Angry Robot are doing it again.

[AnyaKimlin]

I don't think it unfair at all or unjust. There are plenty of great books being rejected every day. When I was an employer if there were two good candidates but one was of the variety to go the extra mile, even sweeping the floor when asked but the other was better one academically I'd always have picked the more flexible one.

If I was a publisher I'd rather pick the one who will go the extra mile when asked. It's like the authors who complain about public speaking, author visits etc They've been part of the job for decades.

 

[sknox]

Kromanjon sounds like he is angry about something else. Angry at social media itself? I can't tell.

There's not a nickel's difference between a publisher telling the author to start a blog or web site, and a publisher twenty years ago requiring the author to go on a book tour. Why, the hypothetical Good Old Days author would rail, should I be required to do the publicity? Surely that's the publisher's job? Why else are they raking in a percentage of my profits? Only good writing should count. I should write my book and leave the huckstering to the hucksters. Oh, for the good old days when A.C. Doyle or Chuckie Dickens needed only to write and never had to do a lick of marketing.

Or maybe the good old days was when Alexander Dumas never had to sell. Or was it John Bunyan? There must have been halcyon days once upon a time else why have the word?

 

[AnyaKimlin]

But they did. They toured giving speeches, writing for journals & newspapers etc. Both of them were famous for it. They worked the social media of their time.

 

[Boneman]

I'll only use Twitter when I'm forced to... I have a website (getting ahead of the game) and I do blog, though not as often as I could/should. Twitter seems to be the lowest common denominator of speech, when people use it to put out information that they 'got up today and are going to work' type of thing... Is Twitter inevitable? I guess if it could sell one book, then that's the case.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Is Twitter inevitable? I guess if it could sell one book, then that's the case.

No - you should go for whatever you prefer. I have writer colleagues who are very active on FaceBook (which I dislike - FB, not the activity!) but almost silent on Twitter. I'm the opposite way round. Find a venue you enjoy and explore its possibilities.

Re Angry Robot asking up front for social media info, didn't we cover that already? That it's easier for them to ask for it as part of the submission package, rather than get back to an author only to discover that a) (s)he's a jerkwad on social media and b) having been asked for more info, this same jerkwad now thinks the publisher wants to sign him/her and makes a nuisance of themselves. Sadly, some writers out there are like this

I don't see it as a demand on the author that they get involved in all social media, just an additional source of background information - and a heads-up that you need to at least be aware of the importance of social media in the current market.

 

[Boneman]

Yeah, I'm a little Luddish, but I was on facebook for a while when I was teaching a lot, but was inundated with friends requests by too many students! But I see a definite advantage there. Diverging slightly... is anyone Linkedin as a writer?

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Not as a writer, but very happy to link. I think Chrispy and I are linked, so I could have a mini writing group. You know my name, or if you search ZTC consultancy, that should find me!

 

[ctg]

I use writer and author credits in my cv. But then again that's what I've done for number of years in the private industry. As an author for technical side articles I've also added scifi clauses to the mini-intro's on author's past.

And I do for example use FB to promote myself as a writer. So yes, the social media can raise your status as a writer among the people around you. And after a while they start talking to you as a writer and expecting something to come up.

Therefore it's good that an author make him or herself an internet profile, which they can use to talk to the audience and not just be anti-social all year round. I know that we are a weird punch, but do we need to tweet about all our doings all year round?

Don't think so.

Why?

Well, it's each of their own but you have a choice of letting your publicist do it, or you trying to do too much and not enough.

 

[Gary Compton]

You can set your Facebook page up so anything posted on your timeline gets automatically tweeted.

Also, I have several pages relating to different projects that tweet on different Twitter accounts so you have the best of both worlds.

You can also link your Twitter account to FB so any tweets go on your timeline.

Simples...

 

[Kissmequick]

You can also link your Twitter account to FB so any tweets go on your timeline.

Simples...

That's what I do. Also, when I blog it automatically gets fed to twitter (and thence to FB) and to goodreads etc. One post, multiple sites.

I prefer twitter myself. I can never think of anything to blog about....

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Blog posts don't have to be lengthy. Mine generally aren't.

 

[Kissmequick]

No, I know. It's coming up with the subject I have problems with!

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I do that I use Facebook & will do twitter so it links back to my blog. I put up my 75 word stories once a month, installments of young-adult sci-fi, student friendly recipes, rants, character blogs etc

 

[Anne Lyle]

That's what I do. Also, when I blog it automatically gets fed to twitter (and thence to FB) and to goodreads etc. One post, multiple sites.

Apparently automated posts don't get pushed out to as many followers as ones created within FB - and unless you have a very active following, most of them won't even see your posts. This is another reason I loathe FB - they have cut back on their service in an effort to force you to "pay to play", but their pricing structure is aimed at corporations who can afford to splurge a grand or two promoting their tweets.

If you have a FB page, you'll see a number on each post telling you how many people saw it. My new cover art went a teensy bit viral and was seen by over 200 people (I only have ~170 likes) but most posts only reach about 50 followers.

On Twitter, the 1100+ people who follow me see all my public tweets. OK there are probably a few bots amongst my followers but most are real people

This is why it's a bad thing to spread yourself too thinly - you'll get more benefit from regular, frequent active in one place.

 

[Kissmequick]

I'm not so worried about FB tbh. I don't really go on it unless someone points me that way from twitter.

I think twitter works best for fan interaction -- easy, quick etc, good for actual conversations (where a blog post feels like me talking at people rather than with them).

If you have a FB page, you'll see a number on each post telling you how many people saw it.

I really must get around to making that page....

 

[Warren_Paul]

Hmm. I think I'll have to pass on the Open Door this year, unless Angry Robot opens up for submissions as well. My new WIP isn't YA... and I don't think they'd consider a redrafted version of the book I submitted last year, would they? It's only more polished, not changed much at all.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I doubt it, Warren, most open windows only want resubmissions if they're from a R&R.

Interesting, another big agency, Zeno, are reopening to submissions in June and in their guidelines they state:

...And if you have a web site, make sure you mention it, along with the address


which is a big get off my bum notice to get in contact with my bro and sort out the blog link from mine and get it linked to one I can update instead of using the ones here.