The Writer as Willy Loman

“I've been told, Tweet, Facebook, MySpace, blog, use all the free tools and use them all the time... I've been wondering how people write here and write there and still write books. I've been working on a balance but I feel like I'm not putting enough of my time in my books when I'm here and not enough time saying, "Look at me" when I'm writing. I love meeting people on these sites but my real love is books.” Sarah Winters

Here’s an idea:  Spend two or three hours a day at least five days a week in front of a bookstore wearing a sandwich board with your bookcover on it while you chase and chat with anyone you can corral and who is willing to talk to you.  

Would that be a valuable way to spend a chunk of time? What size chunk of time?  How would you decide?

If four people stopped to chat with you?

If, on the way out, two stopped to tell you they bought your book?

And how can you be sure the people you are talking to are even enjoying what you are saying? Are you reaching them? Or annoying them? How many of them might have bought your book if they saw it on the table but the sandwich board turned them off?

It’s a fairly ridiculous scenario– right?

And yet that’s what many authors are doing every day by investing incredibly valuable writing time on what might turn out to just be tomorrow’s MySpace - Facebook and Twitter.

We’re doing it because we’re anxious and desperate to sell our books and to keep our sales high enough to keep our careers viable.

We’re doing it because so many of our fellow writers are doing it.

And (in many cases) we’re doing it only because our publishers are encouraging us to.

In fact many publishers are sending us cheat sheets on how to do it better. Some are even suggesting it’s the only marketing worth doing. They are telling us this is the new way to get people to hear about our books.

And it does work at some level. But what is that level? What will it actually get us? And what happens to our creativity when it gets sucked up by Facebook and Twitter?

And does taking on this much more of the of the marketing burden really help publishers in the long run? Wouldn’t they be best served proving their power – not empowering us?

Even if Facebook and Twitter are wonder tools in the right hands – how many of us can be Neil Gaiman or Jennifer Weiner? How many of us are really clever in 140 character including spaces? How many of us are great at posting enchanting, provocative posts at Facebook? Just because we can tell a story doesn’t mean we can chat.

Maybe even more important is all those people who like us or friend us or follow us are not people whose email addresses we own – not people we can be certain we can contact in the future.

For one thing the way feeds work – how many people read backwards at social media sites? How easy is it to miss a post? But even more important, Facebook and Twitter own their sites and the information on them.

They can wipe any one of us out in a second and we lose all those fans and friends. (MySpace used to do this repeatedly.)

This is not a post about whether or not to have fun on Facebook and Twitter. Nor is it about the value of networking with your peers or people in your industry.

This is about the questions I hear over and over from writers and that I ask myself over and over:

How worthwhile is it for a writer to invest time in social media for marketing purposes and how much time?

Should we torture ourselves to do it if it isn't in our DNA? 

Does it really work?

Do the authors held up as examples rely on social networking as much as we think? Don't most of those big names also have big support from their publishers too as well as dedicated publicists and serious marketing campaigns? 

Are our publishers right in pushing us to get out there and get strangers to like our Facebook pages and follow us on Twitter?

Is it a marketing solution?

Or is this a temporary fix to the problem our industry really needs to solve- the real and vital and urgent problem of discovery – of coming up with new and meaningful ways for readers to find new books.

IS THE SOCIAL NET WORKING?

There is no debate that social media is a great tool for networking with others in our industry. It can lead to friendships, support, and serendipitous connections with reviewers, agents, reporters, or editors.

There’s no debate that social media gives fans access to us. Of course it does.  When it works there’s nothing like it. One Tweet can be heard ‘round the world if the right people retweet it and the right people notice it on their feeds. 

And there’s no debate that some readers will discover us via Twitter and Facebook or whatever tomorrow’s next new great social network turns out to be.

The issue each of us has to address is what is the return on the effort we are making? Or as author James Scott Bell calls it – the ROE.

Is the time we are investing in social networking worth the effort? Is the pressure we’re feeling to do it reasonable? How much of a toll is it taking on our work? After all, it is writing and many writers have told me that after tweeting and posting at FB for two hours a day – they don’t have as much to say on the page.  (I know I don’t.)

So are we actually doing ourselves and our work a service? (There are inevitably going to be readers who get turned off when they find out what we’re really like. Sometimes mystery works in a writer’s favor.)

Would we be better off spending most of our time writing another book and hiring people to do PR and marketing and blog tours for us?

Well if you look at the stats we might be.  

HOW DO PEOPLE DISCOVER BOOKS?

Codex, one of the leaders in book audience research, has done over a quarter million book reader studies  – the most recent which was based on 8,224 surveys and completed in February was recently presented to hundreds of industry professionals – and is very much worth noting.

When it comes to discovering books – the majority (81%) of book buyers said they first learned about the book they bought last from more traditional means – like browsing in bookstores, personal recommendations from people who had read the book, email announcements, reading groups, prior book information, news, interviews and reviews, advertisements and other related sources.

The remaining 19% learned about the book they bought last from online sources like eBookstores, blogs, reader reviews, author websites, advertisements and other book related websites.

Of that group only 1.2% learned about their last book bought from social networks like Facebook, or Twitter, or online video like book trailers.

THE PLURAL OF ANECDOTE IS NOT DATA

Whenever this to-be-a-social-animal-or-not issue comes up with writers, someone always mentions an instance of a writer who got a huge boost via another writer posting about her at Facebook.

Or someone recalls the five fans who wrote to said they bought a book because of an excerpt posted to Facebook.

But an anecdote is not data.

Of course there are people who will find us and read us and buy us because of our online efforts. And if you ask ten writers about the value of these efforts you will get ten anecdotes.

One writer told me “I was just about to get off of Twitter when I got a DM that said, ‘I discovered your books on Twitter and I love them.’ Sigh.”

The question isn’t - does it work? Instead it’s - does it work well enough for the time it takes?  Are we seeing a worthwhile ROE for the time we spend on Twitter or Facebook?

Is it worth it to spend 2 hours a day to reach 2 new readers? How about 4? How about 10?

Or is it a better ROE to take those 2 hours and write your next book? Or pen a few short stories you can give away or give to your publisher to use in marketing efforts – or hell – even sell online for a buck a piece?

Many people believe the very best way to grow your career is to write your career. And to keep writing it until you write into the tipping point where you have a shelf of great books and critical mass.

No one buys a book they never heard of – but at the same time no one buys a book without picking it up and reading a few pages – on or off line – and falling in love.

Even if you have 10,000 people like your Facebook page –they still aren’t going to buy the book you’re shouting about unless they love that excerpt you posted, or that the online bookstore offers, or that they read standing in the aisles.

 WWCDD?

What would Charles Dickens do? Or Hemmingway? Or Agatha Christie? Or any author you admire. No one knows. That was then. This is now. And the question is - What should you do now?

• Grow your newsletter list.
• Guest blog at meaningful places.
• Put up excerpts and short stories as often as you can.
• Hire someone to do Marketing and if warrented PR.

You can do most of the things that the studies show work best on your own or hire someone to help you: blog tours, newsletter promotion, getting excerpts up at blogs and websites, online media, online ads (online ads even at Facebook are cost effective.)

If you do hire someone, long term that will free up your time and you can write that next book or short story and make the money back tenfold. Or you can continue to spend time meeting readers and growing your fan base at social media sites. But without the painful live or die pressure.

I’m not suggesting there is nothing to be gained from Facebook and Twitter and other venues like them. There is.

If you want to Facebook and Tweet. Have at it and have fun.

But do it because you want to.

Do it because you believe in the ROE.

But don’t feel panicked or guilty if you decide you’ve been hurting your career and wasting time without getting enough in return.

No matter what you do - don’t let anyone – not your agent or publisher or best friend – make you feel that to grow your career engaging in social media is the end-all be-all key to success.  If it was, we wouldn’t need anecdotes… we’d all have data.

 

Comments

[Jersey Jack]

Very thoughtful and important piece, M.J.

[Julia Munroe Martin]

Great post; I think about this a LOT as I blog-tweet-retweet-blogcomment-tweet, etc. Meanwhile my WIP suffers. Hmmmm.

[DavidLivermore]

I feel so liberated by this. Thank you!

[Michelledkeyes]

Great article. Social media is definitely a tool but best used in moderation and most importantly, with a plan of action behind it. It's not enough to "tweet and they will come", there has to be a good reason for readers to come and not everyone will. Not to mention it's something that's built over time. I think many people feel like they can tweet or post every day for a month and suddenly have 1000 readers of their genius but it doesn't work that way.

[Allison Brennan]

MJ -- great, thought-provoking post saying things I've always believed, but better than I've said.

Writing comes first. I happen to like facebook, but I can't imagine spending two hours a day social networking! I post daily, skim through the feed, comment when I feel like it, and doubt I spend more than 30 minutes a day between FB and twitter. If I did more, I would lose my creativity. I know that about me. But while drinking coffee in the morning? No problem.

I have been hugely frustrated by some of my friends who've been told that they HAVE to do A, B, or C by their publisher, with no evidence that A, B, or C works. And because they feel if they don't they'll be dropped, they are getting hugely stressed out.

[Tracy_March]

MJ, I loved this post. Like David, who commented above, I feel so liberated by your point of view. And honestly, I have sacrificed writing time for social networking (mostly on Twitter) and some of my peers think I'm crazy because I don't yet have a Facebook page--even crazier because I don't want one.

Between the pressure to be 'out there' and the energy it takes to do so, little is left for actually creating/writing.

I respect Allison, knowing herself well enough to set limits with social networking--and she keeps putting out great books.

Thanks for giving me lots to think about (and a little ammunition for the next time someone gives me grief for not having a Facebook page!).

[David_hewson]

Well said MJ. You know what makes me cringe most? When authors I know -- long-standing ones sometimes -- are out there publicly begging people to buy their books or give them reviews on Amazon or somewhere else.

Dignity aside, I can't believe this can possibly be sustainable or even work. Is this what writers are to become? Panhandlers on the sidewalk shaking their cans and shouting, 'Look my way?' and anyone who happens to be passing?

[Mywriterslair.blogspot.com]

I struggle with this every day, and I post very little compared to other author friends. I guess it's great to link everything so when you tweet, it appears on facebook, and when you blog, the same. I do like to get updates from my favorite authors, but we all know the ones who advertise ad naseum. It's about finding the balance. Yet, taking even 15-30 minutes every few days to update everything is still a chore.

I joined twitter this week and am already thinking, what's the point? It's like Facebook on a racetrack.

And then there's the feeling of when I take a week (or two or three) away from all the social media, am I losing the followers or am I somehow being left behind?

[PrisWarner]

Thank you so much for this liberating, useful information. I am just beginning to work with my publisher on marketing plans for my next book, and I will forward this to them, and keep these points in mind.

I am glad that I have a twitter account, as that's how I found you!

[Linda K. Wertheimer]

What a great, provocative, and on-point post about the quandary so many of us writers face as we tweet, blog, Facebook, etc., in a day that still has only 24 hours.

I, ironically, would not have read this if it weren't for Twitter. And hello to Priscilla, who I 'met' through Twitter.

Social networking is a juggling act. I love some aspects of it, particularly the way it can connect me to writers all around the country. And as a writer also juggling taking care of my 3-year-old, this is an easy way for me to network - when I can't leave the house.

On another note, I close down all social networking windows when I'm in serious writing mode - as I was for about two hours today. This is my least creative hour - so hence, I do a little networking.

I'm glad to meet you online, M.J. I shared your wonderful post on my Facebook writing friends group.

Best,

Linda
http://lindakwertheimer.com
Find me on Twitter @jewishmuse

[M.J. Rose]

Thanks Linda and Pris - Twitter or Facebook aren't the devil's spawn - as I say in the article its great for networking- the issue is just decide how the return on the effort is working for you and if its not - then don't beat yourself up.

[Hheerup]

What a great piece of advice. Recently, I have been pulling out all stops in a useless attempts to get online visitors to buy my e-books, when I could have been writing. I think its about time I get back to writing.

P.S. Just read a first-person account by Paul Elwork on Guide To Literary Agents on how you helped him find an agent after he contacted you about book marketing. Just wanted to congratulate you on helping an unknown writer get a novel published. It's a wonderful story.

[Jjmcgaffey]

Speaking as a reader - authors who desperately seek readers for their books are a turn-off in any medium (sandwich boards, emails, blogs, Twitter, Facebook if I facebooked...if it's all links-to-my-books and "Read my books!" I'm bored and gone in no time). Authors (and others) who are willing to act like people and thereby lure me in to being interested in what they've written/shown/otherwise produced are fun. Most of the authors I follow on Twitter I already knew - which means their recommendations are automatically interesting. I've also read books suggested by agents and other publishing-business people, and quite a few suggested by the science and music people I follow. But I follow all of them because I'm interested in what they have to say, not because they feed me books - even good books.

And Charles Dickens did lecture tours, I believe. I don't think he lectured about his books...just told people interesting things and made them interested in him and his work. Sounds like a good model to me (updated - now you don't have to travel so much to lecture. Blogs are good...)

[Paul Elwork]

Yep--this all looks pretty on-the-nose to me. Nice work, as usual, M.J.

[Patricia Yager Delagrange]

Just when I was freaking out about not "getting" Twitter, I read this post. I do a little FB but have yet to figure out the Tweet thing. I have never seen statistics about this before and really want to THANK YOU for those. That really is helpful for me to keep all of this social media in perspective.
Patti

[Coco Ihle]

M.J., Really informative article! I've had the same doubts about the social media. What stood out for me the most, was if an author does use the media, it's important to just be themselves. Write things that interest them and things they think others might enjoy. Thanks for sharing!!!

[Clehane]

Hi M.J.,
Thanks for this. It answers a lot of questions and comes at the right time for me. Makes me feel less of a fool when I'm staring at Facebook and Twitter trying to figure out what I should do.
Con

[GerrieFerris]

Good information. I find I hang out on FB with other writers (writers are readers, too) and make myself broaden my base by commenting on other posts. It takes time, but I have gotten sales, but ROE (in time away from writing) I don't think so. I think FB, Twitter, GoodReads, etc. are valuable in building your brand, but it takes time and patience.

http://www.gerrieferrisfinger.com

[Shobhan Bantwal]

Exactly my sentiments, MJ! I don't tweet, and I keep my Facebook page very basic and don't spend more than five to ten minutes on it each day. Juggling a full-time day job and a writing career is hard enough without having to make time for hours of social media chit-chat.

Thanks for a very insightful post.

Shobhan Bantwal
www.shobhanbantwal.com

[Sands Linda]

Whew. Thank you for saying so well what I had been battling with for a while. Sometimes you just have to admit... you can't do it all, right?
http://linda-sands.com

[Fpdorchak.wordpress.com]

Great post--and love the stats to back this up! I'd been looking for "the numbers" and had posted on this topic, at http://fpdorchak.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/just-another-tool/ .

Thanks, again!

[Vampiresyndrome.wordpress.com]

I wrote about this very subject on my blog back in February:
http://vampiresyndrome.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/the-social-network-kool-aid-acid-test/

A reply stated, “90% of twitter is just bots following other bots in a giant bot jungle”

I replied in turn, "The fake accounts on Facebook and the Twitter-bots don’t buy any books, now do they?"

I want to reach real live readers, not bots and fake Facebook accounts. ;)

[Jane Vasarhelyi]

M.J.
What a great article. I took a course on Social Media in May and have been twittering, facebooking and updating my website/blog like mad for the past 2 weeks. Yet, no matter how much I do it never seems enough. I'm worn out and unnerved by not writing and am so glad to learn I'm not the odd man out.
J.A. Konrath, who's sold a ginormous number of ebooks, doesn't do any social media, preferring to crank out books instead. I'm beginning to think I'm with him.
Jane

[Jane Vasarhelyi]

p.s. I'm tweeting your article.