Is it okay to get personal?

Obviously, it's never a good idea to give your life's history on social media. But how personal is it all right to get? Hmmm. That sentence sounded better in my head.

If I didn't need social media to be in contact with readers and network with fellow authors, I can tell you right now, I wouldn't be on there. And not just Facebook. I wouldn't be ANYWHERE. It's not that I don't enjoy a good game of Candy Crush now and then, being on social media is very time consuming. That's time that I could be writing my next book. 

That being said, if you're on places like Facebook often, you tend to get comfortable with people that you regularly interact with. I've seen some pretty gasp worthy overshares in my time. (Posted publicly) LOL I don't mean people you get to know on a personal basis and send private messages to. (Although you have to be careful who you trust with that as well.) I mean people you are casually in touch with.

In my case, I want to be myself. But, that should probably never happen in public. Ha. Ha. Ha. No, really. 

The main group of people that I interact with is my readers. I want them to know me, actually know me. I don't want to be fake or lie about myself in any way. I also don't want to accidentally divulge too much.

Some people might not realize how hard it is to walk that line. Can you imagine never being able to express an opinion? You can NEVER talk about politics and religion, for example. Not that I would. You can never post a controversial news headline. Oh, and never ever talk about reviews. You will be crucified. You are not allowed to have an opinion about what someone said about your life's work, so don't even go there.

All right, you can, but you will always offend someone. When you have any small bit of a public persona, that is never a good thing.

Most readers are amazing, cool people. But then there's the flip side. There are nutters out there. Oh yes, there are nutters. I've come in contact with more than my share. Therefore, even on my personal page, I am censored. I don't share where I live, where I went to school. I don't post pictures of my family. As far as most people know it's just me and my dogs. You can never be too safe. And you can never, ever let your guard down and just be you.

I suppose this rambling post is just to say the struggle is real. I want to know my readers and I want them to know me. But I find that I end up censoring myself so much.

I express my true self in my books through a variety of different characters. I know some people assume that I'm the heroine, but that is rarely ever true. I've even had characters that were writers before. Naturally, that sparked some nasty comments of me writing about myself. Um, no. They are nothing like me. Usually, I'm the villain, or the sarcastic secondary character, or even the hero. 

People who read my books and really enjoy them, they are the ones who actually know me.

I've heard writers say, "Just because you read my books doesn't mean you know me." While that may be true for some, it isn't for me. If you really pay attention to my books, you know me.

Guest Blogger, Abigail Owen

Please, help me welcome guest author Abigail Owen as she talks about social media for authors. :)

Early on in my career as a self-published author I realized the value and importance of use of social media as marketing tools. In the last year, I feel like I’ve progressed in my use of these tools by leaps and bounds. And then I run across something awesome that makes me realize I’m still a novice.

For fun, I’ve broken up the different social media options I’m aware of into levels. There’s basic, rock star, and out of this universe. Personally, I feel like I’m at rock star and teetering on out of this universe as far as use. But I’m sure there are many things I could be doing better. I’ll be really curious to see what you guys think about the different marketing tools out there. Which ones do you like best?

Level 1: Basic (Facebook, Twitter, Blog or Website)

These are the social media/marketing tools every author seems to (and should?) have at least set up and a basic working knowledge. Someone once turned me onto a “how to” book for authors by H.P. Mallory that went into good detail on each of these. My blog/website and Facebook I feel like I’ve got down pretty well. I enjoy interactions with readers on both and have settled into a good method of keeping up with them.

I’m still playing around with what exactly I use Twitter for. I recently decided that I’m not a huge fan of people with Twitter accounts that only ever post promotional stuff. I personally like to read about what they’re doing. But who cares if I have cheerios in the morning. So, just lately, I’ve decided to mix up the promo stuff with observations… situations, funny conversations, interesting people I’ve seen… all things I might write into a book someday.

Level 2: Rock Star (Goodreads, Pinterest, Email List)

A Goodreads author page was a must. It’s been really interesting to see readers put me in their “to read” category and the difference in ratings vs. Amazon. I’ll admit, I haven’t figured out how to do other stuff with it. I know you can do events, post status, etc. But I’m not there yet.

Pinterest is a favorite spot for me. I use it for a lot of things. For any book I’m working on, I’ll pin various things that are being written into the book – pics of people that look like the characters, places where settings will be, different creatures or things key to the plot. I also have boards for brainstorming – pictures that might inspire me, etc.

Thanks to MailChimp I’m finally on a role with my email list. I feel like the people that sign up for this list are my personal rock stars. They’re the ones who really care about when my books come out and what I’m doing. So I enjoy putting together stuff for them.

Level 3: Out of this Universe (Blog Tours, Release Parties, Book Trailers)

I’m just nearing the end of my first big, organized blog tour. And I’m kicking myself for not having done one sooner. The impact in terms of reaching new readers, and the fun in terms of getting to write guest posts like these means I’ll definitely do this again.

Five other authors and I released an anthology called “Here, Kitty Kitty”. It’s a set of short stories featuring exotic feline shapeshifters. One of the other authors organized a release party on Facebook. I had no idea what to expect, but the participation and fun was awesome. Not sure I’m there yet in terms of having enough people to ask to participate, but it’s on my list of things to try.

A book trailer sounds really, really fun to me. But I’m not savvy enough to do one myself. So it’s also on my list of “to dos.” No eta on when yet though.

Anything Else?

What am I missing? I’m sure there are lots of other fun, zany ways to interact with readers, reach more audiences, and get the word out about my book. I just haven’t experienced them yet. What are your favorites?

Thanks to Tracey for hosting me!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Abigail Owen is the Award Winning Author of Blue Violet & the Svatura Series

Places to follow Abigail:

Website & Blog: http://www.abigailowen.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Abigail.Owen.Books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AOwenBooks

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/abbyowen/

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/abigailowen

How much should we hold back on social media?

I've read more than one article lately on authors and how they present themselves to the public. Naturally, this is a subject I often consider while online. I don't want to look like a total jerk, but I want to be honest. I would never point someone out by name and insult them, but I feel I have the right to respond publicly if such is done publicly to me. I just always keep in mind that someone WILL read my words.

Many seem to be of the opinion that authors shouldn't say anything on Facebook, Twitter, etc., if it isn't positive. While I'm generally a very happy person, I find that unrealistic. In my opinion saying you're having a difficult or stressful day only makes you look human. That's not a bad thing. Who the heck is always happy? Now don't get me wrong, if someone posts nothing but negative comments, that's a big turn off.

I steer clear of politics and religion. Period. I don't think people need to know that much about me. Ha. Ha. However, I read a comment on one of these articles that said authors shouldn't even post their opinions about current news events. Really? The example they gave was the changes within the publishing industry. Um, that's kind of important to what we do here. Why not voice an opinion?

I also have shared much of my experiences here about publishing, both self-and traditional. I believe I've done so in a professional manner. However, according to the articles I read, I could have alienated my readers. That was never my intention.

Oh, and one post said you shouldn't even voice your opinion on popular TV shows! Now, I've done that a few times. Typically, it's only if I love it or hate it and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. To me, if we have the same interests that's another way to connect with my audience. I also like to read Batman comics. Will that hurt my sales too?

What do you think? If it's done politely, is it okay for an author to blog/post about how they feel? Can they be honest without turning off their readers? I like to think so.