While agent Laura Bradford's advice on genre definition was a personal boon for me, her general presentaion on professionalism in social media was a fantastic bit of common-sense wisdom. Unfortunately, we sometimes lack that. In a nutshell (or bullet points), here's what Laura suggested:
-A social-media platform is helpful but not necessary for an unpublished author. Laura said that many, many first-time authors don't have their social-media game even started and HER job as an agent is to help her clients in there. In other words, if blogging and Twittering help you network/let off some steam/learn from others before your novel is released, then more power to you. However, it's not as necessary as writing a good book, revising it to infinity, and crafting a good query letter.
-What you say represents you...forever. The funny thing about the internet is we now have infinite digital archives that will stretch from here until a meteor hits the earth and shatters every hard drive and server on the planet. So, you know, think before you write something. When I regularly blogged about hockey, I knew that the things I said would be noticed by a lot of people, so I taught myself restraint in reacting. I suppose sportsblogging is a little different, because you want your opinion on a hot-button issue out there ASAP, but it doesn't hurt to wait an hour before you hit the Publish button, especially if it's in heated reaction to something. More often than not, when you walk away and come back to it, you'll see things that are silly or petty.
-Stay on target. Yes, Gold Five, we should stay on target. It's important to let your personality come through on your blog. If you want to through in references to things you like (like Star Wars!), or comment on parts of your personal life, that's fine...but remember that your blog is about writing and publishing, and any detours have to quickly come back to that. You're reading Mike Chen's (Brilliant Unpublished) Novel Blog, not Mike Chen's Insane Personal Rants. Laura highlighted this as very important, not only because of the point above but also because agents and editors will probably view your blog and wonder if you know how to draw professional boundaries.
-That being said, don't get too paranoid. Ok, so you've understood the last two points, and now you're worried about what you posted two months ago. In fact, it eats at you everyday, gnawing non-stop at you and invading your conversations at home, work, and life. Relax, everyone makes mistakes, and, as Laura pointed out, a few mis-steps along the way won't hurt anyone.
-Once you get published, everything changes. You've found an agent, found a publisher, and your book has hit the (few remaining) shelves. Now you've entered into another circle, one where published authors are your peers. If you comment on other authors, recently published books, or others in this circle, treat the topics with the same respect you would if you were blogging about your current day job.
I would read "Mike Chen's Insane Personal Rants."
ReplyDeleteI recently finished reading the writing-guide "Booklife" by Jeff VanderMeer, an author who really has the social-media thing mastered. One of the key points he stresses is to manage your level of engagement with social media and your fans. He had to make a conscious effort to step back from his website and forums when he realized it was taking time and energy away from his actual writing.