Social Networking - does it really work?

Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and promoting your book on the Internet
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Ishta
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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by Ishta » September 14th, 2010, 9:36 pm

I JUST blogged about this this morning!

Out of curiosity, I checked out the current NYT Bestseller list for MG and YA novels, and I looked up the blogs and websites of the authors of the top ten books on the list and went through their archives to see how long they had been blogging, tweeting, etc. Then I compared the dates of their debut novels to the dates that they started building their online presence in a big way. You know how many of the top ten books today were written by authors who had little-to-no online presence when they debuted?

One. That means nine out of the top ten bestselling books today are by authors who built their online presence, guys.

Do the math.

Now, will having a huge online presence make a publisher like your book? Hell no. Your book has to be amazing for that to happen. You don't have to have a huge online presence with hundreds of followers before you've even finished your book. But once you've written your amazing book, I think it's probably a good idea to start working those blogging/tweeting/facebooking muscles.

epcaldwell
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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by epcaldwell » September 14th, 2010, 10:31 pm

I think it can help get an unknown writers name out there,but it depends on what they have to say and who they say it to. Published authors can give a new author a big boost by mentioning their name and new book.Conferences help newbies to meet and greet people in the industry. That being said,social networking,tweeting stupid stuff no one cares about;not so much a help, as it can be a turn off. Blogging is great if the newbie is articulate, or funny or interesting. Even better if they are all three.Breaking into the writers world of snagging a great agent,publishing and selling books seems to be about as likely as finding your freshman parking spot next door to where you need to be for the class that starts in five minutes. However,every writer has to start somewhere on the treadmill to being a published author.As my father-in-law once told me.Sometime the only way to put supper on the table,is to just pick a bird and shoot.

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J. T. SHEA
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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by J. T. SHEA » September 15th, 2010, 6:29 pm

THIS is my social media and online presence. Nathan's blog and forums. I'm cyber-squatting. Me and the polar bear.

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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by stephmcgee » September 15th, 2010, 6:43 pm

LOL, J.T.

I'm on the fence about this debate. Lately it's seemed like I'm just talking to the great abyssal oblivion. I'm seriously considering shutting down Twitter. Or just not using it save for the urban fantasy chat on Saturdays. When I can make it to it.

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sierramcconnell
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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by sierramcconnell » October 13th, 2010, 6:46 pm

I don't have a Twitter.
I don't do Facebook.
I definately abhor MySpace (otherwise known as Virus Central).

I have an LJ and an empty website that I mainly use to store pictures.

I'm here, on NaNo (which reboots every year), and on the Den of Angels (a doll forum) who also has Mercedes Lackey on there (yes, she's a BJD fan, so I'm not alone in my insanity to collect expensive bits of molded resin).

I have thought about getting a blog ever since Six Apart took LJ and ran it into the ground. But I haven't because mostly it's just a place for me to complain and tear my hair out. And really, who wants to listen to that? When I have a day of profound wisdom, I post it, and there's maybe five people on the flist to read it, but no one comments. I used to complain about that, too, but I grew up because I learned it's not all about me.

Social networking?

Meh.

Of course, after reading today's guest blog, it seems you do have to know someone before you get published, and that's sad.
I'm on Tumblr!

The blog died...but so did I...and now I'm alive again! OMG.

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authorgirl1485
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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by authorgirl1485 » April 15th, 2011, 10:09 am

I use Jacketflap, and It helped me some. It is only for childrens, young adult, and middle grade writers, though.
Failure teaches success.

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F.E. Sewell
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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by F.E. Sewell » August 17th, 2011, 12:43 am

I couldn't help but join in the conversation. I've been wondering a lot lately about whether or not social networking is worth it and I've essentially decided in favor simply because I can interact with people that like to do what I like to do and I can learn something in the process.

Dave Trott posted something interesting on his blog today saying that word of mouth is essentially the key to selling products. I think that if you take “good ideas” out of his post and replace it with “good writing” it relates more to what we do.

http://davetrott.campaignlive.co.uk/201 ... vertising/

He also points out that it’s the people that count. I think that’s true for writers on several different levels.

Rachel Ventura
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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by Rachel Ventura » September 30th, 2011, 3:30 am

maybegenius wrote:Social media has HUGE potential for success. The trick is: you MUST find something people care about, and you MUST be genuine. The problem with using social media for the sole purpose of hocking your book is that... people don't care about your book. Not at first, anyway. You have to get them to care about YOU. In order to do that, you have to set out with the mindset that you're using social media to make connections, REAL connections, with people, not potential buyers.
"Hocking" on social media? OMG, is that Amanda's nom de plume or her real one and just a coincidence? ;)
maybegenius wrote:It is definitely possible to use social networking to your advantage. Look at Kiersten White, who has developed a serious following and is much touted about the blogosphere, Twitter, etc. Harper Teen is pushing her book, and they believe in her. AND HER BOOK IS NOT OUT YET. It's being released next month. She has that following because she is a sweet, funny, clever woman who people like and want to support. She's friendly, writes about both pertinent and silly things, and gives advice as best she can. If all she did was use her blog and Twitter to push her book, I guarantee she wouldn't have nearly the following she does.
I see Ms. White's name on Mr. Bransford's blog too, in the comments section a lot. Haven't checked out her website yet but she seems funny and smart in the comments she writes here.

And no disrespect to Ms. Hocking, as I haven't read her site either -- I'm kind of a Luddite even at 19 -- but AFAIK blogging is a lot different from writing a novel and I wonder if she went the self-route because agents and print publishers might have expected that her novels were more like the condensed things you put in blogs or on Twitter rather than the "tl;dr" format of a novel, and gone in reading her drafts with that expectation, regardless of whether it was true? Or did she boldly go where few have gone before and start out right away with the self-route? :? (I'm +1 about that point of her Amazon bio in which she's described as being obsessed with the John Hughes movies, though. :D But I haven't read Ms. Hocking's books yet because I don't have a Kindle.)
maybegenius wrote:Social media has immense potential to reach people. When the Haiti earthquake happened, Twitter exploded with discussion and people who wanted to help. The buzz and donations were huge, because people care. If you want to succeed with social media, you have to tap into that. Don't use it because you want to sell books - use it because you want to meet people. That's how it works :)

http://www.zimbio.com/Wyclef+Jean/artic ... r+Campaign

I mean, WOW.
Yeah, but he was already Wyclef and had a huge fan following already because of his (awesome!) music. A better example of someone practically unknown making social headway with social media would be the collective group of revolutionaries in the Middle East or Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. But then again, both of those are nonfiction (the revolutions were real life!), so...not sure if there's a Stephenie Meyer push for blood drives or a John Grisham Legal Aid Society. (Lawyers are another type of bloodsucker, which is why L.J. Smith, who worked as a paralegal in Boston before Vampire Diaries took hold, knows so much about them!) :lol:

Ophelia
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Re: Social Networking - does it really work?

Post by Ophelia » June 10th, 2012, 11:09 am

Social networking is a low cost method which helps greatly to increase web traffic. It is kind of a bridge which connects business and people. It greatly helps to promote items, articles, and sites. Also it will definitely allow you to increases traffic, RSS subscriptions and more to your site.

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