Visit Mike's Writing Workshop
Showing posts with label social network for writers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social network for writers. Show all posts
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Guest Blog: Authors on Twitter: Who’s getting it right?
Authors on Twitter: Who’s getting it right?
By Maria Schneider
http://editorunleashed.com
Click here
The writing community has frantically embraced Twitter within the past few months. And it’s been a delight to watch well-known authors find their voice in this new medium. With Twitter’s restriction to 140 characters, it’s surely proven challenging for authors who are used to writing in thousand-word increments to communicate with such intense brevity.
I’ve watched as NYT bestselling authors wonder in type why in the world they’re doing this and what they’re supposed to be writing about anyway. And I’ve also noticed quite a few hit their stride.
Recently, I asked this question on Twitter and on the forum:
Who are the authors that are getting social media right?
So in response to my question, here are five of the standout authors who seem to have found their voice on Twitter. They’re very different kinds of writers ranging from fantasy authors to narrative nonfiction to women’s fiction.
5 Writers Who Are Getting it Right
Neil Gaiman
@neilhimself
Sample Tweet: “That’s enough world for tonight. The me & @mgaiman late-night-while-working-on-the-sofa Buffython is paused. Now sleep & dreams & g’night.”
“Neil Gaiman uses his blog and twitter to communicate about his books, other writers, movies, and the world in a way that connects him not only to his fan base, but expands that base.” -Libby Nicole
James Rollins
@jamesrollins
Sample Tweet: “Busy few days. Preparing for documentary video shoot and preparing for the Jake Ransom tour. I have been writing of course!”
“Thriller writer/ fantasy writer James Rollins (aka Clemens) goes out of his way to be accessible to his fans through Twitter. Following him gives you a real sense of what it might be like to be a celebrity author. He takes his fans along for the ride.” -mariaschneider
Susan Orlean
@susanorlean
Sample Tweet: “First donkey sighted just miles from the Casablanca airport, under a billboard for a cellphone company.”
"Absolutely one of my favorite authors to follow on Twitter. Orlean writes literary nonfiction and she is drawn to eccentric stories, like her well-known book The Orchid Thief. She’s currently researching donkeys in a middle-eastern village. You get a real sense of her writing process from following her online and her she comes across as personable, entertaining and accessible, which I find inspiring from such a well-known author. Even though she’s never self-promotional, her social networking really makes me want to continue following her, and of course, buy her books."-mariaschneider
JA Konrath
@jakonrath
Sample Tweet: “I’d eat more vegetables if, instead of vitamins and minerals, they were filled with more essential compounds. Like caffeine and alcohol.”
“His blog tour put him on my radar and he left a breadcrumb trail back to his website. There, he had a free download of the first chapters of his new book. I read and was hooked. I bought a copy. And I was impressed. It was the first time I had bought a novel based on smart advertising. Konrath’s “Afraid” campaign is a template on how to use the internet to effectively promote fiction.” -Craven
Allison Winn Scotch
@aswinn
Sample Tweet: “BLOGGED: How much ownership should you feel over your novel’s film adaptation? Me? Mostly none. http://bit.ly/3GJh43.”
“I get a kick out of Allison Winn Scotch’s tweets. She doesn’t push a lot of writing sites or info, but she always has a fun energy that I like.” -Lisa
Be sure to follow these authors. There’s much to be learned about how authors can use these new social media tools to build and expand their readerships.
By Maria Schneider
http://editorunleashed.com
Click here
The writing community has frantically embraced Twitter within the past few months. And it’s been a delight to watch well-known authors find their voice in this new medium. With Twitter’s restriction to 140 characters, it’s surely proven challenging for authors who are used to writing in thousand-word increments to communicate with such intense brevity.
I’ve watched as NYT bestselling authors wonder in type why in the world they’re doing this and what they’re supposed to be writing about anyway. And I’ve also noticed quite a few hit their stride.
Recently, I asked this question on Twitter and on the forum:
Who are the authors that are getting social media right?
So in response to my question, here are five of the standout authors who seem to have found their voice on Twitter. They’re very different kinds of writers ranging from fantasy authors to narrative nonfiction to women’s fiction.
5 Writers Who Are Getting it Right
Neil Gaiman
@neilhimself
Sample Tweet: “That’s enough world for tonight. The me & @mgaiman late-night-while-working-on-the-sofa Buffython is paused. Now sleep & dreams & g’night.”
“Neil Gaiman uses his blog and twitter to communicate about his books, other writers, movies, and the world in a way that connects him not only to his fan base, but expands that base.” -Libby Nicole
James Rollins
@jamesrollins
Sample Tweet: “Busy few days. Preparing for documentary video shoot and preparing for the Jake Ransom tour. I have been writing of course!”
“Thriller writer/ fantasy writer James Rollins (aka Clemens) goes out of his way to be accessible to his fans through Twitter. Following him gives you a real sense of what it might be like to be a celebrity author. He takes his fans along for the ride.” -mariaschneider
Susan Orlean
@susanorlean
Sample Tweet: “First donkey sighted just miles from the Casablanca airport, under a billboard for a cellphone company.”
"Absolutely one of my favorite authors to follow on Twitter. Orlean writes literary nonfiction and she is drawn to eccentric stories, like her well-known book The Orchid Thief. She’s currently researching donkeys in a middle-eastern village. You get a real sense of her writing process from following her online and her she comes across as personable, entertaining and accessible, which I find inspiring from such a well-known author. Even though she’s never self-promotional, her social networking really makes me want to continue following her, and of course, buy her books."-mariaschneider
JA Konrath
@jakonrath
Sample Tweet: “I’d eat more vegetables if, instead of vitamins and minerals, they were filled with more essential compounds. Like caffeine and alcohol.”
“His blog tour put him on my radar and he left a breadcrumb trail back to his website. There, he had a free download of the first chapters of his new book. I read and was hooked. I bought a copy. And I was impressed. It was the first time I had bought a novel based on smart advertising. Konrath’s “Afraid” campaign is a template on how to use the internet to effectively promote fiction.” -Craven
Allison Winn Scotch
@aswinn
Sample Tweet: “BLOGGED: How much ownership should you feel over your novel’s film adaptation? Me? Mostly none. http://bit.ly/3GJh43.”
“I get a kick out of Allison Winn Scotch’s tweets. She doesn’t push a lot of writing sites or info, but she always has a fun energy that I like.” -Lisa
Be sure to follow these authors. There’s much to be learned about how authors can use these new social media tools to build and expand their readerships.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Guest Blog: Editorchat on Twitter
From freelance writer Tim Beyers:
The world's cheapest writers conference
You'll have to forgive writers for embracing Twitter in increasing number. This so-called micro-blogging platform has become a place for surfing, sourcing and self-promotion. Editors haven't been as fortunate.
That's understandable. Twitter may respect brevity but it doesn't care about deadlines. It can't tighten a troublesome sentence or clean an in-box. Other than promoting content or connecting with peers, Twitter hasn't been much of a tool for editors. Till now.
Tonight from 9-11 pm eastern, freelancers Tim Beyers (@milehighfool) and Lydia Dishman (@LydiaBreakfast) are hosting a Twitter chat for writers and editors called #editorchat. The goal? Share ideas for how to mutually thrive in this sometimes-troubled literary relationship and survive in the always-troubled and always-changing publishing industry.
Call it the world's cheapest real-time writers conference.
To participate, log into Twitter shortly before 9 pm and search for #editorchat. Messages posted with this "hashtag," as it's known, are aggregated into a conversation. Refresh the screen to see new messages. You can also use the free TweetChat to follow the discussion. Enter your name and password and specify "#editorchat" as the room you wish to enter. To respond to a topic, post with "#editorchat" at the end of your message. (TweetChat will do this for you, however.)
If there's one difference between #editorchat and your average writers conference it's that Beyers and Dishman want it to be a conversation rather than a pitch-fest. Want to submit a query? Use email or snail mail, they say. (Introductions are welcomed, however.)
Writers have had plenty of reasons to be on Twitter. Now editors do, too.
The world's cheapest writers conference
You'll have to forgive writers for embracing Twitter in increasing number. This so-called micro-blogging platform has become a place for surfing, sourcing and self-promotion. Editors haven't been as fortunate.
That's understandable. Twitter may respect brevity but it doesn't care about deadlines. It can't tighten a troublesome sentence or clean an in-box. Other than promoting content or connecting with peers, Twitter hasn't been much of a tool for editors. Till now.
Tonight from 9-11 pm eastern, freelancers Tim Beyers (@milehighfool) and Lydia Dishman (@LydiaBreakfast) are hosting a Twitter chat for writers and editors called #editorchat. The goal? Share ideas for how to mutually thrive in this sometimes-troubled literary relationship and survive in the always-troubled and always-changing publishing industry.
Call it the world's cheapest real-time writers conference.
To participate, log into Twitter shortly before 9 pm and search for #editorchat. Messages posted with this "hashtag," as it's known, are aggregated into a conversation. Refresh the screen to see new messages. You can also use the free TweetChat to follow the discussion. Enter your name and password and specify "#editorchat" as the room you wish to enter. To respond to a topic, post with "#editorchat" at the end of your message. (TweetChat will do this for you, however.)
If there's one difference between #editorchat and your average writers conference it's that Beyers and Dishman want it to be a conversation rather than a pitch-fest. Want to submit a query? Use email or snail mail, they say. (Introductions are welcomed, however.)
Writers have had plenty of reasons to be on Twitter. Now editors do, too.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Making Friends in Social Media
Thanks to HubSpot for this!
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4514/Making-Friends-LinkedIn-vs-Facebook-vs-Twitter-cartoon.aspx
Click here
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Get in the Game. Join the Party. And Network!
When I started my professional writing career—back in the days when journalists banged out stories on typewriters and made calls only on rotary phones—I was told again and again by older colleagues that if I wanted to “get ahead” I needed to “network,” figure out a way to rub elbows with the powers that be.
“It’s who you know, kid,” they’d say.
But I resisted this advice thoroughly, thinking in my innocent 20-something head that as long as I produced great work and did it on time and without trouble that editors would somehow find me—and pull me, in steps, to the top.
In fact, I considered “networking” something of a dirty word. It sounded phony, too hob-knobby for my tastes.
So I proceeded in my publishing life, quite stubbornly, as a rugged individualist, trying to make it simply on my words and reputation and nothing else, and while I made it to where I wanted to go in the end, albeit slower than most of my peers, I learned that networking is indeed vital for moving up to the next level.
I remember once going to a big Christmas party held by a major magazine (one for which I was working at the time) and seeing this amazing collection of well-known A-list writers and editors mingling, laughing, over gin and tonics and martinis and the like—and I could hear them talking about, of all things, working on stories together.
“You mean they’re actually discussing business here?” I said to myself, chuckling.
I couldn’t believe it.
In that moment, I came to realize that a lot of A-list stories were nailed down that way.
And I eventually came to see networking as something not abhorrent but an integral part of a writer’s toolbox, maybe even more important than his or her talent and determination.
I also came to the conclusion that networking doesn’t have to be artificial at all but just a way to meet new people in my business and develop relationships with people who could help me.
Truth be told, I came to utterly enjoy the process.
But back in those days, you needed to have “an in” to get invited to those big publishing parties and you needed to get dressed to a T and you needed to have decent social skills—all of which has changed in the age of technology.
Now, all you need is a computer and access to the internet.
Because the party is online and happening every day!
Especially on a place such as Facebook, where, if you search hard enough, you can uncover a slew of major players in the world of big-time publishing—top magazine, newspaper, and book editors; respected literary agents; publishers big and small; and A-list writers of every genre.
They’re there—and a mere friend request or brief message away from being a part of your network.
What Myspace is for bands, Facebook is for writers.
Trust me, if you’re a writer, you NEED to be there. And in an unobtrusive way, you need to reach out to these power players that can make a difference for you. Don’t be a wallflower by staying just within the confines of family and old friends.
Get in the game! Network! Build your career!
That, my friends, is the best advice I can give to get you off to a great 2009.
Do what you want with it—and good luck.
Best always and stay positive,
Mike
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Writers Helping Writers on Facebook
Pass along the good karma and join Writers Helping Writers
http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27659251025&ref=mf
Click here
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Writers Need to Get on Facebook!
If Myspace is for bands, Facebook is for writers.
It's The place to be for us!
Feel free to add me as a friend:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael_Geffner/1431027205
Best,
Mike
It's The place to be for us!
Feel free to add me as a friend:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael_Geffner/1431027205
Best,
Mike
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A Facebook-Like Writers Network!
Click here
Join in on the fun. Already over 150 members!
Upload your videos, audios, blogs, pics, as well as experience a
message board so beautifully delineated it'll knock your socks off!
Best and look forward to seeing you there,
Mike
Join in on the fun. Already over 150 members!
Upload your videos, audios, blogs, pics, as well as experience a
message board so beautifully delineated it'll knock your socks off!
Best and look forward to seeing you there,
Mike
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Check Out This Cool Writing Message Board!
Newbies Hangout
A place for young and/or new aspiring writers to mingle
Click here
All Things Poetry
A place to discuss poetry, as well as post your own poems or share favorites by the masters
Click here
Job Hunting
A place to find, share legit job boards, leads, strategies, etc.
Click here
Freelance Writing
A place to discuss the crazy, up-and-down life of being a mercenary writer
Click here
Critique Corner
A place to post your work for member review (WARNING: Post at your own risk. You might be torn apart)
Click here
A place for young and/or new aspiring writers to mingle
Click here
All Things Poetry
A place to discuss poetry, as well as post your own poems or share favorites by the masters
Click here
Job Hunting
A place to find, share legit job boards, leads, strategies, etc.
Click here
Freelance Writing
A place to discuss the crazy, up-and-down life of being a mercenary writer
Click here
Critique Corner
A place to post your work for member review (WARNING: Post at your own risk. You might be torn apart)
Click here
Friday, May 23, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
