Author friends and casual acquaintances often express to me a reluctance to wade into the Bloggy Facebooky Twittery waters. I hear many reasons, but the top one is usually:
“But shouldn’t I wait for when I need to promote something/when my book comes out/when my book is popular/when I already have a following/some arbitrary point in the distant future?”
Nope, nope and nope. There’s no such thing as too early.
Seth Godin famously said (the things Seth Godin says usually become famous) that for authors, the best time to start your promotional efforts is three years before your book comes out.
Why? Because it takes “three years to build a reputation, build a permission asset, build a blog, build a following, build credibility and build the connections you’ll need later.”
If you start when your book comes out you’re way, way too late.
Promotion vs. Social
Seth’s bit of (famous) advice is often applied to social media. It’s great advice, and even Seth’s explanation has a social component, but note that Seth is talking about promotional efforts. Not social media as a whole, which to me has no timeline at all. You should just start now.
Because if you’re using social media solely to promote, well, chances are you’re doing it wrong.
My new favorite catch phrase, which I have trademarked, patented, and have paid to have etched into the moon, is this: Social media is social.
It’s not about promotion, it’s not about broadcasting, it’s not about you you you. It’s about connecting with people.
Do you need to be famous to connect with people? Do you need to have a book to connect with people? No! You just need an Internet connection, dedication, an open-mind, and a willingness to reach out.
It takes time to build up those connections, and eventually, if you’re providing good content or a good experience, those one-to-one connections transition into a following.
But make no mistake: It’s still about making a personal connection with your audience and being a part of real lives. It’s still social.
Whuffie
In our hyper-connected time, social media is not only increasingly how word of mouth spreads and how we connect with one another, it’s almost becoming a new kind of currency.
In Cory Doctorow’s uber-prescient novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, money has been replaced with “whuffie,” a reputation-based currency that rises and falls based on what people think of you. Basically, if people like you you’re rich and you can get all the best tables in restaurants. If they don’t like you, an unfortunate scandal can send you to the poor house.
We’re obviously not there yet (and thank goodness), but just look at the measures of “influencers” (social media buzz word for someone with a high following) that are cropping up right and left. Sites like Klout and Peer Index are hard at work trying to quantify online popularity and influence, and the idea of offering special perks to people with high influence scores is starting to percolate. The Sacramento Kings, for instance, invited 25 fans and business leaders with top Klout scores for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Now, the idea that you’re going to be objectively judged someday on your Twitter presence may well send a chill down your spine, but I wouldn’t read that much into it. It’s more of a sign of the omnipresence and future of social media and how the ability to broadcast is a kind of currency.
Blogs and Twitter and Facebook… those are just the tools. What we’re building is a network. And what was once ephemeral (reputation) can now be sort of kinda quantified.
Whuffie has basically become real.
What are you waiting for?
But aside from all that buzz about influencers and reputational analysis, let’s not forget that whole social is social thing. And the thing about being social is that it’s fun!
Sure, you may be an introvert like me, but you can pick and choose your experiences. You can make reach out to people, and soon enough those virtual friends may become your real friends. This is increasingly how we connect with like-minded people, and the best part is that it works.
It’s really fun to do, and you can make the experience whatever you want. If you like Twitter, do that. If you like blogging, do that. If you are a Facebook maven, go for it. There’s no right or wrong way to go about it and you can invent your own way if it doesn’t exist.
But what it all comes down to is this: Social media is the future, and the time to start is now.
I also wanted to say that maybe something worth adding to the list of encouraging a good following is being gracious in the face of dissenting opinions.
One of the things that I love about this blog is the way you discuss issues with people who disagree. It's professional, non-confrontational, and never alienates. I always feel kind of bad disagreeing because you're such a nice guy, but I also know that you won't get upset or argue (in the negative sense of the word) and that's pretty awesome. It's a place where we can have actual discussions about complex issues.
I was just thinking about this because of a link I saw on another blog recently to a woman who was in hot water for arguing with her followers after making some rather contentious remarks. You are a great example, and I really think creating the kind of atmosphere you've created here goes a long way. Just wanted to add that. 🙂
But if you don't have a book to talk about, and you're not a published writer, then what do you have to link people to you? What could possibly set you apart from the millions of wanna-be authors out there?
Personally, I think an author trying to network before they have anything to offer is a little ridiculous. That's why I'm not more active on Facebook/Blog/Twitter.
Hey thanks, Kaitlyne! I honestly think a lot of that is that I've been very lucky to have regular commenters who set a great tone for the discussion, and I'm very thankful for that.
I feel like we should totally have a group hug now lol.
Once the realization sets in that Social Media is not something to fear(my own personal past issue), the info is great advice. Thanks as always for great info. And is the Twitter something you call or a type of messenger bird service and I can't find this Facebook at B&N.
Wow! This got everyone talking!
1. What's whuffle?
2. Dee, I want to buy Jason Wunderbar–thanks solely to the blog, which shows that Nathan is certifiable! Crazy kid books are about my speed, these days.
3. Abc–love the comment about "Introverts unite, but in separate rooms." LOL!
4. I've been on Facebook, just for my friends, for several months. Just started my blog a week ago. Trying to find the focus–or maybe the blog doesn't need a focus.
5. Nathan, can we please have a session where you & your bloggie friends share what they did to get a blog following?
Y'all, ignore my comment #1. Since whuffie was defined in the blog post. Duh! I can read, and I can spell–sort of!
NO! DON'T LOOK AT MUNK! LOOK AT ME! J. T. SHEA! Oh wait… I don't have a picture… blast… must get better looking picture than Munk's, with bigger hat…
Anonymous 3:08 pm, you're right! How DARE Nathan be so interested in sports! Particularly games involving balls. If they gave every player his or her own ball it would stop all the arguing and fighting.
I mean, Nathan behaves as if the whole damn blog belongs to him! Oh, wait…
Agree with the board that there is great benefit to all things SN&Blog. Still gaining info, and hope to put it to use soon. Thank you to all for the great info & yes, I agree it general rudeness to comment as if the only one in the room. Apologies and, I am grateful for each and every helpful tidbit shared by all.
*forgive the comma placement in above post.
Me again. One step behind as usual. Found Nathan's Nov. blog post: Seven Tips on How to Build a Following Online. Very helpful.
How do you connect with writers in the blogosaphere? I sent an e-mail to my writer friends. I put links on my Facebook page, but most of my FB friends aren't writers. Anything else?
Great post. I'm forwarding it to my husband who's just getting into social media to promote his law-related business. Thanks.
I have a question about blog vs. website. I am wondering if anyone could give me advice which of the two is the better route. I know the blog provides more interaction, but if a person cannot update frequently, on a blog, would a website be a better option? Along with an SN presence as a sort of bonus, if needed. Thank you, and sorry to be so late to the conversation.
So glad you wrote this post, Nathan! I felt a little uncomfortable creating a Facebook "Page" not having a book yet published, but I think it's important for writers to get over those fears and just put themselves out there. It's the way of the future. And Doctorow's book sounds great. I'll have to add it to my (long) list of books to read.
Do what's fun and what you're good at. But If you are trying to avoid social media, you better be writng the greatest book ever.
Thank you for this reminder. I know I should have started years ago, and knowing this, I should definitely get on the ball now! I agree it's about socializing, interacting. Word of mouth goes a long way!
"Whuffle" sounds a lot like the stock market.
Also: (and I haven't finished reading the post yet, so I might eat my words in a few minutes) I think a lot of writers feel good about waiting to start building that presence because blogging, facebooking, and tweeting take up time. And when you're working a job, raising a family, managing a household, and trying to write, polish, and submit a novel (which involves hours and hours of research on top of the writing, revising, critique group participation, etc.), the thought of losing even half an hour a day of precious writing time is just scary. What's the point of social networking (in order to build those connections to make it easier to market your book, etc.) if you never finish your book?
Now back to reading the post.
With any luck I won't ever have to jump aboard the "socialist mediocrity" bandwagon. Now, I may be way too young (~18 yrs) to be so cynical about this, but as an aspiring author myself, I simply don't see the point of blogging, twitting, AIMing, whatever, about completely unrelated topics or stream-of-consciousness rambling when what you want (or should want) readers to be interested in is the content/quality of what you've written in print.
I would also wonder if a publisher or even an agent, while they are people too, might even totally reject a writer based on public credibility (or liability, as the case may be) regardless of the quality of his/her submitted work — the same way top-notch colleges are checking out applicants' social networking pages and weeding out the beer-pong/Girls Gone Wild group from the college-worthy caliber. Publishers and agents probably check these sites in a similar way as campus recruiters to make sure the next War & Peace they've got in their hands isn't by a real-life fanfic freak in a skimpy Sailor Moon outfit…named Bluto. :-O
The writer needs to be the writer, to concentrate on his/her book, and not try to cover all bases as the blogger/BoobTuber/Twitbooker/networker/tinker/tailor/soldier/spy, but "all your bases are not belong to you" (deliberate use of bad grammar in reference to a meme). Otherwise we wouldn't have a need for PR firms, ghost writers, marketing experts, etc. The sad catch-22 is that new writers by and large can't afford these amenities and are all but obligated to put their hearts and souls (and hours a day) into these "personality platforms," but when it's all said and done, the writer gets bought and sold while the book doesn't earn back a dime. 🙁
Believe it or not, this blog post was recommended to me by a postgraduate writing lecturer to enthuse me about getting into social media. I didn't altogether buy Nathan's premise and having finished reading the comments, I'm even more convinced that while social media might work for some, perhaps many, I can't think of anything more dispiriting and poisonous to my own aspirations than spending hours writing messages in bottles to fling into a sea of indifference when I could actually be writing something I believed in. I don't care if no one reads my book, because it's still an actual BOOK, goddammit, but if no one reads my blog posts, FB posts, tweets or whatever the hell it is we're all supposed to be doing 24/7 to build a profile and whatnot, that's just so much wasted effort. And if they do read them, it's still so much wasted effort. Life is so, so short. I'm damned if I'm going to neglect my writing because I was spending so much time on marketing. Which is what it is, whether you've got a book yet or not; you are the brand, or so they tell me. Even writing that makes me feel a little bit nauseous. Thanks, Nathan, but I agree with everyone who disagreed with you. Call me naive, but I still like to think there's something noble and beautiful about being a writer. Books aren't just a product. I went on to Facebook about five years ago to keep in touch with friends from work after I lost my job and moved away, and within a week I stopped because when my old friends from real life became my new friends on Facebook they stopped being the people I knew; they were relentlessly dreary, boastful, hypercompetitive narcissists and I couldn't stand being around them.
This will probably be the only blog comment I ever write, and I'm not even sure why I bothered…