So I went to a panel on Thursday entitled "Social Books: How Media is Changing the Writing, Reading and Promotion of Books."
(to get a range of Tweets, quotes and clips from the panel, look up #socialbooks on Twitter)
When I signed up for the panel, the description essentially indicated that the panelists would be discussing how using tweets, apps, videos, blogs, wikis, mash-ups and fanpages help an author reach far beyond the book's binding.
What actually happened:
Author 1: I have a heckuva lot of followers because of people saying FOLLOW HIM! And now when I Tweet, I lose like 100, because they aren't interested in my feed.
Author 2: I have a blog and many followers. But I turn off the comment section. My blog is a dictatorship, not a democracy.
Author 3: I read @ replies, but there's no point in replying to people.
Ok, so there was more conversation than that, but to be honest, I left about 25 minutes into the one-hour panel. It got to a point where the panelists were essentially saying that publishing is 'ever-changing' and there are 'no hard rules' and I just shook my head and jumped shipped.
The key point I think the panelists, and moderator, were really missing, is the importance of the social aspect of social media. Always remember this key factor:
Social > Media
The social aspect of Social Media is what makes it important and, more importantly, interactive. One of the panelists did have a good point: "All forms of reading, with the exception of books, are social: journalism (newspaper web sites allow readers to leave comments), blogs (comments), videos and movies (YouTube), etc."
And it's true -- at the moment, books themselves aren't social. eBooks are starting to lean in that direction, with the help of eReaders allowing comments and then sharing such comments with friends. But how do you make books social and help spread the word, outside of Twitter, blogs and Facebook?
Good question. That's why I went to the panel. That's not what I got out of it.
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| It's not the quantity. It's the quality. |
What I did get out of it (though clearly not the point they intended to send) is that it doesn't matter how many followers you have (one author has 1.4 million followers), it doesn't mean you automatically know how to reach your audience efficiently nor does it mean you give them exactly what they're seeking as a follower (note, same author is the one who said "Now when I Tweet, I lose like 100 at a time because they don't care about my feed.")
This sort of
links back to what I was talking about earlier this week, and what my main point is when I give my social media talks at conference: Social Media isn't about 10 million followers. It's about generating a following
who are going to come together as a community because of you or your product. It's about people coming together because of a common interest and then knowing they can always return to this community for updates, discussions or, the best part, bonus material, relating to said product/person. (bonus material can include sneak peeks, fan art, video clips and more).
I also think it's the point the panelists completely missed, since they bragged about numbers and pointed out the face they would even bar people from commenting, the number of people unfollowing them, and so forth.
Look at your Twitter feed. Do you see anyone you tend to sort of graze over and never really focus on their Tweets? If so, why are you following them?
Look at your blog feed. Do you see any you haven't read since 10 posts ago? Why do you subscribe to them?
~K
nice post. It's something to think about for sure. I have a new blog and not many followers yet, but the ones that are there participate in the comment section, so I guess that's a good thing :)
Hi Kathleen,
What you said in the last two SMW really stands out! And I'm also trying to figure out some of the questions you raised!
I initially started a writing blog to talk about technique, etc, but that didn't last long. Then, I switched my blog over to talk about anything and everything related to YA fiction, including reviews. Most of my followers now are other book bloggers. And just recently (maybe a couple weeks ago) I realized something else. Reading a book isn't social activity like you said. But that's what people are going for these days. That's why I decided to post my YA paranormal romance in weekly installments starting in April. I'm very curious about the readers I'll draw in (or not lol). Will they be writers? Will they be readers? If anything, I'm most curious about the power I have as a blogger to reach an audience who will be interested in the type of story I'm offering. I'm not selling a product, but I'm offering something many people like. As long as 1)the content is more than decent 2)I appeal to the right audience, I think I might be onto something.
If you are interested in my project/event, I'd be happy to welcome you to my blog to take a peek. "WHO IS SAINT GIOVANNI?" is the official blog to talk about the upcoming event. "The Lit Express" is the blog where the installments will be appearing on.
Thank you for the SMW posts. It's solidified some of my ideas, and now I have a game plan.
-Rane
Audience, as you point out, is THE issue when thinking about a social media strategy (yes, it should be planned, people!). How do you pick an audience? Well, what are you selling (and Rane, you are ALWAYS selling something :)) and who's buying it. Now talk with them. Magic!
Excellent post.
"But how do you make books social and help spread the word, outside of Twitter, blogs and Facebook?"
I keep seeing this question, or one like it, and I've been wondering the same thing.
We have the capability of creating devices that turn digital books into media hubs. As you said, sharing comments is an option. I don't think it's much of a step to imagine linking passages of a book to other media: art or videos or music. All the "extras" an author might put on his or her website could be linked where appropriate (eg a map for an epic fantasy, or a short side story about some of the minor characters). Perhaps we could even flag passages (with something similar to a url shortener) to refer to them when tweeting the author.
I don't think the question is as much whether these things are possible as whether they would be welcome. Some people really don't like distractions in their books and would strongly resist the chaos of attention-hogging add-ons. But other people might enjoy having easily-accessible material to enrich the text. For myself, I'd prefer to have only the original book on the first read, but on the second read I'd love to see all the extras.
Is that where your thoughts are going with this post, or did you have something else entirely in mind?
@Rane
"That's why I decided to post my YA paranormal romance in weekly installments starting in April."
I've heard of other people trying out this idea too, though I haven't seen much about the results. Good luck!
@Meredith I suppose you're right. I have a product even if it's free lol. Teens are my audience, so I have to communicate with teens. I get that. But it's getting teens to listen ha! I suppose I could go around to local high schools and middle schools talking about creative writing. It's a shame I don't have any YA fiction published yet, which is more appropriate for high school kids. At the end of this year I will have 2 chapter books published, but that's an entirely different category.
@A Lockwood: Yes, I've heard of people doing this too. I should find some of them and talk with them. Although, their success or lack of success wouldn't stop me from doing this. I believe people have the power to make things happen for themselves. It all comes down to the approach and how much you're willing to promote what you're "selling," even if what you're selling is free! Anyway, I am filled with ideas!! And as soon as I finish my current freelance job, I'm going to dedicate some serious time to it.
Thanks for your encouragement:-)
GoodReads and LibraryThing try to make books more social... And LivingSocial has a book section.
I get too easily distracted on the computer and don't spend much time on twitter, facebook, or youtube yet, so I worry about *really* figuring them out to the point where they begin to take time. Someday I'll look more closely at them.
Hi Kathleen -- I organized the panel and appreciate your feedback.
The panel was intended to get four working authors to "discuss how social media is transforming the experience of writing, reading and promoting books -- and what the changes may mean for authors, readers and publishers."
I was thinking 'war stories' rather than 'best practices,' and should have made that clear in the panel description.
The conversation focused largely on 'writing and reading.' In retrospect, its clear many in the audience hoped for more time on 'promoting.' I regret not hitting that note harder.
One clarification: the quip about losing 100 followers per tweet was made by a panelist who has 1.4 million followers because he was once on Twitter's SUL. I believe his point was the same as yours: randomly acquired followers are NOT a community.
Henry
Thanks for posting, Henry!
@Rane all good thoughts, but remember: if your product has already been made available online for free, it's harder to get people (read: publishers) to pay for it...
I know. :-) I've got another project I'm saving for that! Thanks, Meredith.
Very interesting. It's difficult to ponder social media and how to make a splash in an already crowded pool. A friend and I had discussed starting a blog, but we kept going over the glut of what's already out there and couldn't conceive a new "niche" to fill, so we put the project on hold. If I'm going to put myself out there, I want it to be a quality source that people want to participate in. Why add to the chatter if you have nothing new to say? (For now - we're still working on it )
It also struck home with me regarding neglected blog feeds - I have several that sit in my feed box unread. I guess it's time to hit delete! But more importantly, figure out why and try not to make the same mistake.
Thanks for the thought-provoking post.
Good points. I'm social media coordinator for a newspaper and I can tell you that I work across multiple platforms (apps, Twitter, Facebook, blogs etc.) to promote our brands and products and create the kinds of communities you talked about. I am so tired of people lamenting the death of newspapers and the changes in the publishing industry. I think it's an exciting time where the possibilities are endless. People need to embrace change and not fight it. If we are to survive as an industry, we must embrace new media, not ignore it. It’s not going to go away. Those who succeed and flourish in this exciting digital age will be those companies who understand the value and power of social media and use it to achieve its goals.