Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Network Legwork

Just got myself a freaking Twitter account. And Goodreads... and Amazon Central. Sheesh! I knew there was a lot of social networking involved with being an author, I just didn't fathom the energy it took. Hats off to all my fellow writers who go that extra mile, tweet that extra tweet, and devoutly update their Facebook page every other day.
It's truly a wonder how the book business has changed, even in the past twenty-some years. I'll bet Michael Crichton never had to worry about social networking when Jurassic Park hit the bookshelves. And do you think Shakespeare was keeping the Master of Revels up to date with all his plays? Actually that's a bad example. (See: Shakespeare in Love, 1998, starring Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow.) Hahaha! But it kind of makes you wonder about all the work that goes on behind the behind the scenes. Maybe you would think, "Eh, they wrote the book, surely someone handles all that social media stuff. Right?" Nah. The authors have a share in the legwork. It kind of gives me a sense of pride, though, knowing that I'm working the whole time, not just slaving over a keyboard and then handing the finished product off to someone I've never met face-to-face. Perhaps it sounds crazy, and Heaven forbid, old-fashioned, but I don't think I mind the extra work involved there. That sense of accomplishment, surfing the web and visiting different networks like they're coffee shops, it lets me know I'm doing something. And once I hit "Enter", the proof is out there for the world to see. Writers don't just write their stories; even when the product is for sale, the job ain't near done.
Bring. It. On.

-Grace

PS: Follow me on Twitter @graceyee_123

No comments:

Post a Comment