by Jason Kong, @storyrally
Imagine millions of people tuning in to hear what you have to say.
Not because they have to, but because they want to. They’re ready to support your next project and spread your latest news. And you can reach them all with just a few keystrokes and a click.
This isn’t a fantasy. It’s Neil Gaiman’s reality.
Gaiman lives in social media nirvana. He has attention for what he does and admirers for how he does it. When someone is compelled to highlight his past tweets because he’s taking a social media sabbatical, you know he’s doing something right.
So is he an outlier? Or are there lessons from his success that can be applied to your own situation?
Let’s take a closer look.
The exception that proves the rule
At first glance, Gaiman often breaks from social media convention.
He talks a lot about himself, constantly promotes his work, and generates what seems to be an overwhelming amount of content. You’ve probably heard that the best way to engage a following is to put the needs of your audience above your own. Gaiman seems to do whatever he wants.
Appearances can be deceiving.
Gaiman isn’t attempting to connect with strangers. He’s delighting fans. These are the people who know his books and are curious about him, so when he tweets about an upcoming event or answers fan mail at the end of blog posts, he is fulfilling the desires of his audience.
That’s the difference between what Gaiman is doing and an unknown author just starting on social media. When you don’t have anyone listening, or anyone that cares, focusing on yourself isn’t going to get you anywhere. More updates on your blog or Twitter or Facebook will do little to change your anonymity.
So what should you do instead?
Remember what social media actually is
It’s just a tool. It won’t get you a readership by itself.
Do you want more followers on social media? Focus on your stories. Write more and better. Create wonderful fiction for someone that would find that fiction wonderful.
This is obvious. And yet, ask yourself:
- Are you expending more effort on social media than writing?
- Are you constantly reading the same social media strategies over and over?
- Are you regretting the amount of time you spent on social media?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, then perhaps you need to reassess what you’re doing.
Neil Gaiman seems to be witty, engaging, and a decent person. But do you honestly think that he has almost two million Twitter followers just because of that? Gaiman built a huge audience because of his storytelling, not because of his personality or social media tactics.
***
Don’t let the tool become the trap. The best way to become known for your writing is to write something worth reading. That won’t change even when social media does.
Jason Kong helps fiction writers with their online marketing. Subscribe to get free insights here.
Jason–Thanks so much for posting today. And you’ve given us an important reminder–we’ve got to make sure we protect our writing time. If we don’t spend time writing, we won’t have anything to promote. Writing the next book (and the next one and next one) is the most successful marketing technique.
Elizabeth: I totally agree with what you said about writing the next book. Building a body of work is more important than ever.
Thanks for hosting me, once again!
Thanks for the post.
Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for reading, Angela!
Thanks Jason, will check out your link re online marketing and request to receive! This was via Elizabeth Spann Craig-
Garden of Eden Blog
I appreciate the consideration, Susan!
Elizabeth – Thanks for hosting Jason.
Jason – Thanks for the reminder that social media can make a very good servant, but not a good master. The real key to success as a writer is, well, writing. That’s how you succeed at it, and you’ve given us a great reminder of that.
Margot: Really well said.
He made a name for himself first as an author and the social media stuff followed. Probably a much smarter choice than doing it in reverse.
And yes, I spend a lot of time online…
Alex: Yup. I do want to be clear that I’m not saying there’s not value in using social media for various other reasons. But if you’re looking for a readership, there’s no escaping that the hard work of writing has to figure prominently into the process.
Brilliant.
I appreciate that!
I’ve cut way back on social media. I check in a few times a day and post some stuff, but that’s about it. Its time consuming and not always productive.
Stephen. Absolutely. Every writer needs to be aware of the dividing line between beneficial and not beneficial. And of course, it’s different for each person.
I remind myself that the operative word in social media is SOCIAL and try to do as little ‘marketing’ as possible out there. It’s the office water cooler, and if you spend too much time there, the boss will come after you.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Terry: I would agree that very few people want to be exposed to repeated pitches of “Buy my book!” On the other hand, if you’re involved in various projects and events, wouldn’t the people that follow you on social media want to know about that? This of course assumes that you’re followers are fans of your work, and not attracted to you for other reasons.
Jason – yes, I think my loyal followers are interested in all aspects of what I feel appropriate to post. I get a LOT more interaction with pictures of my dog, or what I’m cooking, so I do try to keep the social at the forefront. Of course, I also post updates about my writing, such as cover reveals, or snippets from books, and let people know when there’s a sale. But not 25 times a day as I see others do. I’ve found that it’s more effective from a marketing standpoint when someone else tweets or posts about my books, and I try to do the same for them. In face, we have an author co-op (Booklover’s Bench) designed for that very purpose.
‘Don’t let the tool become the trap’ – Perfectly said!!!
Gaiman is a brilliant man :)
Jemi: He does have his share of admirers. :)
Thanks Elizabeth and Jason. This is a very wise post. I only do blogging and a teensy weensy. I use Facebook to keep up with family and friends. The writing is so very much a priority right now.
Karen: Tools are only useful if they get you where you want to go. Sounds like it’s working out for you!
Jason, well said. I spent 30 years in sales and marketing in the tech sector and many new authors ask me for advice (actually, they tell me what they’ve already done and ask me for a stamp of approval). I always tell them, quality first.
That’s the cornerstone of every successful business, from Standard Oil to Google. They built a reliable quality that their competitors didn’t have. Lee Child, John Sanford, and many others have zero SM footprint. Look at Hugh Howey’s posts before the first Wool came out and you’ll see he had very few followers in the early days.
Peace, Seeley
Seeley: Those are really good points. Authors known for doing good work won’t be hurting for a social media following.
Thanks for the tips. I do some blogging and I share my stories on the web so this is very interesting. All in all, blogging for me has been pretty satisfying. Although, I do have something that’s bothering me. A couple years ago I shared a story that someone replied to, “Too long. Didn’t even start.” It was sort of a heart breaking moment because although I don’t need million of people gushing over my work or praising it, I thought that was a little Un-respectful. . (Doesn’t make sense but what do you know) That was for the first ten minutes, then I start to realize this guy might have just been the most honest person who’s ever commented. And I started to appreciate his criticism. Today, I write a daily blog where I share excerpts on a weekly basis, and I’ve noticed that my excerpts have become really long. Do I continue that way or should I limit myself? Please Reply.
Two questions to consider: What are you trying to do by sharing excerpts and is it working? Trying to come up with the answers may give you the insight you want.
By the way, I love that you found a useful nugget from the criticism you received. But I think it’s important to realize that some negative feedback does nothing for your work, because the person saying it isn’t who you’re writing for. That type of criticism you can safely ignore.
Using social media will attract all types of people. You can’t (and shouldn’t) please everyone.
I understand. I write for my and the sake of my readers enjoyment. After your post I’ve given it some thought and decided to take the middle path. I’ll keep writing my way but just keep from overwhelming my readers I’ll limit the words per post. I’ll even ask them if they’d prefer longer or shorter posts. Thank for all your help!
Nice article, Jason. It’s a good reminder that our writing always comes first.
Glad you found the post useful, Michael.
This is all true, but if *no* one’s reading your writing, then that’s its own source of frustration, and can really affect one’s ability to get words down.
I almost want to say that there are too many outliers. Either that or we’re paying too much attention to them. I would prefer to learn how people who aren’t outliers are finding the people who like their writing. Or does that make them outliers by definition, and if so, what does that mean for the rest of us?
Was Neil Gaiman an outlier? I would say “yes” in terms of the strength of his readership, but “no” in terms of how one got discovered when he did. As others have pointed out, he was already pretty well-known before social media became popular.
The world is obviously different now. More writers are able and willing to throw their hat into the ring, which makes it harder to stand out. But at the same time, readers have greater access to fiction of their liking, which is really better for everyone.
So the big issue, as you pointed out, is making the connection between writer and reader. More to come on that.
The point of this article, is that good writing matters more than ever. Having a social media account doesn’t entitle a writer to readers.
It’s a combination with Neil. He was already a name author with a base of fans, and he was smart enough to get involved in social media so those fans could find him.
Diane: Yes, that’s true. But it’s also true that he does an amazing job engaging with them over social media. That helps too.
I follow one of my favorite authors on Twitter. She never says, “Buy my book!” Her blog posts are about where she’s appearing, what she’s working on, etc. She was established long before social media, and it seems she now uses it as an additional way to get information to her readers.
I think of social media as a way to connect. If book sales come about because of that, it’s a win/win.
Julie: Sounds like you’re talking about this.
And if so, I totally agree. :)
Hi Elizabeth .. what a great post Jason has given us. I picked up the idea of weaving a story into our work, which I’ve remembered, and once I’m out using social media then I will certainly adopt … it’s giving others what they want within the context of our work ..
Thanks – great points and interaction in the comments .. cheers Hilary
Hilary: I like how you put that: “it’s giving others what they want within the context of our work.”
It’s not the only way to do social media, of course. Everyone is free to do what suits them best. But in terms of building a following for your writing, the approach you describe makes tons of sense.