How important is an unpublished author's social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, website, blog) in the quest for publication?
The answer to this one is simple. It is NOT needed for the author's presence.
I would say that using social media for gaining information on the business is crucial. There is a lot of information out there and any tool you can use to get that information is great. But, for a new author without anything to sell, I would simply say the time can be better spent working on your craft.
I know there are a lot of people out there that will claim you can "build your readership" for your book, but personally, this is not going to work in the fiction market. Non-fiction, yes. You may have a craft or hobby that is of interest to people, but for fiction, it just won't happen.
I do recommend you are ready to go with some ideas for a website when you do sell, but there is really no need to rush.
Good Question!!!!1
Scott
This is my philosophy as well. I do blog because there are lots of benefits to community participation, but I've been asked before why I don't have a Facebook fan page and the like. I haven't sold or tried to sell anything yet, so why would I have a fan page? I have nothing to promote yet other than my potential. There's no reason for anyone to be a fan at this point!
ReplyDeleteI just finished my first novel and am on Twitter, which I love, but I like agent Anna Olswanger's take on Twitter, FB, etc. "If you're spending so much time on Twitter, FB, when do you have time to write?" I do have a brand new website though!
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased to hear this. So many aspiring authors insist you must start a blog, start building an on-line presence, but I've always resisted. Why waste time wracking your brains for an interesting blog topic when you could be honing your writing skills? It all seems a bit premature to me. If the story is strong enough a publisher will like it regardless of whether you have an on-line presence. And it can't be too time consuming to set up a blog and a website if and when you do get published.
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