Over at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Rege Behe gathered an impressive number of writers like Anne Rice, Gregg Hurwitz, Ayelet Waldman, Alafair Burke and Hallie Ephron to talk about authorial presence on the Internet - what works, what doesn't, and how much is too much:
Rare is the writer who doesn't have a Web site, from best-selling authors such as Rice and Stephen King to literary novelists the likes of A.S. Byatt and Ian McEwan. Writers have turned to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to interact with fans and market their work.
"(Publishers) expect you to not only write the book, but you also have to sell it," author Hallie Ephron says. "And the selling is with new media. It makes it both easier and more daunting, because there's so much noise out there. How are you going to make yourself heard?"
I'm in there as the resident critic, too, worrying about over-exposure: "I can't tell you how many examples I can come up with of authors who are out there semi-spamming Web sites, blogs, social networks, mailings lists, etc., because they are desperate to get their names out, and forget that interactions with prospective readers have to have meaning and purpose."
But this topic is more important than ever, especially in light of the news that Oprah's daily talk show has a definite end date - even if it only means she's going to move it to her own cable network (or barring that, someplace else.)
I couldn't be happier with what new media and social interaction with fans has given me. In the online world, I went from a nobody author with a good pedigree to a podcaster with a brand, a series and thousands of fans. We stormed amazon, they helped me get my agent and ultimately a book deal. I always tell people: the best way to attract real fans -- readers!!-- to your work online is to lead with your best foot forward: your actual writing! I believe putting out my work as audio has made it particularly accessible and attribute my success to that-- that and great fans!
It takes time to record and produce your books as free, serialized audio, but it's the best low-cost promotion for authors out there! Heck, compare it to strategies that cost a lot of money and it still wins hands down! Podcast!
Seth Harwood
http://sethharwood.com
http://crimewav.com
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=709917002 | November 21, 2009 at 01:33 AM