tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post6541747707871091199..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: Publishing and Social NetworkingBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-81417799132140155932009-05-19T13:32:00.000-04:002009-05-19T13:32:00.000-04:00I was excited to see you and Kim on Twitter. I enj...I was excited to see you and Kim on Twitter. I enjoy it more than Facebook, where I get flooded with invitations to time sinks.<br /><br />Twitter is nice because someone can post a question, get an answer or an interesting variety of answers or just toss out a pearl of wisdom. I hope y'all enjoy it.Julie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-54265767279977201802009-05-18T12:46:00.000-04:002009-05-18T12:46:00.000-04:00I'm odd in that I refuse to talk about writing whe...I'm odd in that I refuse to talk about writing when I'm blogging/twittering/myspacing/facebooking as my pseudonym. I fear it spoils some of the "magic" for readers. And I've never been fully convinced that writers marketing to other writers actually works; I try to stay out of that loop.<br /><br />My spyscribbler/real name online life makes me a little worried. I love the outlet to talk about writing freely, but I do wish I'd never linked my real name. If my "real name" sells, I don't know what I'll do. It'd break my heart to stop talking writing "shop" with my friends! <br /><br />And in the meantime, I teach piano. Our world, for some odd reason, thinks better of you if you are focused on one thing 24/7, if you live, eat, and breathe your "one" profession to the exclusion of everything else.Spy Scribblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14299551957327543491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-13445714453710741932009-05-17T21:51:00.000-04:002009-05-17T21:51:00.000-04:00I did the same thing on Facebook, splitting my per...I did the same thing on Facebook, splitting my personal and professional lives. Good thing I want to be published under a pen name.Janethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04600030574995481267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-54155022802185737642009-05-16T21:47:00.000-04:002009-05-16T21:47:00.000-04:00Okay I'm going to friend you then. lol. I realized...Okay I'm going to friend you then. lol. I realized I did the same thing. I'm already "friends" on facebook with a handful of authors, aspiring writers, and an editor. I tried to "friend" another agent but realized too late it was a personal page rather than a public. He ignored me which is totally fine. I felt like the dummy. But I feel like I should have separated my "writing" self with my "home" self. I'm anonymous on my blog but now I have a group of bloggers that know the real me. So the line between the two worlds is blurring. Although it isn't necessarily a bad thing.<br /><br />Anyhoo, what was the question? <br /><br />Oh right no question. Just rambling about myself. <br /><br />Okay well I just have to say I really appreciate that some agents and editors do set up these pages so that the social networking can continue for those of us still finding our way. :)<br /><br />Also glad to know some agents realize we are mistakenly assuming their personal pages are business and in no way trying to stalk them. :DPurpleCloverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07933014134696608557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-58889824407918742822009-05-16T11:20:00.000-04:002009-05-16T11:20:00.000-04:00Social networking opens up so many problems when p...Social networking opens up so many problems when personal/professional overlap--I think every person no matter what their profession can relate.<br />I always thought it violated Facebook's TOS when a person created two accounts?<br />I'm not a published author but boy, sometimes I wished I had two separate accounts, one for all my writing buds and another for all my family and close friends LOL.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09271864194625919704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-91419570676894403602009-05-15T22:39:00.000-04:002009-05-15T22:39:00.000-04:00I have Blogger and Facebook and Goodreads and Shel...I have Blogger and Facebook and Goodreads and Shelfari and countless Yahoo groups, as well as forums and email contact with other writers. I draw the line at Twitter. It's just one more mouth to feed.<br /><br />Besides, Twitter has left a sour taste in my mouth due to recent shenanigans connected to my latest e-publisher and a certain reviewer. Hell, I'm only human.Sandra Cormierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00231342310371529022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-74450371213417425502009-05-15T19:46:00.000-04:002009-05-15T19:46:00.000-04:00"What I'm learning now is that the search for an a..."What I'm learning now is that the search for an agent is taking as much time and attention as writing my book did. [now you're getting somewhere; remember that writing a book is easy, selling it is the hard part] It will be time well spent if I find the agent who is just right."<br /><br />It will be time well spent if you manage to get any agent at all. Why query them at all if you wouldn't want them to rep you?! And if one offers, you're going to want to accept. What are you gonna do, say, "I just want to wait a few more weeks to see if any better offers come along..."?! In the event that you get multiple offers within the same few days, then you'll have an actual choice to make, but in all probability, you'll be lucky to get even 1 offer of representation. <br /><br />So be honest with yourself and everyone else and just admit that you're waiting for any agent you've queried to make an offer, not "just the right agent," because why would you Q them in the first place if they couldn't do the job, right?<br /><br />C'mon people, look alive out there. Bounce up on it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-1010786391143784642009-05-15T19:36:00.000-04:002009-05-15T19:36:00.000-04:00"And it wouldn't matter if I were FB-friended or T..."And it wouldn't matter if I were FB-friended or Twitter-connected with every agent in the whole world if I didn't have a good, *finished* manuscript to send them at some point."<br /><br />Ahhh, a sparkling gem of wisdom buried in a field of homogeneous rubble!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-60279853578163896602009-05-15T19:31:00.000-04:002009-05-15T19:31:00.000-04:00Also, blogs are dead, useless icons of 2005. A blo...Also, blogs are dead, useless icons of 2005. A blog is really just a website for non-technical people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-90205639077776307682009-05-15T19:30:00.000-04:002009-05-15T19:30:00.000-04:00"I wonder what your thoughts are on whether it's n..."I wonder what your thoughts are on whether it's necessary for an emerging writer like myself to be on FaceBook and Twitter. I have a website and blog and I blog on another site. Between that, my day job and family, I need the rest of my time for my novel."<br /><br />My suggesiton to you is: drop all online activities immediately until you sell a book. Then, forget about writing and embrace your online activities until the book has been out for 3 months. At that point, begin writing again...<br /><br />To do anything else is pure foolishness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-23253040252516821232009-05-15T17:31:00.000-04:002009-05-15T17:31:00.000-04:00For an author, I think it's better to give your bo...For an author, I think it's better to give your book/series a Facebook page, and then maintain your own website. <br /><br />Keeping track of your MySpace, Facebook, website, blogging, and Twitering takes time, so you have to prioritize. As ‘in’ as Twitter is right now, it's not as content rich as other venues, and doesn't give you the tools to draw people in. If they're already interested in the minutia of your life, it's golden. If you're an aspiring or mid-list author, then a good website should be top of the list. <br /><br />A blog attached to your writer persona is very valuable if you can *consistently* provide *quality* content geared to your readers or possible readers. <br /><br />I believe this is the big stumbling block for many writers: they understand that an online presence will help them, but they don't work to make their online presence entertaining, informative, and unique. I can’t count the number of author web-pages I’ve stumbled on with just a bio, a list of books, and review blurbs.Iko of the Shadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07094843889155751244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-86302607114703847932009-05-15T14:29:00.000-04:002009-05-15T14:29:00.000-04:00I thought I'd at least follow you to Twitter. Tech...I thought I'd at least follow you to Twitter. Technically, I guess I'll be following you on Twitter, but I'm still trying to learn how to make following make sense.Sheila Deethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13465615546936319164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-82411555538895757972009-05-15T12:19:00.000-04:002009-05-15T12:19:00.000-04:00I'm so glad you caved and joined Twitter.
I'm th...I'm so glad you caved and joined Twitter. <br /><br />I'm there twice, actually. As myself at <A HREF="http://twitter.com/HLDyer" REL="nofollow">HLDyer</A> and as part of the Querytracker Blog team at <A HREF="http://twitter.com/QueryTracker" REL="nofollow">Querytracker</A>.H. L. Dyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11054946734073372817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-23304469885634821702009-05-15T12:11:00.000-04:002009-05-15T12:11:00.000-04:00That's a good idea to have a personal and professi...That's a good idea to have a personal and professional one, especially as an agent.<br /><br />I've been on Facebook forever, probably since sophomore year of college, a few months or so after it was developed. There's definitely pictures of me that friends of mine have posted that make me cringe. Of course I just go and "un-tag" myself out of them :P Thankfully though I was fairly smart in college and didn't take pictures that could've gotten me kicked out of school (thank goodness for private schools!).<br /><br />I still haven't gotten the hang of Twitter. Perhaps in the future, should I ever get published, I'll update more often. Right now I don't think people would be too interested in my life and my silly updates. I just use the update section in Facebook instead.<br /><br />As someone stated earlier, everything leaves a trail, even something that you think was deleted. It's always best to be cautious about what you are posting on your social networking site.<br /><br />Word verification: whine. Huh. The first time I've actually gotten a word word used in everyday language :PDarahttp://inthewritemind.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-39447846352382582242009-05-15T12:08:00.000-04:002009-05-15T12:08:00.000-04:00I'm so glad you posted about this. I get a ton of ...I'm so glad you posted about this. I get a ton of friend requests from other writers but they don't say anything personal, like telling me where they found me, etc. I think that's rude and unless we have thirty mutual friends I ignore those requests.<br /><br />I don't have the nerve to friend published authors or agents because I don't "know" them, but that's true that they can ignore just as easily. And I always include a personal note.Melanie Hooyengahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08781235493983907234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-76867035631794484352009-05-15T11:25:00.000-04:002009-05-15T11:25:00.000-04:00I don't have either accounts yet. I wasn't sure i...I don't have either accounts yet. I wasn't sure if it would be helpful to me yet. However, I never thought of having a professional account! Why didn't I think of that?<br /><br />As always...thank you for this very valuable information!<br /><br />Do you think a "just starting out" writer should sign up for both? Or can I wait, until I have more experience?<br /><br />Thanks!Joanna Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15426888036332739631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-62100266506909108372009-05-15T11:20:00.000-04:002009-05-15T11:20:00.000-04:00Hi Jessica,
This isn't just uncomfortable for age...Hi Jessica,<br /><br />This isn't just uncomfortable for agents and editors but for writers too. Not too long ago, I posted something on Twitter and a woman answered, we exchanged a few tweets, I decided to check out her profile and found out she was an agent that I plan to query.<br /><br />I'm not so sure I want a prospective agent to read my angst about editing, or housework, or... you get the idea.<br /><br />After I thought about it, I decided to treat everyone on Twitter the same. Although I recognize the need to be professional, I'm not on Twitter to bag an agent or impress an editor. <br /><br />Of course I have the option because I'm unknown. A few days ago, I received a tweet from a stranger asking me if I could help them get a query to a respected agent. It was a taste, I imagine, of what many agents and editors experience.<br /><br />If you enjoy Twitter, use it; if you don't, I really don't think it will hurt your career.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-80263431451719713932009-05-15T11:00:00.000-04:002009-05-15T11:00:00.000-04:00I enjoy Twitter and Facebook. I'm a rather social ...I enjoy Twitter and Facebook. I'm a rather social person and writing is pretty solitary so it helps to satisfy my need for interaction. I also enjoy watching some of the big writers as they make their way through revisions (win the Newbery!) and publicity tours, and I have cringed at other writers who *only* use it for publicity--and I stop following them fairly fast because there is nothing more boring.Gina Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09100701844882701469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-84395647411318032602009-05-15T10:40:00.000-04:002009-05-15T10:40:00.000-04:00I refuse to go near Twitter. Facebook and MySpace ...I refuse to go near Twitter. Facebook and MySpace are time sucks enough, though I do love the fact a lot of my readers have found me through both FB and MS. I rarely search people out, but I approve everyone who finds me. They're promotional tools for me more than a way to connect with old friends. I make a point of checking in a couple times a day, sort of the same way I check out blogs...then I write. That's my job and it has to come first. Besides, I have more fun in my imaginary world anyway!Kate Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05486916548114546095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-75162994387374759092009-05-15T10:28:00.000-04:002009-05-15T10:28:00.000-04:00Since I work for a school district, I've postponed...Since I work for a school district, I've postponed any Twitter decision until we break for summer and I have more time to learn something new.<br /><br />Deadly Accurate- I appreciate the honest advice and info. What I'm learning now is that the search for an agent is taking as much time and attention as writing my book did. It will be time well spent if I find the agent who is just right.Dawn Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12065998860801658132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-62759580794504218822009-05-15T10:04:00.000-04:002009-05-15T10:04:00.000-04:00Dawn Maria,
Everyone has to do what's comfortabl...Dawn Maria, <br /><br />Everyone has to do what's comfortable for them, but Facebook and Twitter offer a level of networking not easily found elsewhere. I'm biased toward Twitter, simply because it's less time-consuming than Facebook and less confusing to navigate. But the number of writers and other publishing professionals I've met through it is staggering. And I've picked up tons of books I never would have bought if it weren't for either knowing the authors via Twitter or because a writer I knew there recommended it. <br /><br />Will it help you get an agent? I honestly don't know; my agent was the one who convinced her clients (and from the looks of things, several other agents) to get on Twitter to begin with, so I wasn't looking at it from that angle. But it will help you network.DeadlyAccuratehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08361707307035259942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-4860028343711152282009-05-15T09:53:00.000-04:002009-05-15T09:53:00.000-04:00I've found Twitter to be useful -- not as a partic...I've found Twitter to be useful -- not as a participant, but as an observer. A lot of agents, editors, and imprints have Twitter accounts and often answer questions from authors. Twitter is a really handy service for this. Maybe one day I'll jump in and start tweeting as well, but for now I'm content just to check in on various editors and agents who always have interesting things to say.<br /><br />Also, I think it's less of a social leap to follow someone (say, an agent) on Twitter than to "friend" them on Facebook. For one thing, you don't need approval to follow someone on Twitter, whereas you do need confirmation from the other party to become their Facebook friend. If you're a Facebook member, you can view the friend lists of agents and editors who are on Facebook. Most of the ones I've seen limit their lists to their clients, their real-life friends and family, and people in publishing whom they personally know. I'm not sure what would be the advantage (or point) of friending an agent on Facebook unless he or she were MY agent.<br /><br />And it wouldn't matter if I were FB-friended or Twitter-connected with every agent in the whole world if I didn't have a good, *finished* manuscript to send them at some point.laurennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-63954639212181740982009-05-15T09:01:00.000-04:002009-05-15T09:01:00.000-04:00I did the same thing. I have my personal facebook...I did the same thing. I have my personal facebook page and an author page. I just didn't feel comfortable sharing pics and stuff with a whole host of people I didn't really know! <br />Twitter has become my new obsession though. After avoiding for months...I took the plunge!Juliana Stonehttp://www.julianastone.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-51416185616454978252009-05-15T08:55:00.000-04:002009-05-15T08:55:00.000-04:00Dawn Maria:
In your writing life writing has to t...Dawn Maria:<br /><br />In your writing life writing has to take the first priority. You can only do what you can do and you have to figure out which is the most effective for you. No one can do everything.<br /><br />--jhfBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-35675354351051409122009-05-15T08:47:00.000-04:002009-05-15T08:47:00.000-04:00The First Carol - i think alot of people forget ab...The First Carol - i think alot of people forget about the 'e-trail' which is always going to be there. kinda like big brother - especially with facebook trying to change its T&Cs. you have to be aware that everything you post will come back to haunt you. <br /><br />thats why if/when i ever get published - i'm screwed lol.Emily Crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01707967073095394090noreply@blogger.com