My article is the first stop on the Rolling Mystery Blog Tour.
Once a
year I have the wonderful opportunity to attend an author/reader extravaganza
of the largest book group in the country, The Pulpwood Queens Book Group http://www.pulpwoodqueen.com/ (500
chapter strong), which meets in the quaint village of Jefferson, Texas. Founder
Kathy Patrick invites authors and members of the book group to spend three days
visiting, talking books, and having fun. Every year I come home with a renewed
sense of my place in the writing community and a satisfaction knowing I have
met dozens of readers who enjoyed my books. Needless to say, these connections
are invaluable to me as a writer. The rest of my year is spent socializing in
my little room with my laptop. I actually enjoy it, too, but that wasn’t always
the case.
I entered the world of social networking,
kicking and screaming. After two years, I still throw a tantrum every now and
then when I have trouble maneuvering through the sites’ technical pathways, but
I will be the first to admit the necessity of this tool for connecting to
readers. Whenever I receive a message from a fan through one of my networks, I
set my laptop aside and dance a little jig. Then I reply and add the person to
my friend list.
I first
entered this cyber network through Facebook, then signed on with LinkedIn,
Twitter, and Goodreads. Each one offers something a little different, and I
approach each one from a different prospective.
Goodreads
is one of my favorites. It’s all about books. I can post reviews and comments about the books I’ve read and enter
into discussions of these books with others who have read them. I have an
author page, which allows me to display my book covers. Goodreads provides advice and
programs on promoting and marketing. Authors can sign up for giveaways when
their new books are released. I tried this tool with my second Sydney Lockhart
mystery and within a few days, more than 400 readers had added my books to
their reading list. I can also publicize my events, add writing samples, create
quizzes, and submit discussion questions. Promo ads are available for purchase as
well. Goodreads provides a great tutorial for authors and they allow you to
send them questions through e-mail. Even better, they respond.
I view
social networking as a vast treasure hunt where I discover readers and they
discover me. It allows me to connect with people whom I otherwise would never
meet. Many of those folks have wonderful comments about my writing. Talk about
motivation and inspiration to continue my craft, that’s nothing else like it.
Okay, maybe a hefty royalty check. Na . . . not even that.
