How to Put Yourself Online
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably already familiar with the internet and all it has to offer—the endless scrolls, dick pics, fandom wars, and heartless trolls. And even though social media is ruthless and makes you question your life choices on a daily basis, being online is no longer professionally or socially optional for modern publishing. In order to achieve success in the industry, authors must put themselves out there and connect with the audience.
Your Online Space
Note. Before we dive in, I’d like to say that as an aspiring author, you don’t have to be highly engaging on every single existing platform (find few that you can have some fun with), but it’s necessary to have an account on every space.
Take a moment to think about the following:
How do you want to occupy space online?
What are your primary platforms of choice?
What are your goals?
For me, I am on X (Twitter) because I enjoy writing my publishing observations and tweeting about my reading journey. X is also the platform where I promote my services, and find book recommendations, and fanart I might not have crossed paths with otherwise. But most of all, I’m on X to meet people who have similar book taste to mine and connect with other authors and publishing industry representatives.
Since Twitter’s functionality highlights my primary medium (writing), it’s a good fit for the work I do. On other platforms, my reasons for being there are different. I don’t promote my services on Instagram because I don’t really see it doing well there. I mostly see it as a way to keep up with my friends’ lives and see aesthetically pleasing pictures along the way. I don’t have professional aspirations for Instagram, so it’s mostly just a vessel for all my excess energy and idle boredom.
Your goals may or may not change from platform to platform, or they could be entirely different depending on the medium—it’s really up to you to decide. Each platform has different capabilities, so based on your goals of being online, it makes sense that some spaces may feel more or less relevant to you. It’s all about knowing your audience, and figuring out what type of space you want to create for yourself on each site.
Even if your reasons for being online are primarily career-driven, in my opinion, there should always be some crossover between professional and personal. This simply means bringing your personality out and sharing something from your real life, be it a recent vacation, home renovation, any special occasion, etc.. It’s not a call to air your dirty laundry or the dark corners of your personal life, but to be yourself in the most relatable way to others. The majority of people in the book community dislike an account that solely exists to promote an author’s book. Of course, it’s what you’re there for, but you could also share watching a movie that your main characters enjoyed in your book, or give a taste test to a food combination raved about by one of the heroes, you know what I mean?
It’s crucial that authors treat their social media accounts as extensions of themselves, rather than as ads for everybody else. The internet should not be a space to spam innocent bystanders with Amazon links and promotional blurbs. Instead, it should be a space to really exist inside of, and a place where you can forge connections that organically grow into mutual interest in—and support for—each other. The bridge to this is through organic connections and honest communication among like-minded people.
Also, it’s unsustainable to always be logged on, and ridiculous to assume everyone has the time to reply or comment consistently. Giving yourself the space to choose how you want to be online should be one of the most important pieces of your personal strategy. Another thing to honestly consider is what you do and do not want to share. The internet is not often a forgiving or loving place, and it’s imperative we preserve and protect ourselves. For example, it’s completely normal for authors to avoid posting pictures of their face, or not mentioning their primary jobs, etc.. No one has a right to know the nitty-gritty details of your life, and you don’t have to publicize your entire emotional and personal journey in the public square.
“There must be a firewall between your public book life and your private book life, or creativity... You need to protect your creativity and then fit promotion into your life.
There should be little or no separation between the kinds of things you do for promotion and who you are as a person. In other words, at the end of the day, it’s not a good idea to contort yourself into someone else just to promote a book.
Finally, be creative in promotion. The main thing is to find some sense of play in what you do, so that the process first of all isn’t a drag and then also you might actually learn something from it creatively if you provide a space in which your readers can exercise their own imaginations.”
Social Etiquette Online
Follow people and accounts you feel like you connect with.
Don’t randomly follow people only to unfollow them in a short time.
Make new friends but keep the old.
Don’t be a stalker or a lurker when following new people.
Don’t engage in ego-based drama.
Take a responsibility after a fuck-up.
Use DMs to reach out and approach people you appreciate and admire, but don’t lead with self-promo.
Be healthy and protecting your own vulnerability.
Don’t let social media suck you in too much.
Thoughts on Not Being Annoying Online
Abandon certain topics before you get sick of them, because everyone around you will get bored before you. Avoid over-posting, which means read the room/timeline and make changes depending on the energy, and don’t always be going on a posting spree. Remember that people are going to be reading your words as a direct reflection on you. Don’t clog up the timeline or don’t act out online—no one will appreciate it, take my word.
Basically, just as you can burn out on social media, your social media can burn other people out, too. So keep tabs on how your posts are adding up over time, and avoid letting your posts turn you into a one-dimensional, one-schtick person.
In summary…
Social media is an incredible place to make friends and share your work. It’s not the be-all, end-all for your social status, and it’s not indicative of your overall success or the quality of your work. But, it’s a great resource to find like-minded people, and to spend time with others while we’re all feeling disconnected and overworked. As always, be polite, respectful, and light-hearted with your communication, never punch down, and always give others the benefit of the doubt. Basically, don’t be rude. Take care of yourself and know your goals, your limits, and your boundaries to creating the type of space you want to exist in. Find your voice by tuning into what you’re thinking and feeling, and by finding a space where you can try things out. Lean into that developing voice and, more importantly, into the world around you.