Authors and the use of social media

[MisterOJ]

 

On 5/4/2016 at 8:13 AM, Werthead said:

However, I think a big part of it is that many writers are solitary, even shy people who don't really like the limelight and who write exactly because they're uncomfortable in jobs where being outgoing and conversational are more the norm. We may never quite know how many such authors (who may be brilliant) have been put off by the current "need" for writers to tweet what they had for breakfast every day.

So, Wert posted this in another thread and it got me to thinking... Do you think the perceived need to be active on social media is a deterrent for some writers? And, how effective do you think having a good social media presence is at selling more books?

With me, personally, I have seen it make a big difference over the past few years. Here's some examples:

A few years ago, I bought and read Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns. I like the book well enough, but it didn't hook me quite enough so that I felt compelled to go out and read the next book in the series right away. So, as it happened, I moved on and read other things and time passed and after several months I never really thought much about going back to that series. Then, I started noticing more of his posts on here and from there started following him on Facebook and reading his posts on Reddit and sort of started to admire him that way. Which lead me to buy and read King of Thorns. And, I really liked that book a lot more than the first and I dove right into the third book after reading it. I can't say that I would never have gone back to Lawrence's trilogy were it not for his social media presence; but it definitely helped my decision to give the series another go.

Also, short stories aren't really my thing. I don't find them as satisfying as novels. So, I rarely read them and I never actually pay money for them. Until recently, and all because two authors I respect a lot promoted them on social media. The purchases were Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie and Perfect State by Brandon Sanderson. In my mind, these two gents are the epitome of professional writers. And, because of that, I want to support their work. I only hold that opinion because of their social media presence. They post about their work and the process of writing and how they are actually getting shit done. And I respect the hell out of that, and it makes me more likely to buy whatever they are selling - even if it's something I normally wouldn't.

On the other hand... there's Pat Rothfuss. I used to follow him on social media, but grew so frustrated with his apparent lack of work on Doors of Stone, that I stopped following him on everything. Because of what he was putting out there, it seemed like he was working on everything except finishing his series. It seemed like he was trying to shill any number of other projects and it just really turned me off. I pretty much got to the point where I don't want to hear anything from him until the book is finished. I will probably buy it as soon as it's released because I want to read that book, but I won't consider making any other purchases of his other stuff until then.

What about the rest of you? Does the online persona of authors influence what you will and won't buy?

[Darth Richard II]

Pretty much what you just said. I don't think I've ever NOT bought something because of social media but I Certainly have grabbed some debuts because of.

[sologdin]

stanek is the master.  obviously.

[Darth Richard II]

You know...hes better than some.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

I'm just looking forward to Doors of Stone and the Winds of Winter and Peace Talks and ...

[Rorshach]

Back when Rothfuss was new on the scene, I enjoyed his internet presence. However, as tDoS has been dragging on (and on and on and on and ... you get the general idea), it's been more of a turn-off. 

I do read some authors on account of them being on the net - more spesifically on here - but that's about it. 

[Crowjack]

Some authors will actually 'friend you' on Facebook (i.e. Mark Lawrence, Peter Newman) and actually interact with you as a human being, while others use Facebook solely as a platform for pontificating and self promotion and view you as an audience (won't name any names here...).

 

[Kalbear]

I would never have gotten into Abraham as much as I have were it not for his social media presence and con presence. I've bought something like 10 of his books (and a couple twice) because of him interacting. 

Same goes for Abercrombie, come to think of it. I would not have bought Red State were it not for specific interactions on these forums. 

[Rorshach]

1 hour ago, Kalbear said:

I would never have gotten into Abraham as much as I have were it not for his social media presence and con presence. I've bought something like 10 of his books (and a couple twice) because of him interacting. 

Same goes for Abercrombie, come to think of it. I would not have bought Red State were it not for specific interactions on these forums. 

I'm guessing he'd ask you to buy Red Country as well, I don't think he makes any money of Red State

[Kalbear]

1 minute ago, Rorshach said:

I'm guessing he'd ask you to buy Red Country as well, I don't think he makes any money of Red State

No wonder I thought that book was shit

[TrackerNeil]

There's pressure on authors to self-promote, but do it too much or too clumsily and you can put people off. That line isn't always easy to see, which makes things even more delicate. 

Myself, I don't mind some self-promotion, but sometimes it just gets to be too much. There was an author (who shall remain nameless) who opened thread after thread in the Lit section, but he'd never previously posted on this forum nor had anything to say that wasn't in the service of selling books. That crossed the line and destroyed the line behind it.

[Darth Richard II]

Well now I want to know who that author was!

[Darth Richard II]

Honestly, if I like your books you have to try REALLY REALLY hard to get me to stop reading them because of social media. Basically you have to pull a Dan Simmons.

[TrackerNeil]

There really is a pressure from industry people to promote yourself--I've experienced this personally. My agent, before she dumped me, was always on me to make "an online presence", but I really didn't know where to start. (Maybe the dumping had something to do with that.) Some of taken the route of sucking up to people with an existing online presence in the hopes of using their reach, but I'm not very good at that. I'd hate myself the entire time I was trying to be ingratiating. Some people can do that without hating themselves, and I view them with mingled admiration and disdain.

[Darth Richard II]

Well, I DID buy your book cause you post here, although I haven't gotten to it yet.

[SkynJay]

I love seeing authors on social media.  Having one of my favorite authors comment on random tweets about my kids showed me as side I would have never known.  I also bought Abraham and Lawrence due to their online presence.

Of course I have also publicly feuded with a few authors and have been put off by some for the way they use their popularity to shut down discussions about their works that are negative. 

And I had one author write a long post in which I was called a Duck (which I still don't quite get what was meant) and then had a joke I made explained back to me as if I didn't know I had made the joke.

[Darth Richard II]

Oh, who called you a duck? I vaguely remember that.

Yeah I hate when authors use social media to try and shut down negative reviews cough cough Wendig cough.

[Rorshach]

6 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

Well, I DID buy your book cause you post here, although I haven't gotten to it yet.

I've bought them for the same reason, but I've read them as well. 

They're good, people!

[TrackerNeil]

2 hours ago, Mandy said:

I didn't even know you wrote books!!  See??  The social media is working for you   This counts as social media, right?

It's certainly more substantial than my "leopard attack videos" tweets.

[Werthead]

Quote

There really is a pressure from industry people to promote yourself--I've experienced this personally. My agent, before she dumped me, was always on me to make "an online presence", but I really didn't know where to start. (Maybe the dumping had something to do with that.) Some of taken the route of sucking up to people with an existing online presence in the hopes of using their reach, but I'm not very good at that. I'd hate myself the entire time I was trying to be ingratiating. Some people can do that without hating themselves, and I view them with mingled admiration and disdain.

 

Oddly, my agent has never had reason to suggest that I should increase my social media presence. In fact, I'm waiting for the suggestion that I should tone it down.