Ellen Meeropol, Scott Sparling and Nichole Bernier tackle a tough issue this month: how not to lose your mind. Well, it goes a little deeper than that. Specifically, Lise Saffran, author of JUNO' DAUGHTERS, asks Ellen, Scott and Nichole for advice on how to use social media while writing a second novel--two tasks that prove to be battling forces. See what they say below!
- Have a burning question about making the move to professional author, how to handle a tricky plot element, or navigating the publishing world? Send in your question to askanewauthor@bookdivas.com for Ellen, Scott and Nichole to share their advice.
- Free Book Alert! We will be giving away TWO copies of Ellen's novel HOUSE ARREST for the best questions we receive!
Now onto our question of the month!
Dear New Authors,
My question: social media, besides being fun, seems non-negotiable for new authors. Yet it demands of you the opposite kind of attention (scattered, multi-taking etc.) that writing your second book does--which is what one should begin doing the minute the first book is sold. How do you do both and not lose your mind?
Thanks,
Lise Saffran
author of JUNO'S DAUGHTERS
Ellen: Boy, Lise, do I wish I had a good answer for that question! My novel came out almost three months ago, and I’ve been doing full-time, non-stop book promotion: bookstore events and house parties, social media and blogging, writing conferences and book festivals. I’ve been able to steal a few afternoons for my writing, but pathetically few. In some ways I guess I’m lucky. It took me so long to sell my first book that the second one is already done and with my agent, and I’m working (well, I wish I were working) on the third.
Balancing book promotion with writing is a terrible but happy state of affairs. How to accomplish both is a conversation I’ve had frequently with author friends. These two suggestions make sense to me:
- Separate the two activities, giving the “best” hours of the day (whatever they are for you) to the writing. Schedule a couple of hours a day for the promotion activities. If necessary, turn off the email program and internet, or write in a different part of the house from where you do the promotion.
- When a book comes out, give yourself six months for full-time, non-stop book promotion activities and enjoy the contact with readers, guilt-free. I’m working on that last part.
Scott: My Second Life avatar, SirWriterly, has that exact same problem. He’s so busy giving virtual readings that he barely has time to …okay, I don’t really have a Second Life avatar. Yet. (Does Second Life still exist?? I’m sure it must.) I’m actually a little skeptical about social media, though I invest a good share of energy into it: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogging. It’s all an act of faith. And though I’m not sure it’s essential, it might be -- and that’s good enough. Plus it is fun and wonderfully distracting. I think Ellen’s suggestions make a lot of sense. For me, it’s easier to stick to a schedule for the social media activities and book promotion work. I can also hold to a schedule for rewriting fairly well. But I have a tough time scheduling first-draft writing. Dealing with blank paper requires a certain collaboration between me and the world that I can’t always force. So, like Ellen, I’ve given myself some time off from working on my new project while I deal with book promotion. That doesn’t mean the new book isn’t brewing: a few weeks ago, I was eating breakfast in Austin, Texas and I heard someone say the name “Laura “ very loudly. I’m pretty sure that was the world telling me the name of a character in my next book. I wrote that name in my notebook and felt like I’d accomplished a lot, just by staying open to what the world has to offer.
The one thing I’d add about social media is to start early. Some of the best connections I made came before my book was accepted. I wasn’t selling or promoting anything then, and in some ways that’s an easier and more authentic place to start from. The Internet is full of people promoting something; it can be really refreshing when you’re truly just there to connect.
Nichole: I thoroughly agree with both of you: The best writing hours—clear-thinking, productive—should be spent unplugged; and your social-media identity should be well established before your book comes out.
Lise, you asked how to juggle social media work without losing your mind. I think I’ve never found social media to be a drudgery, because it’s been like the best of networking I am less able to do as a mom of young kids—it’s my water cooler, conferences and cocktail parties rolled into one. In a way it’s helped me keep my sanity, because it makes me feel like a participant in my profession without leaving home.
Two things I’d recommend to keep it fun, and the time-drain under control.
First, find times of day that work best for you—snippets of time you already spend reading email or articles online—because this is really an extension of both: socializing and education. If you like to be on twitter during your morning coffee, you’ll form relationships with others who are on at the same time. And you don’t necessarily have to be online to be participating. I belong to a literary blog that shares publishing industry news via twitter feed (@BTMargins), and I schedule those newsy tweets and blogpost promotions to run intermittently through the day, using Tweetdeck or Hootsuite.
Second, do what you enjoy, not what you feel you “should” do. If a daily blog is drudgery, that’ll come through, and who wants to read that? Ditto if you’re only tweeting cursory updates about yourself. Go with what makes your personality and sense of humor shine, and it’ll be far more rewarding and productive for the time you put into it.
