Modern wisdom has it that to be successful, an author needs to have a strong presence on social media. If you don’t have a website, a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account, and update each and every one religiously, you’re just not promoting yourself properly.
I must confess to some scepticism on this subject.
I have no quarrel about updating my website whenever I have a new story or book on the horizon, and I’m more than happy to add a blog post whenever inspiration strikes or contribute to a 'blog tour'. But I’m afraid I don’t see the value in posting daily inanities on Facebook or Twitter.
I suppose this attitude is a reflection of my character. As Grasshopper from Kung Fu once said, “If one’s words are no better than silence, one should keep silent.” It’s an aphorism I’ve adhered to over the years, and if I don’t have something to say, I don’t feel the need to speak. (On the other hand, get me onto a subject I’m passionate about and I never shut up.)
Social media specialises in the opposite: endless comments on trivial matters. How does participating in such talk help an author sell books? I guess you could say it is a case of ‘brand building’, that a writer who is active on social media is spreading his or her name to a wider audience. But I would be curious to see data indicating a correlation between increased social media presence and increased book sales. Stephen King recently (and reluctantly) joined the Twitterverse – will his next book therefore sell more copies?
Again, I’m sceptical.
Let me now contradict myself and say I do believe there is value in a celebrity/bestselling author maintaining a Twitter account. If you already have a large fanbase, those fans hang on your every word, so giving them little insights into your beliefs or personal life is a good way to keep them interested and loyal. And if that is the case, when you announce your new book, those fans are going to help spread the word.But for a no-name author like yours truly, keeping a Twitter account is like play-acting. “Look at me, Mummy, I’m an author! People care what I have to say – all 21 of them!” It also detracts from the time a writer has to, you know, write stuff. Creative energy spent thinking up half-witty items to post on Facebook and Twitter is creative energy not directed into the novel you’re supposed to be writing or the short story you’re meant to be editing.
Nor is this laziness on my part. I love responding to questions for author interviews, I enjoy writing blogs, I’m happy to do the legwork to garner reviews for a new story or book. But I just can’t whip up any enthusiasm for the more ephemeral parts of social media, where you quack something into the void and five minutes later it is forgotten for eternity. I’ll link to this blog post on both Facebook and Twitter, but will that improve my reputation or recognition as a writer? Will it help me get published or sell more books?
Sceptical.