An Introvert’s Guide to a Public Online Presence
By Tessa Barbosa | January 31, 2022 |
Please join us in welcoming Tessa Barbosa as our newest WU contributor! Tessa will see her debut novel published next year, and we’re thrilled to share the journey with her. Welcome, Tessa!
When your first book is about to come out, there’s this odd transition you need to make to thinking of yourself as a public figure. If you are self-publishing, then you’re the one responsible for marketing everything yourself and you have to put yourself out there. But even if you have a traditional book publisher, you’ll still have to do promotion on social media, interviews, and work on your online platform. Even if you don’t feel different, the way other people perceive you might be.
I’ve always been a private person, so the transition doesn’t feel natural, but here are some things I’ve found help make it a little easier:
Stick to the social media that you enjoy
Pick one or two platforms that you enjoy. If you try to do more than that, you probably won’t have time to devote to all of them in a meaningful way. And if you aren’t having fun, or engaging often, people can tell.
Decide how much you’re comfortable sharing
Some people are pretty open about their lives, while others are strict about not posting personal information. This is something you should decide straight away, because all an author ‘brand’ really is, is YOU. Not all of you, but the pieces you want to present to the world. You should be the one in control of it.
Set access boundaries
Think about how much direct access you want to give to strangers on the Internet. You don’t have to keep your DMs open to everyone. You don’t have to follow back unless you want to. Blocking or muting to preserve your mental health is perfectly fine. You may want to consider removing a contact form from your website, and either setting up a dedicated email address for book inquiries, or directing people to an agent or publicist. In general, it’s probably a good idea to keep your personal accounts separate.
Treat your words like they mean something
Consider how your words might affect the people you tag or reply to. Even if you don’t have a lot of followers, as an author you have authority in some spaces that others do not. It’s smart to be conscious of situational power dynamics. For example, it’s probably best to avoid bringing harassment to small accounts for things that don’t matter. This isn’t advice to avoid talking about inequality, racism, or discrimination, only that you should be careful not to escalate a situation when it’s not warranted. Do you really need to dunk on a tweet that 50 other people have already commented on? When is your input most useful?
Be happy for other people’s successes
This is the best way to build community online. Boost when you can! Give compliments! Gush about books you enjoyed! So many things in this industry are out of your control. A little jealousy is natural, but it’s also a waste of energy, because their successes take nothing away from yours. Lift people up behind you and offer help when you can. Writing is a tough, unpredictable industry, with so many ups and downs. Other writers are probably the only people that actually understand what you’re going through.
Last of all… Have fun
Don’t forget to celebrate all the fun parts, like cover reveals, and character art… Be proud of what you’ve accomplished, because it is truly remarkable just to finish writing an entire novel. There are so many good things coming your way, and I can’t wait to see you shine.
Do you have any other tips to share? How do you approach social media?
Happy writing,
-Tessa
Tessa Barbosa writes novels by night, and software help by day. THE MOONLIGHT BLADE is her debut YA Fantasy novel. Tessa lives in Vancouver, Canada and when she’s not at the keyboard, she’s covered in paint, or making things. Keep up to date at tessabarbosa.com or @HiTessaBarbosa on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok
Love this topic! Thank you. Would be curious who you think make the most poignant examples of sharing personal info. versus not—and doing it well fr themselves and their audiences. A tough thing being human.
It’s definitely tricky finding the right balance, and I know most authors I know still have a hard times sometimes! You can always change your approach if something is not working.
As for personal sharing, I once attended a conference where Jess Keating (I think?) did a presentation on social media, and she explained that she decided only to post positive things in her social media – which doesn’t mean avoiding politics or the news, but instead of ranting, posting how people can actually help change things. I hope that helps :)
Hey Tessa! Welcome to the WU blog. I love your reminder to use the power of social media for good when commenting. Sound advice!
Thank you!
Hi Tessa, thanks for this list of things-to-think-about! I am exactly what you describe: a rather introvert writer who so far shuns social media. Putting myself out there sounds scary. – At the moment, my first novel is out on submission… who knows if it will ever interest anyone. On days like today (= grey and windy) I think “probably never” and bury myself in the timeline of my new project. But who knows? Spring might come and maybe I will find a way to publish my “firstborn”. I will save your post and start thinking of making the scary less scary. – Good luck with your novel! I looked at your website and it sounds awesome (although I am late forties, I still like reading YA… I guess I never grew out of it).
Thank you! I still love reading YA too (which is also why I write it). Best of luck on submission! You never know what will happen, because it only takes one yes.
Welcome, Tessa!
All great tips! I’m an extrovert and find the need to set better boundaries. I’d rather my novel be an open book than my life. All best on your debut!
Thank you!
Congratulations Tessa! I found a wonderful resource in Hope Clark’s SHY WRITER books. Her mystery stories are really good too! I discovered her many years ago when she started FundsforWriters.
I agree with you completely about only doing what you love. I’ll always be grateful for two of my magazine editors who encouraged me to establish a website. Several years later I started a blog and I’m still enjoying it after 12 yrs and serving as a moderator on the SCBWI boards for longer than that. I love visiting WU. Good luck with all you do.
Ohh, I’ll have to check those out! Thank you for the recc!
Good advice, all – said as an aggressive introvert.
I would add one thing: think hard about why (and how) to release certain information – because you can’t take it back once everyone knows.
I share a couple of important points with each of my three main characters, but have not said so publicly (in writing sales copy or Amazon descriptions) because I won’t be able to UNsay it if it turns out not to have been the right thing to do. It doesn’t matter that ‘everybody knows’ – what matters is how it will affect a new reader, someone who doesn’t know me from Eve.
And, since I will not be prolific, those new readers are critical, because once a reader has acquired or read my limited output, there will be no more to offer. Think: the feeling you had when you finished GWTW, and realized Mitchell had written no other novels you could read. None by her.
Just saying. My mother taught me never to say anything in heat of the moment or anger that I can’t really take back – because you can apologize or explain all you want, but you can’t make someone UNhear it. It applies here, too.
When it comes to social media, I make myself wait 24 hours before replying if something makes me angry. Usually by then, people have made better arguments than I could ever have. And that’s very true when it comes to information. You can’t take it back once it’s out in the world. Good reminder.
Welcome, Tessa! As an introvert, I’ve discovered I do well with social media if I manage it. If it stretches my comfort zone too much and for too long that’s when the overload becomes a danger. Your advice about setting boundaries was excellent and much appreciated. This is an exciting time for you. I write otherworld historical fantasy and am moving ever closer to publication so your journey is of particular interest. I know you’ll do well.
Thank you so much! And yes, it’s super important to check in whether or not it’s getting to be too much. I do block my social media, or take it off my phone sometimes to preserve either my mental health or because of deadlines. It’s the least important of all the things I do.
Thank you for this helpful article, Tessa.
As an introvert with dyslexia, giving author readings intimidated me until I realized that my reading isn’t about me. It’s for my audience. I’m there to entertain them.
Marketing is similar. Readers are hungry for books. I’m feeding them.
Changing the focus from myself to my readers helped me overcome my insecurities.
I really like that frame of mind!
Hi Tessa! Welcome to WU! This is really great advice. (I have a book coming out in June and I’m already starting to feel too scattered and overwhelmed… So your post was a calming reminder for me.) Thank you!
Thank you! And that’s so exciting. Wishing you all the best!
Aaahhh, welcome to the Writer Unboxed team! I’m so glad your wisdom will be shared here.
This, for example, was so smart but unexpected that I went back to read it twice:
“Consider how your words might affect the people you tag or reply to. Even if you don’t have a lot of followers, as an author you have authority in some spaces that others do not. It’s smart to be conscious of situational power dynamics.”
If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here, so thank you, Kristan! Now the world gets to keep hearing me ramble a little bit longer ;)