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agent, author, blogging, fiction, Nikki McCormack, Novel, publishing, social media, writer, writing
A new and improved version of this blog post can now be seen in the Spring 2012 issue (volume 2, issue 3) of Line Zero, a quarterly independent print journal from Pink Fish Press.
I wasn’t popular in school. I don’t recall ever wanting to be. As far as I could see, it didn’t do the popular kids any good. If anything, they just had more expectations to live up to. My main concern in school was–no, not getting good grades–telling stories. I spent hours and hours of class time working on book ideas, which didn’t do much for my grades. Most of my teachers liked me despite that and a few even encouraged me when they found out I was writing books instead of notes (yes, I was in school in the dark ages between texting on cell phones and etching on stone tablets).
Early texting tools.
When I started college, I took a different approach because then I was actually investing my own money in those classes. Funny how motivating that can be. I still didn’t engage much with my fellow students. I had school and a job to focus on and somewhere in there, I had to make time for my writing. Popular wasn’t going to get me good grades or the money to pay for the next term and it sure wasn’t going to satisfy all the characters in my head.
Somewhere in the last few years, I got the harebrained idea to take my writing addiction and try to make a go at being an author. Only now, it looks like being successful as a new author has become a popularity contest. How many Twitter followers do you have? How many people follow your blog? How many fans do you have on Facebook? What is your Klout score?
I thought going into this that being a successful author was about writing well and telling a great story. I never wanted to be popular and I still don’t really. I love the people I’ve met online, but I have little enough time for my friends and family and my writing as it is. Getting published isn’t about me. It is about the enjoyment people get out of reading my work. As far as I’m concerned, if someone likes my writing, that’s even better than them liking me.
Don’t take me wrong. I do believe that an author should put effort into marketing their books to help with sales in today’s environment and I honestly love the idea of being able to connect with my readers (once I have published work to offer them). What I don’t get is how that turned into having to market ourselves to even get looked at by an agent.
We aren’t our books. It isn’t our charming smile and great hairdo that makes someone want to read what we write. Sure, that might lure a few people in, but what will keep them is good writing and good stories. Writing a good blog, doesn’t mean you can write a good fiction novel. It means you can write a good blog. Conversely, writing a good book doesn’t mean you’re automatically a great blogger.
I honestly think the agents and publishers are putting a little too much emphasis on the social media aspect right now. That said, it is what they seem to want, so I am doing my part to step out there and wave my own flag (I just wish it had a skull, crossed katana and perhaps a bottle of rum on it).
If you want to play the game in the current market, you have to jump in the sandbox with the other kids and try not to be voted out. Can you build the best sandcastle? More importantly, does it matter how beautiful that sandcastle is if you open the doors and its empty inside?
see more Five Minute Getaway
Actually, if that’s your sandcastle, you may not need anything inside. 
So now that I have grumbled about social media on my blog (and shared it out to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn because no one would know I was grumbling otherwise) I’ll go back to editing.
I would love to hear your thoughts about the current emphasis on social media for unpublished authors. Can a good social media presence transcend bad writing? Does a poor social media presence mean disaster even if you have an amazing debut novel? Should your social media presence be a major factor for agents and editors considering your work?
I pretty much agree with every sentence in this blog. Are we related?
When I read online that agents wanted writers to have a Facebook fan page or blog with 10,000+ likes or followers, I almost came unglued from my chair! Really?? If your name is Stephen King or Dean Koontz – maybe. If you’re an unpublished author – hey, good luck with that!
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think a large part of the publishing industries obsession with an author’s social media presence, is their reluctance to take a chance on the ‘unknown’. “Hey, your book rocks but we want a guarantee! We want to see 10,000 fans or followers that we KNOW will go out and buy your book!”
I hope they’re not living life the same way or they’re missing out on a lot it has to offer. There are no guarantees in life – why should the publishing industry expect them?
Apparently we are related.
I think I’m related to you both as well… group hug!
I don’t like the trend of publisher’s expectations that an unpublished writer has to have a huge social media following. It seems like writer-publisher used to be a partnership, and now it’s becoming, “What have you got for us?” If you’re not a best seller, you don’t get anything, except maybe dropped if the book doesn’t sell well.
And social media’s not a guarantee a book will sell well. The book’s still got to be something people want to read. Having 10K of followers because they like your personality will not help if the book is rambling and filled with typos. The book is the single most important marketing tool, and writers often treat everything else as more important marketing tools.
The book is truly what will make or break you in the end and your social media skills really don’t say anything about your fiction writing skills (unless your posts are full of typos and the like perhaps).
Group hug!!
For a writer nothing can transcend good writing. Self publicists who can’t write are wasting their time. But a combination of talent and publicity is probably vital for a good writer to be successful. What a drag, though.
Sadly, I believe you are right in this day and age. Thanks for the visit!
All the best with your books.
Amen! All the extra pressure to market yourself and build a following is stressful and it takes away from the little time I have to write. Social media was a fun way to connect, but now it’s become a popularity contest it has made me pull away.
I agree. It can be a lot of fun to connect, but when your success as an author suddenly becomes dependent on it, it loses some of that charm (or a lot of it).
So with you.
Interesting post! I agree that social media is all well and good, but ultimately, you’ve got to be able to tell a good story, and no amount of tweeting is going to make up for it if you can’t write more than 140 interesting characters…:) And, as a side note…I REALLY want to live inside that sand castle.
I bet a leprechaun lives in there!
I know. Isn’t that the greatest sandcastle.
It’s nicer than my apartment
Oh god, I read that as 140 interesting characters as in main character, supporting characters, etc…thought all was lost because I can barely manage the six I’m working with!
that was me…
so much for logging in as my new blogging self – in an feeble attempt to join the cool kids…
Wendy, we’re all cool kids, just not everyone realizes it.
estuarywalkthrough, Welcome to another Holly Lisle student.
I have four characters in my current WIP. That’s enough for me right now, though I believe the number waiting in my head to tell their stories exceeds 140. 
Clearly we need to both do social media and write a good book. While I find it hard to do as much with social media as I would like, I’ve been having fun with it. I like you guys
Thanks! I’ve met some great people this way (like you), but I feel like I have to put so much care and caution into what I do on social media. It takes a lot of time to construct some of these blog posts and I think my local friends are starting to feel neglected (not to mention the characters in my books).
Oh, I totally understand. Most of my own blog posts have required a lot of effort to put together. I enjoy doing them, and feedback has been very positive so far, so overall it’s time well-spent. But I do need to figure out how to balance everything better, and it sounds like I’m not the only one trying to figure it out.
It is like Big Brother (aka agents and publishers) are watching you via social media so yes, as an author, I feel like I have to carefully consider just about everything I put out there. Also, that what I say should be as relevant as possible to my writing, someone else’s, or the industry. And, if possible, make sure it is brilliant enough to be retweeted, reposted, and Liked. Sigh. I need a social media clone.
Yes. I also censor myself because one of the trilogies I’m wanting to publish is YA. Not that I’m normally vulger, but I do have my moments.
If you get anywhere with the social media clone, let me know.
Great post! I feel the same way. Being active on social media is time consuming – research, trying not to get sidetracked on rabbit trails, writing something meaningful, it all takes time. Spend too much time on that and your WIP is never going to progress very far. Somewhere there’s a balance that works well. Glad to know I’m not the only one still looking for it. Save one of those sand castle rooms for me, please!
You’re in on the sandcastle. Rooms are going quick.
From the response here, it sounds like a lot of us are still struggling for that balance.
I don’t think it’s an issue that’s confined to authors. Even with other types of jobs, it’s becoming increasingly crucial to be able to market yourself through social media, even with fields that ten years ago wouldn’t have involved any sort of publicity work, and often someone’s number of twitter followers is considered to be almost the equivalent of a credential.
I imagine that is true. I just notice it more in this medium because that’s where my interest lies. Sometimes I miss the good old days before social media.
Far and away the best part about building an on-line presence is getting to know fabulous people like, well, you, and Helen, and Mike & Laird & Elaine & just about everyone else who’s commented on this post. So if it’s a necessary evil, at least it’s a fun one.
Good attitude.
The people are great!
Well said Liv
Great post! It is very stressful to try to do everything you’re supposed to do social media wise and still find time to write that really awesome book. But I understand that this is the world we live in now and in order to gain readers and sell books, we have to put ourselves out there. Very hard for someone like me who never really wanted the attention. But I am having fun and meeting lots of great people.
Kindred spirit in this. I imagine it will get easier to balance things as we get better at it.
I couldn’t agree more. I hate the numbers aspect of it. Good writing will always trump the numbers game in my opinion. Social media is fun & I have immensely enjoyed getting to know everyone I’ve met so far. That said, it is very time consuming and I spend an incredible amount of time on my posts, time that I could spend on my WIP. As someone who has a very hard time tootin’ her own horn, all of this self-promotion stuff is way out of my comfort zone. And… it’s pushed me to grow and learn in ways I never would have on my own. I’m still looking for the balance in it all.
P.S. I’d like a room in the sandcastle, too.
Such a cool photo!
Another room booked!
It has pushed me out of my comfort zone too, but that is good in a lot of ways. Fortunately, I had started forcing myself out of my shell just prior to this becoming the big thing, so it wasn’t as hard as it could have been.
I have a strong inclination to steal this post and call it my own!
I get this whole media deal–I really do–sort’ve. I have serious love and appreciation of all of you, and yet, like everyone else I’m juggling frantically and it sure feels like I’m dropping more pins that I’m keeping in the air. Bottom line, yes, in many ways it’s gotten easier for writers to have some control over their work, but it also feels like something of a dirty little trick that it really isn’t just about the writing, but how well you can sell without being a salesman. Huh? Uh hum, very confusing.
Exactly. There is a lot more opportunity in the publishing world for authors now, but we have to be our own marketing experts in order to make it work. I imagine a balance will come eventually.
And why, on top of all this, do we still have to do laundry too?
I don’t have the answers, but I feel your frustration. Keeping up with all of it is hard. Reconciling conflicting advice is even worse. Some shout social media as the only way to success, yet many of the *new* authors I love don’t have a strong online presence (if they have one at all). Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE all the people I’ve met and the articles that have helped me to be a better writer, but sometimes I do wonder about the emphasis we place on social media numbers.
Yes. It just feels like a little too much emphasis. I honestly haven’t looked to see if my favorite authors have blogs. I barely have time to read their books.
Thanks for the visit!
Social media is a lot of fun, but it also is distracting and exhausting. Getting a retweet or a blog comment gives me a momentary high, but then I crash right back down to earth a few moments later. I end up chasing the numbers and craving the comments and when I do that, I’m not focusing on my stories, which are supposedly why I got into social media in the first place. It’s a hard balance to maintain.
If that sandcastle had an Intenet connection, I’d be seriously tempted to move in.
Yeah – the interaction can be addictive…and distracting.
I’ll investigate wireless for the sand castle.
Actually, on second thoughts, given the nature of this discussion, perhaps it’s better to leave the sandcastle as an Internet-free zone. It could be our writing retreat.
Now, could we fit a ping pong or foosball table in there….?
How about a pool table? I’d like a wine cellar too. Maybe it’s like the magic tent in the Harry Potter movies (and books!, just got harangued by my beloved for citing the movies instead of the books)–small outside, really big inside.
Great post, Nikki. I agree with every word of it and could write an entire post in response… (I may just do that here in your comments section!).
I think it was around October last year when those social media numbers started to be thrown around, because that’s when I signed up for Kristen’s WANA branding workshop. I wrote a big long blog post – in fact a couple – on the subject. First of all I dismissed the figures entirely and decided there wasn’t much point having a platform if one didn’t have a finished novel. Then about a week later, I changed tune a bit, because I think Kristen made the point in one of her posts that what was the point blogging if no-one was reading it? Since I was blogging anyway, I decided to sign up for her class to see what it was all about.
And it has driven up my numbers significantly — having all the lovely wana people to engage with — although nowhere near the numbers one is apparently supposed to aspire to.
One of my points back then — and which I still adhere to — is that we are still really only connecting with other writers. This is by no means a bad thing, for we are kindred spirits after all, but I do remember one of the points about blogging on topics other than writing was to attract the reading public and gain platform that way.
Sure, there are a few writing blogs with massive followings (Kristen’s being one), but that’s because they’re offering advice and information to us writers. Unless one is going to offer essential information on a niche subject, how is one to build massive numbers, especially when one is not yet published?
I joined blog bootcamp out of curiosity and have met all you fabulous people! My WIP suffered terribly in Feb and March, but during April my focus has been shifting back to the WIP. After all, what IS the point of all of this if one doesn’t have time to write? My problem is that I LOVE social media and find it easy to lose heaps of time (ahem – like guess what I should be doing right now?!).
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think the ‘popularity contest’ or platform or whatever you call it actually provides misleading information — and it frustrates me too that agents and editors are screening pre-published authors by this. I do still think you have to have a fantasic novel in order to be traditionally published, but the need for a large platform just adds to the hurdles that need to be overcome.
But I wouldn’t give up blogging or connecting with my new wana pals for anything
PS – I’m in for the internet-free writing retreat in the sandcastle!
Your room in the sandcastle has been booked.
I think that what really frustrates me is the misleading part. I have leaned and built and come a long way from where the blog started. I still don’t think the numbers really represent in any way how many readers I might have. However, I also love connecting with the people I have met so I won’t be quitting anytime soon.
Ellen pointed me here and when I read the title I didn’t want to read on because I hate that publishing has become a popularity contest. But I had to read this for the very same reason.
I want to write brilliant works and have them published for readers to read, but I don’t like modern concepts of marketing. I’ve never aspired to be a celebrity, I don’t like public speaking. I don’t like being “tied” to social media, even tho I do have a pretty good online presence and a not too shabby Klout score.
If a publisher ever suggested that the only thing holding my ms back was my popularity, I’d say, give it to another author in the same genre, give it to a celebrity, I’d rather be a secret ghost writer anyway.
Welcome! I do feel your pain. I think their are two reasons I keep going with the social media.
1. The great people I have met.
2. Publishing my writing has been a lifelong dream and I am damned well not letting this new obstacle stop me now.
Hang in there. If your in touch with Ellen, you’re already in a good crowd. I really do think things will balance out in time. With the new social media self-marketing craze and the changes the ebooks have brought about, everything is a little wild right now.
The sign of the “never-cool-enough-kid” is that she arrives late into every spontaneous gathering, peers over everyone’s shoulders, and chimes in afterward…so hello from the back of the crowd.
I kind of feel like this all the time since WANA took off like a shot, but I figure since I’m by nature a mosey-er, tend to dive deep but slowly, it is in my long term online-presence interest to be very honest about that part of me and do my best. I cannot be chasing numbers or aiming for filler to keep my weekly post counts up.
I hope in the end, the few readers I find (or who find me in my slow-but-steady online endeavors) appreciate that and recognize that I’m not an attention seeker but am working to do my best work.
I’m glad you posted this and am relieved to find so many of us in agreement.
Honestly, I like the slow and steady approach. I tend to be a little sporadic with my posting, though I am balancing out. This post has been great for me because of the incredible response it has gotten that has helped me see how many of us feel this way. I think that is one great thing about social media. Now and then, when something clicks with people, you really do understand how we are not alone.
Very insightful post. Everyone responding agrees we wish it were different. I have found myself just as reticent but I’m coming through a learning curve to discover that there is no use fighting the way things are now. And, we really don’t know how it will all shake out. I’m convinced using what we have been given by Kristen is the key.
What I’m saying is, use the skills, create your voice by blogging, blog often as you can but keep in mind we are not in a popularity race. We want to sell our writing and to do that we have to have a following. Writing about what interests us needs to be the subject of our blogs so we find the readers who will want our product. We aren’t all there yet but isn’t that the goal–it’s not the Klout score, or to please an agent/editor or even to please other writers. If we end up self-publishing, we will have our own clientele and be able to sell our work. Other writer’s networks will help us if we gain their friendship–through our writing–our voice, and each one of us has a unique one.
I don’t want to sound like a teacher (although I am and can’t help it), because I have been feeling all the same feelings you all have, but I’ve been trying to keep my eye on the real goal and figure it out. It comes down to this for me: developing a blog that features my voice and my subject matter for my potential readers. The Wana friendships are a big bonus.
I think one of my biggest challenges in this is the fact that writing is really what I know most about, but they say not to blog about that. Outside of that, I am very divers: Iaido, horses, cats, kayaking, caving, gaming, Japanese, dancing…the list goes on and on. It’s hard to give one’s blog a focus when you like to do so many things fairly equally. Perhaps I’ll figure out a focus one day, or perhaps my focus will be on diversity.
I didn’t think you sounded to teachery (yeah, I know that isn’t a word).
Here there is wisdom.
I understand how this works for certain kinds of writing and self-promotion – Hyperbole and a Half is the perfect example because the content that drove the success of the blog is exactly the content that will be sold in the actual world. For non-fiction, I think it makes a similar sort of sense. I can see how it can only assist the selling of a sustained piece of fiction, in the sense that it can’t be a bad thing, but….but, but but. I like lots of journalists, enjoy their writing style, their slant on life etc. They’re more likely to get an agent if they decide to write a novel because they ‘have brand.’ But I am not all that likely to buy it, because a novel of 90k words is a bit different to a series of 600 word slots.
It’s a funny old world out there.
A very funny old world.
This kind of medium does work well for things like Hyperbole and a Half (which is a great example). I also think it is very valuable for non-fiction because it can show more about your knowledge in your subject. For fiction, not as much, though I do think it can serve a purpose when you are published (self, indie, or traditional) to connect with readers. Although, I rarely visit author blogs, even for my favorite authors. I just don’t have time. Perhaps a lot of other people do.
Thanks for visiting!
It seems that most “creative” jobs have this issue, where other factors contribute (sometimes greatly) to the creative person’s success, and talent isn’t always the heaviest weighted. Think actors, musicians, etc…
I guess the good thing about this turn with social media is you CAN be a talented nobody who builds a following you otherwise wouldn’t have had exposure to. With indie and self-pub’ing, you can get your work out there and grow that following even more.
Before social media, that awesome manuscript may have been doomed to a long life in your underwear drawer.
LOL. Nice point. I’ve got several of those doomed manuscripts laying around. Can’t bring myself to trash them even though I no longer count them in my list of novels in progress.
I think there are ways in which the talented self-promoter can really improve thier odds over those of us who just don’t really get into selling ourselves. That said, I do think good writing will always prevail in the long run, but having some way to draw attention to your writing (good or otherwise) doesn’t hurt if you can pull it off.
Agreed. Self promotion in the “BUY MY BOOK!” every 12 seconds sense makes me cringe. I’ve think I’ve found a balance that works for me – engaging with people, putting myself out there, then just letting things happen. I am sure if I was more aggressive in seeking out followers, etc, my numbers would be higher, but I am quite happy with where they are, and much happier that I’ve made real connections – connections who I know will be happy to promote my book one day.
Great post!
So many good comments have already been made on this most excellent post. I’d just like to add the idea I’ve been pondering lately and that is: Are these people who make up these so-called rules just trying to establish themselves as gate keepers once again? I think, as a pre-published novelist, I’m just trying to make connections with real people not with job titles (like “agent” or “publisher” or even “author”).
That is an interesting question.
I imagine it is hard to be an established agent or publisher right now, trying to figure out how to maintain your value and adapt to the new environment. I think some of them are trying to going about it in a backhanded way, forcing authors to “prove themselves” before they’ll take a chance on them, which will probably lead to more authors deciding they don’t need an agent or publisher.
Still, I was never fond of the term gate keeper. It makes them sound like some evil big brother entity when mostly they are just people trying to make a living and provide for their families like the rest of us. I think the ones who are open and adaptable will find ways to continue make themselves valuable to those who want their services.
Thanks for stopping by.
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I feel your pain!! And just because someone has tons of followers, does that mean ALL of those people are buying their books? No way. My guess would be a small % actually are. I am friends with tons of authors and I don’t buy any of their books. Oh, I do if it’s a genre I am interested in but I can’t possibly read them all. And a lot of what I see is the “You follow me, I’ll follow you” or “Like my page and I’ll like yours”. Doesn’t mean beans, honestly. Not like those people are flocking to B&N to buy your next book
I’m working on a post that hits very close to what you said here. I think the mutual support is great, but when you have writers supporting writers, you know they don’t have time to read everyone elses books. The support we give each other is awesome in an industry that can be very daunting, but we also need to reach readers, and that is an art unto itself.
Thanks for the visit!
No kidding right?? If you find the trick to get readers flocking to your blog, let me in on it
Will do.
Isn’t the WANA blogging philosophy also about bringing non-writers to your blog? That’s what I’m trying to do with mine. I don’t think it’s working out, though. Hmm, maybe it’s time to poll my blog readers?
I don’t underestimate the power of support and encouragement. I KNOW that many of the people who congratulated me on my short story collection going up on Amazon & B&N yesterday are not my ideal readers, but their well wishes mean a great deal to me.
I would love to do some brainstorming on how to reach *readers*. Perhaps on the Facebook group page?
I’d be game for some brainstorming. I know I’ve attracted a few people who aren’t Wana’s, but it is a challenge. That said, I do love my WANA peeps.
I pretty much have all WANA folks that reply to my blogs. Not that I’m complaining, but I have had maybe two non-WANA folks comment.
I was definitely not one of the popular ones in school. Way too goofy LOL. And it doesn’t help that I’m not really naturally a social butterfly. Since starting a blog and joining Twitter, something interesting is happened though. I’ve actually become a little more outgoing. I still don’t really care about being “popular” but I do enjoy the community. I’ve learned a lot and met a lot of incredible people. And I’m a lot less interested in traditional publishing that was for. Of course, I understand the value of a solid author platform. I just think the way to build it is to build community. That and having a good book (still working on that last part).
Me too. I have found that the more I network, the more comfortable I get with it. I also try to do some local in-person networking which is really great for pulling the butterfly out into the open.
Good luck in your writing and community building!
Nikki, this post is genius! I’ve been talking a lot about this same idea, and how nonsensical it is to me. I attended an SCBWI conference where the buzz word was ‘discoverability’. The publishing community is struggling with this concept, and thinks that authors can help them. My concern is that blogging and tweeting takes so much time away from my writing. How am I going to write that great book if I’m putting energy into my social platform?
*giggle* Not sure I’ve ever had something I wrote called genius before. Thanks!
Yes. I need a ghost writer to take care of my blogging so I can get my books written. I’m sure there is a balance somewhere.
Good luck!
Having the terrific story IS *the most important* thing! All the A-list authors had that first. There’s a lot of hype about social networking now because the industry doesn’t understand it yet. It’s important, just not as important as all the hype would lead you to believe (in my humble opinion). I’m sure that will settle down in time and the importance of a great story will come back into focus. Until then … I’m playing in the sandbox too.
I agree completely. For now, at least there is a lot of good company in the sandbox.
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