In the wake of the Chelsea Cain-is-ungrateful-and-evil Facebook moral uproar, it became evident to me that social media is still a misunderstood medium in the publishing business. Guess what? I'm, what you may call, a social media professional. It's my dreaded ''day job''. I make living representing brands on social media and I dare to believe I'm decent at it. After having an enlightening discussion on the fantastic Bracken MacLeod's Facebook wall with publishing professionals, I thought I'd share a couple insights I have learned after dealing with legions of entitled social media people that might be useful to authors.
Before we start though:
What happened: Chelsea Cain is the best-selling author of the Lowell & Sheridan thrillers, which I have not read. She also recently released a novel titled ONE KICK that sucks, but that's another story. I can't give you the exact words because Cain deleted the Facebook post at her publisher's demand, but she said something along the lines of: ''you don't pay my salary, puny readers,'' which got her a slew of petty, vengeful one star reviews both on Goodreads and Amazon, in order to ''teach her a lesson about being ungrateful,'' like she was the Christmas Grinch of whatever. I'm sure Mrs. Cain's attempt at making a point wasn't mean spirited, but it was clumsy and it should not have happened.
Now, without further ado, here are my...
10 Social Media Guidelines for Authors
1) Don't get TOO personal
Your readers love your book, they don't necessarily love you. I'm sure it's why you started writing fiction in the first place, to create something seductive and appealing that is not you. I know social media is tempting because the people who LIKE you on Facebook are already sold that you're awesome, but it's an immediate satisfaction. It's not what got you readers in the first place. If you get personal and comfortable on your Facebook page, it's going to go wrong. Twitter is a great social media to limit personal interaction. Just don't make rape jokes in 140 characters.
Joe Lansdale is a good example of smart Facebook page management.
2) Never forget that you're dealing with strangers
One of Facebook's sneakiest aspects is that it deformed our perception of what relationships should be. A true relationship is based on time, proximity, blood, sweat and tears. It's not because you exchanged LIKES, witty one-liners and short e-mails with someone that you really know who they are. It's a way that the human mind found to cope with existential loneliness. Your readers have a relationship to your books, not you. If you wouldn't exchange political opinions or tell secrets to a stranger in the streets, don't do it on Facebook.
3) Keep it about the work
Your books got you where you are. Whether you have a hundred fans of one hundred thousand, keep it about your work, the craft, the actualities of publishing and about what other writers you like are doing. Your books are you common interest. It's a winning formula.
4) Don't be negative
...just don't, and if you do, I hope you have the necessary argument and time to invest in a long and frustrating Facebook debate. If you feel that you do, go ahead and waste a couple of hours of your day trying to defend your point of view to crazy internet people, but if you want to avoid this ordeal, try to keep your interventions neutral or positive. If you complain about something, you're bound to wake the dragon and find an idiot who doesn't agree and has an entire day ahead of him to try and prove you wrong.
5) Have a crisis management plan
If you're going to invest some time on social media, a crisis is something that's bound to happen. Especially on Facebook, which is the kingdom of self-righteous boners. In case shit goes south, have a clear set of procedures established, because if you don't you're going to multiply the risk of mistakes. When you're stressed out, you don't think properly. It's easier to follow rules that you've set for yourself earlier.
6) Undestand when to back away
There is a saying that winning an internet argument is like winning a race at the special olympics. If someone is aggressively trying to undermine what you're saying, it might be a good idea to try and reword what you mean, delete your post or simply apologize. It's not worth the time spent away from your writing to butt heads with Joe McGillicuddy from Alabama, whose wife liked your page with his account because she cheated at your novel's latest Goodreads giveaway. That guy doesn't even like your books.
7) Admit that you were wrong if need be
You're an author, you're good with words. Sometimes, when the pressure is cooking, you can use it to your advantage and make a calculated move. Don't get TOO personal (see guideline #1), but write a short, quirky message admitting you were wrong, make it funny and clever and then follow guideline #6. Sometimes you're wrong and it's OK to admit it. People will love you more for being honest than for being right. In the long run, anyway.
8) Don't be an obnoxious salesman
This one's more for the self-published fellows using the door-to-door approach. No marketing campaign can be successful without a budget. Facebook has some great tools to help you do TARGETED promotion, and your charisma cannot replace even a $50 investment. Be smart, it's not because you get into people's faces that you're a talented writer. All you're doing by wrenching good reviews out of people is masturbating your ego. There are great tools on the web to get your book out and if it's good, the positive review will come on their own.
9) Remember that people feel entitled on Facebook
I know social media can make you feel like you're God and Kanye West at the same time, but you don't control anything about it. Facebook a painfully idiosyncratic platform where every user is the God and the center of attention of his universe. Even if they choose to LIKE your page, your posts actually appear on the user's newsfeed and it's seen as a personal, intimate space, so internet people feel like they are entitled to love and respect, as if you were a guest in their house. You're probably no different.
10) Have a strategy
What is your goal? What do you want to accomplish on social media? Unstructured social media usage will result in having you waste a shitload of time and antagonize most of the people you've known in your whole life, for stupid reasons. Set up goals. Then, means to get to your goals. If you don't attain your goals through social media, maybe it's not the right marketing tool for you.
Hopefully it helps a couple of you to avoid the pitfalls of social media hell. If you think I left something out, don't hesitate to point it out in the comments. This is also very good advice.
B.