowing who your audience is, how you serve them, how to reach them—and how to *communicate* with them in a way they understand and respect.”
Exactly!
I’ve got a debut novel coming out next march and recently signed up on twitter. I was an ardent twitter-hater for a long time, but I’m actually having fun now. There’s such a fascinating world of authors and bloggers were out there! I spend a lot of time checking out people’s websites and sending them emails directly asking them questions about their work and letting them know about mine. it’s always such a thrill when an author/blogger, whom I don’t know, responds to my email. At the very least I don’t feel like I’m shouting into a drawer!