Lately, I’ve been on a social media break, because I wanted to spend some time on my editing and a new project I’m doing for my good friend and author, Stacey Walker. Both of those things have been going well without the constant pressure to post over and over on Facebook and Instagram; in fact, I’ve added more than 3,000 words to my draft over the last couple of weeks, just through rewrites and rewording. This is the part that’s had me thinking for the last few days. How liberating it is to not have to constantly put myself out there and post incessantly to appease some algorithm that neither cares about you nor has any rhyme or reason to it. The number of stories I’ve heard of people getting blocked or banned for things they didn’t do is astonishing.
That being the case, why do we do it?
Ostensibly, it’s for “the marketing.” But this is confusing to me, since primarily, most of the people I follow and who follow me are other authors. The general reading public is, by and large, NOT getting this message from us. Perhaps other people have had success using this methodology, but my opinion is that authors who already have some readership are getting this boost. Those of us who are starting from scratch are screaming into the void and left wondering why our hard work is going unnoticed. The number of posts I see lamenting social media reach generating zero sales could fill an Olympic size swimming pool. The ugly truth of it is that social media posts are easy to ignore.
If I’m perfectly honest, I feel happier when I’m not constantly engaging with social media. Before I published in 2022, I was off ALL social media, and it was blissful. When you become a published author, whether you like it or not, you become a public figure. Presence is important, but I think the drive to post constantly is a fallacy. You could write several thesis papers on “gaming the algorithm,” but there’s simply no telling what will go viral, and chasing that dragon can be dangerous.
If you take that away, how do you market? I’m not sure I have a good answer for that, hence my own paltry sales numbers. But the thing I find most rewarding is engaging directly with readers. Author events have been eye opening for me, and those direct connections, however brief, are more meaningful than a hundred posts. Connecting with other authors is also invaluable, because writing can be a very lonely activity. You’re up in your head for hours at a time, but meeting other writers is reassuring. You’re not the only person out there who thinks this way. I’m also fascinated by the ways people came to writing and the amazing backstories they have.
I think I posted something on this before (Antisocial Media), but it’s worth the time to foster and cultivate real relationships with people on both sides of the table, so to speak. Opportunities are out there, and it’s so much more gratifying. In addition to my GalaxyCon appearances, I’m plotting and planning on doing some things locally. I think with the release of Book 2, there’s going to be a lot more opportunity.
I said this in my first Cocktails & Creatives panel, and I think it’s worth repeating. Use the platforms that work for you rather than the ones that feel like work. If you’re having success at the SM game, congratulations! Keep it rolling! If you want to make better use of it, but aren’t sure where to get started or are looking for help, perhaps I could recommend my author friend and social media guru, Kait Disney-Leugers?
Oh, and speaking of Book 2, The Duchess and the Indigo Child is in heavy revisions, hovering right around 70k words, and has me excited to get it to my alpha reader and my editor. It still feels like there’s something missing, but I’m very pleased with where this one took me.