Don't Be a Bonehead

by Joyce

I was scrolling through my Twitter feed the other day and saw this tweet from an author:
"GAWD I hate the XXX - nothing but legalized thugs and criminals." Except she used the real acronym. Now, my hubby happens to work for the XXX and he's the most honest person you'd ever want to meet. And considering the background check he had to go through before he was hired, and the ultra-strict protocol he must follow daily, he's as far from a criminal as you can get. So are his co-workers. Contrary to public perception, this agency has stringent requirements for its employees (more so than any other agency). They can be fired for minor infractions that would go unnoticed at most other places of employment.

I promptly unfollowed this author. I'll never buy one of her books, either.

She likely has no idea of the consequences of what she tweeted. Obviously, she was frustrated and maybe pissed off, but she should have thought before she tweeted. Maybe I'm the only reader she lost, but in this economy, every sale is important.

I have (I'm sure most of us do) strong opinions about a lot of things, but I keep them to myself. No one (other than family) will know what political party I belong to or which candidates I may support or those I think are total morons. I've unfollowed people on Twitter and stopped reading certain blogs when they get too political, even if I agree with their views. Unless a writer's platform is politics, there is no good reason to mouth off. It's a good way to alienate half of any potential readers. I'm not willing to take that chance.

The whole idea of social media is to be social. The point is to have a conversation. It's not a soapbox. Think of it as a large cocktail party. Would you spout off opinions about something if half the party goers walk away and avoid you for the rest of the evening? What if your boss was there and he had the opposite view? 

What about you? Why have you stopped following blogs or people on Twitter or Facebook? Do you think it's a good idea to keep your views private for the most part?

Social Media and the Herd Mentality

By Martha Reed

Last night I watched the movie Social Media, about the advent of Facebook and the business chaos it inspired, and as I sat there watching it I kept thinking: This has a lot of application to what it happening in the publishing business today, too. I’ve repeatedly heard at conferences and workshops that what’s happening to authors today is very similar to what happened to musicians with Napster five years ago.

We’re experiencing the concept of direct content (via eBooks), we’re questioning the old business model structure and pay breakout, ie., author/agent/editor/Publishing house. I’ve seen concerns over copyright. And these are all good discussions to have, in any situation.

The question, as I gaze into my murky crystal ball, is what is an author to do?

For example: I have a completed manuscript in the pipeline. I’m following the traditional publication route, querying agents, etc. but I’m also reading everything I can get my hands on about the publishing marketplace. I get discouraged to see that agents, desperate now because of the inflow of out of work former editors who are morphing into agents seem to be following a herd mentality by only looking for YA supernatural because they think that’s where the money is post-Twilight. Maybe it is. But Sisters in Crime paid for a survey that indicated a majority of readers were women between 50-70 years old who lived in the southern states. I’m sure some of them are reading Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse, but there must be room in there for other trend lines that are not YA paranormal.

What are your thoughts on the current marketplace? What publishing strategies are you choosing to follow? Inquiring Mind wants to know.