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Excellent advice, Kate. I need to move on the tweeting fewer links and more of other types of content.
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This article may help Brant: http://badredheadmedia.com/2015/02/15/different-types-content-ideas-authors-k8tilton/
The more you practice sharing different types of content daily the easier it will become!
Nice post. I think there’s also a fine line between too much information and not enough. I try to talk to people about my experiences as if we were having coffee. A little humor, a little compassion and a whole lot of “yep, we’re all in the same boat.” You reminded me I didn’t put any link in my blog this week – I do try for at least one. Well, there you go! Less links!
Reply Yes, excellent point! There is a fine line between sharing too much and too little, although in my experience most authors tend to fall on the sharing too little side of things. Your example is great, thinking of social media as sharing coffee with a friend is a helpful way to think of it. You don’t want to share anything too personal (as in a coffee shop you might be overheard) but your conversation can’t be just you resharing information. There has to be a dialogue and it does need to have a personal, genuine factor to it.
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It is good advice. On a related subject, someone just offered me signed copies of their work. It’s a little creepy from someone I really don’t know and it makes me wonder “What do they want from me?” I’d rather just talk to people on social media. If I want to buy your book, I will.
Reply Yep, when offering copies of a book the author has to be aware of who they are asking. Is that person a reviewer? Did you read their review policy? Are you contacting them on their preferred channel? Every author should ask these questions first.
I’ve gotten books occasionally from friends online, but they certainly knew I was interested and took the time to make the connection with me first. It is important authors really focus on building connections before sending off books to any person they find.
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I know I hate seeing a twitter feed full of things like “Five Stars for My Latest Cheesy Romance” or “She was a rebel, he was a squid. Can their interspecies romance survive?” And forget the “It’s Pride and Prejudice meets Blade Runner” promos. I try to tweet about things that interest me as opposed to clogging everyone’s screen with tweets about my books. Although I do mention that I have them from time to time. These days I’m talking about Mad Men.
Reply Yes! Too much book promotion and not enough interaction and interesting content is a no-no. There is a fine balance authors must be aware of and too many fall into the spammy promotion trap. Sharing about current shows you are watching is a great example of how an author can be personal and engaging without being too personal. Thank you for sharing Judy!
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Thanks for sharing some specific ideas here that speak directly to the struggle I am having making online connections [that ‘thanks’ was genuine, btw, not automatic!] I’ve come to realize that my content is at one extreme of the ‘sharing spectrum’ and my personal interaction at the other in an attempt to find the elusive balance. Now I understand why it isn’t working and am attempting to bridge that gap. baby steps…
Reply Baby steps are good, any steps are good. You’ll find the more you focus on genuine connection the better your online experience will become. You can do it! 🙂
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