I wrote a fictional book. VOICE OF THE RED DRAGONFLY. I was even fortunate enough to have it traditionally published, but then it happened; I allowed social-media to suck out my light. Literally, feels like I’m in a scene from Harry Potter and the Dementors are pulling my soul through my eye sockets—Prisoner of Azkaban anyone?
‘They’ say, social-media is one of the best platforms for authors to promote themselves and their work but post book-release and several months of creating social-media worthy material; book promos, giveaways and witty author related content to post to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, alongside paying out of pocket to have an author website designed, spending copious hours updating old blog posts, writing new ones and scouring the internet for writing contests, and author-interview prospects whilst spamming local bookstores to carry copies of my debut novel and nudging book bloggers for reviews, in effort to increase my following and drive sales, based on the publishing industry’s concept of how book marketing should be done— indie, hybrid, traditional or otherwise, to secure sales and profits. And the verdict? It has left me in ‘conflict of interest’ mode—an internal battle of being loud and pushy over practicing what I preach, living authentically by way of making connections. Call me old-fashioned but it’s the truth and for the record, I don’t really preach. I plant seeds.
I believe diligent work is the key to success. I’ve definitely put the time and energy into my ‘passion project’ of writing, and for the most part it’s been rewarding, but somewhere along the way the lines blurred. Of course, I want to promote and have my book sell but no longer by way of the publishing industry’s protocol; build a brand, a platform, create a blog and establish a large following—oh and beg, borrow and steal to maintain that following (a slight exaggeration but you get the picture).
I’m not pushy by nature, nor am I sales-driven. I’m simply a writer turned author. I’m also, someone who has learnt that no matter how wonderful my social-media content is or how attractive my ‘book teasers’ sound, that social-media doesn’t translate into sold copies of books. Social-media gets you followers who enjoy your content and may scope out your profile, possibly adding their name to your blog or newsletter and if you’re really lucky they’ll share your page and leave a positive comment, but what I’ve come to realize is they’re not swiping through Instagram, scrolling through Facebook pages and reading Twitter to chase down links to new books with intentions of buying them. And, rightly so, because it’s an ineffective way to sell books, especially for someone like me and many authors alike, who prefer the quiet of writing over in-your-face marketing—it’s not in our DNA to be pushy, albeit I am generalizing, and I admit it. However, authors generally choose to write for its solitude, the mindfulness of the profession and to push the envelope in story-telling, not to push sales and drive profits.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some wonderful opportunities presented to me by way of social-media; including valuable book reviews, reputable author-interviewers reaching out to me, and even big publishers showing interest in my work but at the end of the day, what’s resonated with me the most and been my best marketing tool, are the connections I’ve made with others during my post-publishing journey—a reminder of how the simplest of measures, can often incur the most reward.
Some of these people I speak of are other authors, whose kind words alone have encouraged me to source out their novels. Hey, if I value their wisdom, I’ll likely find value in their work too. Some of these people are also like-minded individuals, who share in my spiritual beliefs, and our exchanges as brief as they’ve been in cases, have prompted me to support/share their businesses, and/or buy their products.
When a person is coming from a place of authenticity, they don’t spew their own promotional garble, nor do they push you to subscribe to their sites; luring you there by way of gimmicks and so on, often only to realize that you can’t read/access their content until you’ve subscribed, and/or the information you thought you were seeking disappoints. People who are sincere, show interest in your work by asking questions and offer feedback, send words of encouragement and/or support. Their true personalities readily shine online, and it’s their natural charisma and/or passion for their work that intrigues you to invest in their services and products. Displaying a little humanity, can go a long way; especially in the world of selling books.
I got lost, perhaps even a little buried in the chaos of social-media. It’s loud, it’s endless and it’s exhausting. I’m not one to survive in large crowds for long. My energy gets zapped and my aura shrivels up, leaving my energy crippled and spirit deflated.
My post-publishing journey was a necessary evil though, as it’s brought me to where I am today, but I realize I have been missing the smaller conversations. The intimacy of genuine connection in a rough sea of noise polluters and product shovers. The virtual world has become very impersonal and very lonely. Information is pushed at you and smeared in your face at every turn. The expression, ‘Fake it, till you make it’ makes my skin crawl. No one should be inundated with the amount of fake’ness that saturates our social-media pages.
Pretty photos, and clever book tag-lines don’t create a dedicated fan-base. They create, for lack of a better description, a fickle following of people—that’ll unfollow you without a second thought and why shouldn’t they? Because there’s no connection or rapport between the two of you anyway.
Though I’m grateful for my growing mix of fan-based followers and followers in general, I’ve learned. But unfortunately, I suspect every author must experience the post-publishing journey the way it is, to truly appreciate what I’ve described and decide for themselves whether the noise is worth it.
It’s no surprise that I’ve deemed contribution to the noise unbeneficial and I am choosing mindfulness, engagement and genuine community over filling your feeds with yet another photo of my book—okay truth be told, there’ll be some, but the difference now is that they’ll be accompanied with conversation starters, thought provoking questions and insightful bits. If you find my posts engaging, please comment, ‘chase my links’ and/or initiate conversation, I’ll be sure to return the favour and we’ll both benefit from the exchange. That’s how connection works.
I’ll continue to seek out the works of fellow authors who speak kind and considerate words, make me laugh and offer to help build an authentic, supportive online community within our social-media pages but I won’t promote my brand by being redundant (how many times do you really want to see my book cover?) and pushy sales tactics. I know I’m compelled to buy books and other products when I’ve made a connection, not just with the product but more importantly, with the person who stands behind it.
Give going back to basics a try and keep the noise levels down on social-media—it’s not serving our author community, writers’ circles or our valued readers. No need to clog feeds with pleas and promises when you can grow by way of connecting. You’re a writer, you have the gift of words—reach out, share your stories and make the connection. I guarantee you’ll find the post-publishing journey less abrasive and draining, and more ‘rewarding’—in all aspects of the word.
Shut up, write more, and connect—Quietly.
Be Happy.
Enjoy self-help with a twist? Read my new fictional novel, Voice of the Red Dragonfly ~ A Spiritual Story, about opening yourself up to the flow, and watching as your best life unfolds before your eyeshttps://www.nfreads.com/interview-with-author-jennifer-charlinski/