August is Awesome Because of Sharon Bayliss

We're kicking off this awesome August with an excellent post that will answer important questions about social media that every author and aspiring author needs to know.  This post contains some candid and invaluable information.

The advice Sharon provides in this splendid post is as good as social media advice gets!

Please welcome Sharon Bayliss!

Social Media for The Anti-Social Author

by Sharon Bayliss

When I used to imagine what it would be like to have a career as an author, I imagined a life of blissful, creative solitude. I would work from home in my yoga pants with breaks to take long contemplative walks to let my creative juices flow.

Well, I do get to work in my yoga pants, but I never imagined that being an author would require so much social networking.

I’ve been dabbling with social media for a year or so, but when I was offered my publishing contract, I was still fairly new. I didn’t have a smart phone or a laptop. I didn’t have a Twitter account. I had a Facebook account that was only about a year old, which I grudgingly started way after everyone’s grandmother signed up. I’m not a very social person, and I didn’t think social media was for me.

Today, I’m not only a social media butterfly for my own purposes, I actually WORK as a social media coordinator for my publisher. So, I’ve come a long way and I’d like to share a little about what I’ve learned.

In my personal opinion, ignoring social media is a BAD idea for a new author. You may think it’s not for you. You may think your time is better spent writing. Even if those things are true, it’s no excuse. Social media marketing is one of the most effective tools for a new author.

As soon as you sign a publishing contract you realize just how many other people have too. Getting signed isn’t enough, you still have to rise above the fray. Unless you’re a bestselling author, you can’t ignore the opportunity for FREE advertising. And it’s more than just that. It’s a continuing education opportunity. The internet is an amazing place to learn about craft and publishing for free.

Even if I didn’t convince you, your publisher may ask you to sign up for several social media accounts. Mine did.

What accounts you should set up:

A Facebook author page. You want a community/business page, not a personal page. At the bottom of the sign up page you’ll see “Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business.” Yes, that’s you. Even though you probably don’t feel like a celebrity yet.

With this type of page, your fans can “like” you. Also, it’s a great way to keep your personal life and professional life separate if you also maintain a personal page.

A Twitter account. One amazing thing about Twitter is it’s easy to get followers. Honestly, I don’t know why so many people I don’t know follow me, but I’m not complaining.


Once you set up your Twitter account, you do need to be active on it almost every day for it to have impact. But it doesn’t take that long. Just press “Tweet this” buttons as you go along with your web tasks, they’re everywhere. And 140 characters doesn’t take long, especially not for a professional writer!

A blog or a website. This is a harder one, but it’s important. There are so many great blogfests and contests that require blogs to participate. It’s worth having one just for that. Just post at least once a week, and if you get involved in blogfests, that won’t be hard. Blogs show up more on search engines than static websites because search engines prioritize new content.

If you really don’t think blogging is for you, set up a static website using GoDaddy or another website creation tool. You want people to find something when they Google you!

Extra credit

You don’t need a presence on every social media outlet, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to use more than just the big guys. I recommend Google +, Goodreads, and Pinterest, as your next best choices.

How do I get people to like me?

Ah, the ultimate question. Building a following on your accounts takes time. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have a ton of likes or followers right away. It will happen organically with time if you use your accounts and interact with people.

To build a following:

Follow and like other people. This is probably the most important thing. When I first opened my accounts, I spent a good amount of time just looking for people to connect with. It may be writing connections you already have, bloggers you already follow, authors you like, critique partners/beta readers, agents, publishers, writing groups, etc. Also, don’t forget potential READERS such as book bloggers, people/groups who like your genre, etc. Many people follow and like back. But don’t ask them to, it’s comes off as desperate.

Interact with people. All you have to do is go to your feed and look for interesting things. Repost, retweet, comment, like, etc.

Post regularly. When you find something interesting on the web (related to writing/reading) get in the habit of commenting, liking, posting, tweeting it.

But what should I say?

This was my biggest problem with social media. I am not the type to share random information about my day, like “I’m eating pancakes!” and I’m certainly not the type of person who cares when other people are eating pancakes. (Although I am now guilty of some of these posts).

I thought that social media was just a stream of random, useless information that nobody cared about. Of course, in some cases it is, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be whatever you want it to be.

Here are some tips for “what to say.”

Post for your readers, not for yourself. If you’re an author, you probably have followers who are writers and readers….so, think about what information would be useful to them.

Promote others, not yourself. Obviously it’s okay to talk about your own book, in fact, that’s pretty important. But that shouldn’t be all you talk about. Pay it forward. Provide free promotion to your connections without them having to ask. I promise your good vibes will come back to you.

Comment on what others say. You don’t have anything to say today? I promise you somebody else does. You don’t always have to post. Just devote some time to reading other people’s posts and commenting/sharing/liking. That still counts.

Show your human side, but not too much. My somewhat personal posts get a lot more comments and likes than just links about writing. This doesn’t mean my readers want to hear about every little thing that goes on in my life. But they do care about some of it, especially if it’s related to writing/reading. Share a glimpse of your personal journey.

How much time should I devote and when?

Set up your social media presence before you sign with an agent or publisher. Sometimes they look for this if they’re on the fence. Try to spend a little bit of time with social media every day, 15 minutes to an hour. A little bit goes a long way. You want to check in frequently, but don’t let it suck you in so much you stop writing.

If you have more questions…

Leave them in comments! You should also check out the social media bible for authors, We Are Not Alone: TheWriter's Guide to Social Media by Kristen Lamb.

About Sharon Bayliss:

Sharon Bayliss is awesome!

I am a science fiction and fantasy author from Austin, Texas. My forthcoming debut novel, THE CHARGE, is a quirky alternate history adventure about a college student who learns he’s a member of the Texas royal family.

I have also work as a tobacco cessation counselor and manage the social media accounts for CuriosityQuills Press.

Connect with me here:
http://sharonbayliss.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/authorsharonbayliss
https://twitter.com/SharonBayliss

You and I

To all the teachers who taught me grammar I'm compelled to confess...

We're great together, you and I.  For it is only I that accompanies you.  But alas there come times you and I must part and you should instead be together with me.  It's not always easy to see, but sometimes you really should be with me.

No one appreciates you and I.  They only appreciate you and me.  It matters not if they use your name.  For I gets left out just the same.

You and I are a compound subject.  But when you are with me, we make a compound object, see?  For with or without you, I am the subject, but the object is always me.

Our English teachers spent years beating "You and I" into our heads because "you" should always precede "I" when used as compound subjects in our sentences.  They should have also beat into our noggins that "you" precedes "me" in our compound objects as well.

Just remember that whether we're alone or not, it is I that does things and that things are always done to me.

Grammar Girl does a good job explaining this in her
Between You and Me  post. Other references can also be found by performing an internet search using grammar, compound object, and You and I as keywords.

Come August 4th, Myra and I will have been married for twenty-eight years! (I am now bowing to your awesome applause.)  But twenty-eight years ago, wedding gifts were given to Myra and me.

No, I am not an authority on grammar.  I do, however, try to abide by the rules of the language when I know them.  I break them intentionally at times.  I break them without intending to sometimes as well.  As is the case with most of us, I am still learning and will continue to learn.  Let us improve together.

August is Awesome and Coming Soon!

I'm so excited about this upcoming August.  So many awesome people have agreed to stop by Strands of Pattern.  Some will entertain.  Some will encourage.  Some will challenge you.  But they all will inspire you with their awesomeness. 

I never beg and plead for folks to drop by my blog, but I'm making an exception for August.  I really want to give everyone the opportunity to meet some of the awesome people I've met.

You've probably encountered some of these awesome people.  You may have stumbled upon their blogs, read their books, laughed at their tweets, watched them on YouTube, chatted with them on Facebook or Google+, or you may have corresponded with them via email.  Some of them you may have even met in person.

But I can guarantee you this: you've not met them all and you really should!

Sunday Surfing

Surfing, Sailing, Snoozing: Take Your Pick

3 Simple Mistakes That Can Kill Your Chances Of Having A Bestseller

Carolina Beach 2012

10 Reasons to Self-Publish–No More Excuses  (Comments contain a nice 10 Reasons NOT to Self-Publish.)

Effective Tweeting with Tonya Kappes  (Guest Post at Laura Howard's Finding Bliss.)

Does Social Media Really Help With Success?

The Fantasy Tavern  (on Facebook)

The Writer's Diet Test  (This is a must try!)

Copyright Education  (Highly recommended reading for bloggers.)

Critique Circle Online Writing Workshop

Writer's Den at Fantasy Faction: Lights Camera Action  (What to do and remember when writing action scenes.)

August is coming SOON!

 (And so are some awesome people!)

The Itch

There it is again.  That itch in the back of my head.  You know the spot, right?  Just a few inches above the neckline and a little behind the ear.  Does no good to scratch at it.  The itch is too deep to reach.

I steal a glance over my shoulder.  I know she’s nearby.  She always shows up right after the itching starts.  A little like someone always ends up knocking at Jed Clampett’s door right after the music in the walls stops playing.  She does love making an entrance.

Yes, she plants the seed and the itching starts.  And then I wait.  Not long.  Just long enough for the itch to mutate into a tingle.  The quick grow fertilizer she uses causes the tingle.  It’s her own proprietary formula, I’m sure.  Something like Miracle Grow for the imagination.

I can’t help but wonder what she planted.  A new story idea?  A character?  A scene?  She never plants an entire story.  It might be nothing more than a line of dialog causing that itch.  She’s funny that way, my muse.

I’ll sit and ponder, patiently waiting for her to do her thing.  I’ve learned not to rush her.  Mere moments will pass before I hear her disembodied giggle.  She’ll show herself then, maybe with a wink, perhaps a wry grin, but always with contagious excitement dancing on her face.  She’ll nibble on her lower lip and bounce those pretty brows.  That’s her way of telling me it’s time to scratch and discover what’s sprouting from that itchy spot in the back of my head.

She's so awesome, that muse of mine.

How do you know when your muse is near?

Sunday Surfing

I was a little skimpy with the links last week and for that I apologize.  Those dang priorities.  Hopefully this week's batch of links will make up for last week's batch.

Surf's Up!

How to Blog (A Beginners Guide for Authors): Part 1 and Part 2

Write Your Author Bio Now

The 13 Trickiest Grammar Hang-Ups

Slushpile and Editor Mind

Fantasy Faction discussion forum

Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers (Focused more on WordPress)

The Physics of Science Fiction  (Yeah, I get nerdy.)

10 Questions Your Readers Shouldn’t Have to Ask

Amazon.com Free and .$99 book listing (Flurries of Words)

Don’t Get Rejected Before Agents Even Read a Word

To Blazes With the Formula

So far this year I've critiqued four complete novels, dozens of chapters and a boatload of short stories.  I've also had my own novel critiqued by others in addition to it receiving a thorough inspection by a professional developmental (content) editor.  I think I've learned something through all this.

Forget the formula!  At least during the first draft.

(Yeah, that advice is worth exactly what you paid for it, but I'm almost sold on it.  Besides, that advice isn't aimed at seasoned, professional authors steadily pumping out a book or three a year.)

Is a formula needed to tell a good story?  I don't think so.  But a formula is needed to tell a story well.

So why forget it?  Because the purpose of the first draft is not to write a best seller.  The purpose of the first draft (for me at least) is to tell the story that I might one day be able to sell.

I wrote The Bonding with little thought to a three act structure beyond knowing I needed a beginning, a middle, and an ending.  But face it, little thought was required.  All stories have a beginning, middle and end.  My first draft would have suffered immensely had I focused on formula over story.  My first draft was never destined for Amazon's KDP, nor were its first three chapters queued up in my email's outbox.  

Once you've got your multiple book contract or you're writing to meet deadlines imposed upon you by your publisher, you've probably got the knack of storytelling down fairly well.  That means you probably already write to formula without the formula sitting in the forefront of your mind--where your muse should be sitting.

If, while penning or typing that initial draft, you're concentrating on the three steps of this or the seven points of that, you're not concentrating on what matters.  You can't just stop the creative juices and yell, "Oh crap! I forgot my faux resolution!"  Most of us who entertain a muse know a muse doesn't like to be stopped on a technicality.  Technicalities are for later, for rewrites and revisions--not first drafts.

I'm not advocating that you banish the time-honored building blocks of crafting a story, I'm saying craft the story.  I've never met an author who writes a perfect first draft.  Get the story out.  Let it flow.  Let it grow.  Let it be all it can be.  Once done, then examine its structure.  Mold it.  Massage it.  Perform surgery on it, whether it be a nip and tuck or an amputation or a transplant.

Give some thought to structure and formula while you plot and outline.  Weigh the draft once it's finished and see if it balances the equation.  Measure it against the markers of accepted storytelling practices once the muse has quieted and smiles in satisfaction.  Only then can it be fully and properly evaluated.

There is wisdom in choosing the right tool for the right job, but there is also wisdom in choosing the right time to do the job.