Once Written, Twice Shy: Twitter for writers

I'm so excited to have you here today, Beth. Would you please share a short bio about yourself?

Rebecca, thanks for having me. I'm a fantasy author, teacher and speaker, and a creativity coach for writers. I live in Oakland, California, with my husband, also a writer, and our two cats. My newest book is Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers, available on Amazon, iTunes, and Nook.

Do you consider yourself a shy and/or introverted person?

I do consider myself an introverted person, though not necessarily shy, since I have lots of extroverted qualities, too. I do like networking and meeting new people; I just need to be in the mood for that.

In what ways has being shy or introverted hindered your writing career?

I've had a hard time calling attention to my fiction writing, in other words, marketing it, because of my introverted nature. I could probably take more risks than I have. Just knowing this helps me take baby steps out of my comfort zone, little by little.

In what ways has being shy or introverted helped your writing career?

Being introverted has helped me spend a lot of time by myself writing, putting in the time to make my books as excellent as I can. Being introverted has also helped reach out via social media and communicate with lots of people that way. Social media has allowed me to be social and chatty in ways I never expected I could.

What’s the hardest part of this business for you?

Marketing my fiction and nonfiction books is hard for me, though I am getting better at it. I also have the challenge of comparing my marketing actions, or non actions, with other people. A bad habit, I know.

Tell me about a time that you had to step outside your comfort zone either in your writing career or in your personal life?

Taking acting and improv class and teaching/speaking classes definitely were outside my comfort zone and helped me get more comfortable being myself in front of people. Now, I actually like presenting to groups.

What’s one tip you could share with shy and introverted people that’s helped you?

I think taking improv is a wonderful tool that has really helped me. Also what's helped me has been triathlon training with a group of like-minded women. So I'd recommend sports training or a workout class that you love. It helps to get out of the mind and into the body.

Would you please share a short blurb of your book and where my readers can buy it?

Sure!

Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers by Beth Barany

Social media book marketing is key to building your author platform and to selling more books. For many authors, the idea of sharing themselves with the world through Twitter and other social media platforms can be petrifying. But in Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers, you will discover simple ways to connect with your audience and potential readers.

In this easy-to-read guide, written by a shy writer, novelist and teacher, Beth Barany, you'll find the confidence and encouragement to step into social media and the how-to steps on what to say, how to find your followers, and how to present yourself in 140 characters or less.

Amazon (http://bit.ly/TwitterForAuthorsBarany)

Where can my readers find you on the web?

Here's a list of my social media locations and sites. Thanks for having me on your site, and for helping me take a step outside my comfort zone! :-)

FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/HenriettaTheDragonSlayer

TWITTER

http://www.twitter.com/beth_barany

PINTEREST

http://pinterest.com/bethbarany/

GOODREADS
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4169630.Beth_Barany

WEBSITE

http://www.bethbarany.com/

WRITING BLOG

http://www.writersfunzone.com/blog

Please help me welcome my sister and fellow romance author Laurie London. A graduate of Western Washington University with a BA in BusinessAdministration and a former tester/programmer for a Fortune 500 company, Laurie now writes from her home near Seattle where she lives with her husband and two children. Her debut novel, Bonded By Blood, A Sweetblood Novel, releases February 2011 by HQN. Embraced By Blood, the second book in the series, releases July 2011. When not writing, she can be found running, reading, or riding and showing her horse. Someday she hopes to qualify for the Quarter Horse World Show – that is, if her horse doesn’t get hurt again. You can learn more about Laurie at her website, on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's Laurie:
Thanks so much, Becky, for inviting me to talk about Social Networking. One of my favorite topics!

Social networking is THE perfect way for shy writers to network. Where else can you meet new and interesting people, reconnect with friends and acquaintances, come across as fun and engaging (hopefully), and edit yourself before you say something you’d regret—all while wearing those PJs and fuzzy slippers you have on right now?

Why should you care about social networking? After all, it’s writing the best book you can possibly write that really matters, right?

Well, you know what? I totally agree. Before I sold, I did not have a website, blog, author Twitter account, or author Facebook page. For the exact reason I rarely play video games any longer, I knew that I’d get sucked into the world of social networking, and I wanted my writing to come first. With a finite amount of creative energy inside me each day, I didn’t want to spend it all on social networking, when what I really wanted to do was write a book.

This isn’t to say I didn’t do any social networking prior to selling. I did have a Facebook page and Twitter account under my real name, but I tried to limit my time so that I could write every day. When I sold, I felt comfortable with these methods of communication and was able to jump right in with my author name.

In this interview on Murderati, Neil Nyren, Editor in Chief at Penguin Putnam, says word of mouth is an essential ingredient in selling books and the author plays an important role in this process. He goes on to say, “As a writer, you are the CEO of your own business. You should make it a point to learn that business and to do whatever is necessary to make that business succeed.” But then he adds you need to write a good book which is tough to do if you’re spending all your time on promotion.
So what’s a writer to do when you want to do both?

Seven Ways to Make Social Networking More Productive and Spend Less Time Doing It
1. Don’t waste your time posting something boring. I know this sounds blunt and mean, but social networking is all about making connections and providing good content. Unless you’re someone famous, no one, except maybe your mom, wants to read on Twitter that you’re having your second cup of coffee ten minutes after you posted that you were having your first. If you really want to tell people, then try to make it interesting. If not, stay offline and write instead.

2. Know who your readers/followers/friends are and provide content for them. Becky does a great job at this. I doubt she’d let me blog about my horse or my bathroom leak. You don’t come here to read about that. When I find an interesting article online, one that I think my followers or friends would enjoy, I twitter the link or post it to FB. Always ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?” and post accordingly. That’s not to say I don’t tweet about my horse or my bathroom leak, but I try not to do it too much.

3. Observe those who do social networking well and copy them. (Conversely, when someone says something that makes you cringe, make a mental note not to ever do that either.) One thing that totally impresses me is when people who have a lot of followers take the time to comment on something others have said. It makes me feel special when that happens, so I try to do the same for others. If someone retweets something I’ve said or comments on my FB page or blog, I always acknowledge it. If someone thinks you care about them, they’ll keep coming back. Conversation matters.

4. Pay attention to what makes you click one person’s link or comment on their status, and try to do the same. On Twitter, don’t just say “Interesting blog” and post the link. As a follower, I want to know if it’s worth my time to click. My opinion on what’s interesting may be different than yours. For instance, if I tweet about guest blogging here today, I might say, “Social networking for shy writers” or “7 ways writers can make social networking more productive” and give the link. It makes it easy for people to see if they’d be interested or not. Sure, I might also post, “I need your help. I’m hearing crickets on this blog. Please come visit me.” But what I won’t do is link only the URL, thinking someone will click through just because. Conan O’Brien has Just Because status. I don’t.

5. On Twitter, take advantage of hashtag topics to connect with like-minded people and see real-time publishing information. One of my favorite people on Twitter, Debbie Ridpath Ohi (@Inkyelbows), has a great list of hashtag topics for writers on her blog. (http://tinyurl.com/lzp9w8) In fact, check out her blog for loads of other Twitter tips. I’ve learned a lot from her (see items 3 and 4 above). If you’re posting something that pertains to a particular topic, use the appropriate hashtag. That way even people who don’t follow you will see your tweet. I’ve met the nicest people this way. Also, many agents post what kinds of manuscripts they’re currently looking for under #pubtips.

6. Build your followers/friends list with people who have similar interests. Don’t just limit yourself to other writers. I like wine, horses, and cooking, so I’ve sought out other people on Twitter and FB who like the same things. As far as I can tell, people who like wine, horses, and cooking also read books. ;-) Take the time to read their blog if a post sounds interesting and comment if you have time. Don’t forget to track back so you can tell if they replied. I love it when people comment back on a blog post or comment I’ve made.

7. If you link your Twitter and FB updates, don’t link every tweet. Facebook isn’t as real-time as Twitter and it will just look strange to your FB friends when you use twitter-speak.

Since seven is a nice number, I’ll stop there. Do you have any tips you’d like to share about social networking for writers?