tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post8001058364658385358..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: How Does Social Networking Work for YouBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-60969872668446105952010-06-23T18:52:53.517-04:002010-06-23T18:52:53.517-04:00Personally, I think social networking helps folks ...Personally, I think social networking helps folks more than it hurts. Getting your name and work out there might be just the ticket, as long as the writing is good.<br /><br /> Tom Wiseman<br />http://home.comcast.net/~vern_49/GSA.htmlAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10202562537114249962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-68530545139358080652010-06-22T07:25:15.619-04:002010-06-22T07:25:15.619-04:00Here's the funny thing. An author, who is bran...Here's the funny thing. An author, who is branding herself on teaching writers how to market themselves - I skip over her tweets. Because it's always business. Always promoting.Laura Paulinghttp://www.laurapauling.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-87677078224045643712010-06-21T17:41:20.639-04:002010-06-21T17:41:20.639-04:00One thing I notice is that a lot of writers write ...One thing I notice is that a lot of writers write about, well, writing. That's fine for me because I am also a writer. But does a fan/reader really want to read about the process of writing? I would think they are more interested in topics related to the novel premise, or tidbits about the characters and world.Mayanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-69457501202086298782010-06-21T00:47:12.379-04:002010-06-21T00:47:12.379-04:00I prefer writing content over personal content, an...I prefer writing content over personal content, and agree with a lot of posters that a blog should be easy to navigate and without too much self-promotion. I also like to read someone who posts regularly and often. <br /><br />One thing that turns me off immediately when I read a blog for the first time is a post that starts with an apology for not posting in a while. It's usually followed by a bunch of irrelevant (to me, a first-time reader) excuses for not writing. If I don't leave right away, I look at dates to see how often the blogger posts. If it's not very often, or if there are more "sorry it's been a while" posts, I'm gone for good. Had the blogger not posted about not blogging, she would have a better chance of keeping me around to read other posts.Robin Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16373722202559066388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-73474187311941487612010-06-20T15:02:36.755-04:002010-06-20T15:02:36.755-04:00I have only gone to a few author's websites, a...I have only gone to a few author's websites, and only then because I was sufficiently inspired to do so after reading one of their books. My two favorites are Elizabeth Gilbert and Emily Giffin.<br /><br />I think that both these authors get it right--websites are well-designed and visually appealing, and there is enough information to make it worth logging on.<br /><br />I found Elizabeth Gilbert's "Thoughts on Writing" to be really inspiring, and I found Emily Giffin's bio and etcetera sections very funny, light, and perfectly-done. In my opinion, both of these authors nailed it! I dare you not to laugh (yes, out loud) and feel inspired!Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14315988741446180628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-72077842161731238662010-06-20T06:52:52.935-04:002010-06-20T06:52:52.935-04:00I have mixed feelings about personal information o...I have mixed feelings about personal information on the author. On the one hand, the author's context is interesting, by which I mostly mean location and date of writing. But too much can be damaging. I happened to find out that an author whose writing I'd enjoyed in the past had committed a serious crime, and I can't read him any more: his person has intruded between me and his books.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13912774665400125173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-65826252522612298092010-06-19T19:08:38.033-04:002010-06-19T19:08:38.033-04:00Content I like to see:
- an easy way of navigatin...Content I like to see: <br />- an easy way of navigating the page <br />- a logically-organized list of published works <br />- a bio or "about me" section<br />- some way to contact the author (a dedicated email, a forum, comment section on a blog, etc) <br />- some way to see the real person behind the writer: a blog (eg. http://blue-succubus.livejournal.com), Twitter (eg. Caitlin Kittredge - @caitkitt), newsletter/journal (eg http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/mJournal.htm), or basic events listing (eg. http://www.charlaineharris.com/calendar.html) <br /><br />I don't care for games, sneaky hidden things, book trailers, and all that, but as long as they don't obscure what I'm looking for, I'm okay with them. <br /><br />As for design, I think a generally bold but simple design with colours/patterns that work with your genre makes the most sense, but again it won't make or break it for me. Eg - from my links above, Kelley Armstrong has a lovely site, and I don't really like the look of Charlaine Harris' site at all.Jessica Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01719861048029304778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-65587089400564449142010-06-19T12:22:53.905-04:002010-06-19T12:22:53.905-04:00Approachability. As a mother of teens, I see how m...Approachability. As a mother of teens, I see how much it means to them to get a response on twitter or facebook from an author they've just read or one they love. But, I am also selfish. As an unpubbed writer, I'm trying to learn from them as well. Just getting the exposure and making connections are key for me right now. Those websites that provide information are the ones I follow rather than the ones just for fans.Pam Vickershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05473439506197768107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-88314434114853450192010-06-19T00:01:22.688-04:002010-06-19T00:01:22.688-04:00The post about your internet and your career was g...The post about your internet and your career was good. Thank you for that. It is important to remember that public writing is just that - public. Free for future publishers and agents to read. I am hoping to engage an agent to help me develop my current project - my blogs containing my art photographs and stories about my current long-term RV adventure - into a sellable product. Would you stop by and look at my work and let me know if you are in the least bit interested? Thank you.Prettypics123https://www.blogger.com/profile/05002015227586327112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-19467772821531933872010-06-18T23:49:05.944-04:002010-06-18T23:49:05.944-04:00I look forward to reading the previous post on soc...I look forward to reading the previous post on social networking. I use Facebook and blog and want to be sure not to do damage to myself as a writer. If you have time, you're invited to drop by and take a look. Two blogs: Levonne's Pretty Pics and A Camp Host Housewife's Meanderings.Prettypics123https://www.blogger.com/profile/05002015227586327112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-5821279596741950682010-06-18T15:58:46.542-04:002010-06-18T15:58:46.542-04:00Just blogged about the basics of website design fo...Just blogged about the basics of website design for writers! How to make things pretty AND professional, and the best free software to do the job. Gin not included :)<br /><br />http://blog.franciscossette.com/2010/06/website-design-part-2.htmlFrancishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07699743355306836163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-71963611914746295992010-06-18T14:43:10.109-04:002010-06-18T14:43:10.109-04:00I will point out the obvious that social media can...I will point out the obvious that social media can backfire as well. It's hard sometimes to differentiate your "persona" from you who really are and when creating a brand of yourself, it's essential to be that persona.<br /><br />There are agents I don't submit to because of their social media. They're not your classic mean or cruel people. But they are themselves and not their personas and our personalities are the exact opposite of each other. After watching for a long time to see if it was just coincidental, I came to the decision that I didn't like them as a person, why would I want to work with them professionally? I found them vapid, snarky, and catty. It felt like I was in a high school rom-com or something. So they got crossed off my list of who I submit to.Joseph L. Selbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11851550951042358953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-79416434838394898982010-06-18T14:17:38.781-04:002010-06-18T14:17:38.781-04:00Jodi Picoult has a great website. No blog, which ...Jodi Picoult has a great website. No blog, which is fine by me, but great content. A page dedicated to all her books, with links to book club discussion questions and excerpts. FAQs and links to interviews. <br /><br />Jamie Ford is a new writer with a great website. Good design and good content. He has an easy-to-find page with instructions on getting autographed copies of his book. Any writer so willing to please his fans is alright in my book.Jillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-74214135033293102872010-06-18T14:17:15.160-04:002010-06-18T14:17:15.160-04:00Jodi Picoult has a great website. No blog, which ...Jodi Picoult has a great website. No blog, which is fine by me, but great content. A page dedicated to all her books, with links to book club discussion questions and excerpts. FAQs and links to interviews. <br /><br />Jamie Ford is a new writer with a great website. Good design and good content. He has an easy-to-find page with instructions on getting autographed copies of his book. Any writer so willing to please his fans is alright in my book.Jillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-76572889489133838352010-06-18T09:55:25.128-04:002010-06-18T09:55:25.128-04:00Navigation ease. I want what I WANT, not the othe...Navigation ease. I want what I WANT, not the other stuff. If I am looking for information about the books, authors or events--then I want to be able to GO THERE and see, but I will only do any of those things one time and I don't want them shoved in my face after that (sidebar is okay). I will come BACK if there is a blog that has changing information that either 1) helps me as a writer or 2) entertains me. (home run if it does both)<br /><br />Turn-offs--blogs that are only about the book or selling the book. Blogs that are too clinical (meaning lack humor and stick to content related to the book). I don't mind the TMI/personal life at all, but probably an author wants to see if that fits their genre.Hart Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17599570189253229318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-68310862341050636352010-06-18T09:12:35.574-04:002010-06-18T09:12:35.574-04:00I think a blog shold have helpful posts about writ...I think a blog shold have helpful posts about writing. <br /><br />With an author's website, it should be an excellent source of information about the author's books and future work. <br /><br />Either way, both resources should draw people in. <br /><br />DUO - <br />http://duosays.blogspot.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-87668720936683470172010-06-18T08:24:26.508-04:002010-06-18T08:24:26.508-04:00I don't have an author blog or an author websi...I don't have an author blog or an author website; I have a Rik blog and a Rik website. My books get promoted on both, but the bulk of stuff (especially on the website) is about me having fun with my poetry and my constructed world - my novel is just a tiny part of a much bigger place which I intend to spend the rest of my life exploring (spare time permitting, of course). If others find my website interesting, that makes me happy - but not quite as happy as building and rebuilding the website makes me.<br /><br />I do not twitter (much). I loathe Twitter with a vengeance.Rikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10564300512472868098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-48411246992076624322010-06-18T00:48:46.992-04:002010-06-18T00:48:46.992-04:00I want to see an author's website that's r...I want to see an author's website that's really professionally made. Dan Brown's for instance. However, his website lack something personal about him. Something that I could relate to...perhaps his funny or clumsy side...Stephanie Meyers' site is simple but the personal touch is there...Well, you can't have everything in one package though.Trading Plan Templatehttp://www.smarttradingplans.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-62769760377860915742010-06-18T00:02:26.933-04:002010-06-18T00:02:26.933-04:00The basics: a nice, possibly themed (but tasteful)...The basics: a nice, possibly themed (but tasteful), web page with lists of publications. Descriptions and excerpts are nice, too, and I'm always happy to see if/when the next book is due. Those, plus bits like a bio, are must-haves.<br /><br />A few authors have had especially nice web options--Jeff Somers had an online game; John Flanagan has music, downloads, and maps. These make the site fun and worth spending time on.<br /><br />Then there are a few more who have related content. Gail Carson Levine blogs on writing; Paige Shelton does farmer's markets. One of my favorites is Gary Corby's; he combines fun, writing, and tidbits about ancient Greece (which is where his book is set). When these are interesting and have good content, I'll keep up with them and, if I haven't already read the book, will make sure to track it down._*rachel*_https://www.blogger.com/profile/03293167107180931700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-34205276477045935932010-06-17T19:54:29.659-04:002010-06-17T19:54:29.659-04:00I seek out a writer's website for information ...I seek out a writer's website for information about their upcoming books, tour dates, signings, etc. I do that for authors I'm already a big fan of. I waited for YEARS for Patricia Cornwell to get her website going--it was ALWAYS under construction--and that was so long I never went back. (Is it up now?)<br /><br />I seek out a writer's <i>blog</i> because, as a writer, I want to make the connection with someone who's already published -- hey, it gives me hope. But I also want to see their real personality there, and I want them to have something real to say. I don't want to read about what coffee they're drinking, exotic or not. But what it's like to get the galleys back or how lunch with the publisher went will draw me in every time. <br /><br />Either way, the author gets credibility in my mind if he/she has a well-organized and well-designed site. If it looks amateurish, I will turn up my nose, so to speak, and not return.<br /><br />Naturally, this is the writer in me. How many writers responded to this question? How many "just" readers? That would say a lot right there.Fragrant Liarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09452052210826471034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-23958896116894630852010-06-17T19:51:31.948-04:002010-06-17T19:51:31.948-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Fragrant Liarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09452052210826471034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-89928444248704415532010-06-17T19:26:12.294-04:002010-06-17T19:26:12.294-04:00I want to throw another question out there, sort o...I want to throw another question out there, sort of the chicken and the egg scenario. There has been contradicting advice on agents' blogs these days about what should come first: the book deal or the website? A web presence before being published, or create a website after you've sold? Any takers on this debate?Anna Bankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216213561070725760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-3433183679575155212010-06-17T17:58:25.549-04:002010-06-17T17:58:25.549-04:00So many comments I agree with:
Design - very impor...So many comments I agree with:<br />Design - very important to grab interest & for ease of reading & navigation. (I prefer to read blogs on site to be surrounded by 'atmosphere'/their world)<br />Content- absolutely vital. Keep me coming back to read you. If I do it's likely that I will support you by spreading the word of your book/promos/etc<br />Writing insight - I'm a writer too so I visit sites at the beginning to look for insights into your process to see if it will inform mine.<br />Be genuine & interesting - hard to do but tell me what's occupying your mind. Don't dwell on religion, marketing, politics or bad health (not exclusively anyway). I want to get to know the brain that creates the stories I'm reading.<br /><br />And have to agree on the 'not (initially) looking for books' comment: <br /><br />My TBR pile is beyond teetering BUT I will often read updates, articles etc of an author's website over a short period of time and build appreciation for them & their stories. Encourage me to think about your world, ideas etc and there's a good chance I'll get hooked. (Note: I love author interviews by multiple people who ask very different sorts of questions - this really helps flesh out an author from bio to 'being') Eg. I started reading Stacia Kane's blog after seeing a writing-issue headline on a story problem I was tackling, kept reading THEN started buying her books. I now want to support her writing more than other authors whose books I've read for years (because those authors are only names with a summary bio to me and not someone I feel I kinda know). Ms. Kane feels real and accessible and is encouraging to writers, readers and thinkers. The quality of her blog content is excellent. I'm happy to help promote her and eager to read what she has to say, whether on her own blog or elsewhere. I'll also now buy her books just because they're by her. I can learn a lot from her but it's also an enjoyable learning.<br />A different Eg. Seanan McGuire - I read one of her books. Liked it. Looked up her website to see if she had anything to say about her book and it's a treasure trove of writing insight, amazing creativity, inspiration and off-the-wall humor. To me it gave her book another very real dimension. I also appreciate her book more AND I want to read more of the stuff that comes out of this person's head.<br /><br />Having a consistent online presence is key even if it isn't happening on your own site all the time. Tweeting/Facebooking in your unique voice helps a lot too. (I really feel for every author who not only has to do all this but has a day-job too - yikes!) And if you can write another book while you're doing all this, you have my respect, support and my suspicions that you're not entirely human... just like I like 'em. :)Gypsy Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05376146830985305127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-5304237259410837432010-06-17T17:01:33.955-04:002010-06-17T17:01:33.955-04:00I mostly read author blogs for insights into publi...I mostly read author blogs for insights into publishing, but I also enjoy blog and Facebook posts about things that interest and inspire them as creative people. I tend to follow writers who share common interests more closely, and there are people I follow who don't write about the business at all. I think that's less important in a blog, which can really be about anything. <br /><br />And I don't care for blogs that are all about self-promotion. I can only take so much of that as a reader.<br /><br />I see the Web site as more of a fancy business card and expect writer sites to look and inform according to the genre or type of work.<br /><br />I am really put off by meanness and unprofessionalism. Snarky and sarcastic is fine (and usually funny), but the Internet has a certain gang mentality lurking under the surface that is easily stirred into action, whether intentionally or not.<br /><br />I think Web site design is important. A busy or illegible site is a complete turn-off, whether it's a writer's or an agency's site. Moreso for an agency.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-23799993435065018642010-06-17T16:47:29.918-04:002010-06-17T16:47:29.918-04:00@ Saranna
Love the cicada image! ROFL!!!@ Saranna<br /><br />Love the cicada image! ROFL!!!Jeannienoreply@blogger.com