I
realize how terribly ironic this is, since I haven’t posted on this blog for
over three weeks!
So,
let’s talk about important things for the writer in the making: things I wished
I had a clue about before I got picked up; decisions that should have been
made, or would have made my life easier if they had been made by the time I got
the call.
Here
they are, tah-dah:
Name– Your brand begins with your
name. If you'll use a pen name, start thinking about it. At the very
least, come up with a couple of options. If you want to be aggressive, find a
pen name that suits you and get the website domain.
Twitter – Follow published authors.
Follow aspiring writers, editors, and avid readers. Don’t just make it about
yourself. Retweet things that you believe other followers will enjoy. Make
comments on people’s tweets. Share.
Facebook – Same as Twitter. Honestly, I
used to prefer FB to Twitter because it seemed impossible to me to condense things
and make them interesting at the 240-character limit. Nowadays, though, I have
to say I love Twitter. But FB makes it easier to share pictures and write
longer posts. Another issue with Facebook that I see with upcoming authors is
privacy. A lot of them have a private FB page and the author page. Or sometimes
they have one profile for family and another for everyone else. Or you can have
everyone bundled on the same profile. I guess the question is – how personal do
you want to get? Are you willing to share politics and personal points of view
on a profile to which hundreds or thousands of potential readers will have
access? Do you want to take the chance of losing some of those readers due to
things that shouldn’t interfere with your craft as a writer?
Blog – I’m late getting on the blogging
bandwagon. You are supposed to be consistent, blog often, and write about
things people care about. I’m honestly having a problem with all three. But
I’ve made myself a promise to blog at least a couple of times a month and take
it from there. It’s not ideal by any means, but it’s what I can do right now.
Another great resource the blog brings is the exposure you get when you comment
on someone else’s post.
Establish a fan base – If you think about it, social
networking is the easiest, cheapest, and most accessible way to find online
writers’ communities, critique partners, and contacts. You don’t have to leave
work early to attend your local chapter of the RWA (although that’s cool, too)
and you don’t have to spend money to buy a ticket halfway across the country to
attend a big writers’ conference (all in good time). It’s right there at your
fingertips.
Website – I know it seems over the top, but
it really isn’t. Competition is fierce. When I got my contract, I was lucky to
find a domain with my name still available. Yes, because my name is super
popular anyway, right? But, moving on, I’m always amazed to see a lot of
aspiring authors with very cool websites. I think that’s great because it sets
them apart. A lot of times, the website can also be a more complete version of
your blog, still designed by you or a professional. Or you can go all out and
have a www.yourname.com
Pinterest – Though new, it has been growing
exponentially. It’s a virtual pin board that’s more addictive than most candy
bars (trust me on this, I’m a carboholic). You can connect it with your Facebook
or Twitter, and it’s a great way to create boards that hint at your writing
style or books. A lot of times, authors post their inspirations for their
heroes and locations. It’s also a great way for people to get to know you and
even relate to the things you like or dislike.
Well,
these are just some of them. I was already a part of FB and Twitter before my
contract, but I was naïve. I didn’t consider these social networking sites to
be a platform to reach out to potential readers. It all comes down to being
professional and cutting corners — is it really worth having four different FB
profiles/author pages? You may have 700 followers on Twitter, but how many of
them include your target readers? Should you start branding your pen name now
so you’ll get known immediately or wait for the big moment to make the switch?
Please
feel free to comment on your experiences below. :)
