Using Social Media For Other Than Your Authorship

Pearl · Apr 18, 2013

I've always wondered if it is every OK to use your Twitter or Google+ to voice your opinion on any issue you care about. On one hand, why not? If it's SSM, healthcare or Margaret Thatcher, everyone has an opinion and if your social media account is all you have, where else can you express your thoughts?

However, it looks like it can hurt your branding. If you voice an opinion that is unpopular with some, could it hurt you as an author by alienating potential readers or fellow writers? Anne Rice has a Facebook where on a daily basis she talks about politics and religion, and her views have upset some of her readers.

I rarely use my social media account for anything other than my books and writing. Back on Election Night, I did use Twitter to watch the results come in. I found it easier to keep track on the news and converse with others. Nothing happened, except two people chose to unfollow me. Whether that was because of my political views, I don't know.

But I felt I crossed the line then, so I avoided tweeting anything that could cause controversy with some. However, I was very upset that the Senate didn't pass the gun control law and I voiced my dismay in one tweet. I got a few harsh reactions from non-followers, which may not be a problem. But obviously I shouldn't make such a comment again, even if I feel very strongly about something. I don't want to alienate or upset followers, and possible readers.

Am I right? Do you think there should be rules on what writers use social media for, especially when it comes to social and political issues? The whole "you're entitled to your opinion" doesn't go over with many, and it could hurt your brand. You're a writer selling your books, not campaigning or trying to change the world.

Maybe I'm just thinking out loud here, but this could be a good thing to discuss here. I tried searching for a thread that went over this, but didn't find anything so I started this.

Anyway, maybe I'm right or maybe it's not a big deal. But I just want others to know that it is not always a good idea to talk about an issue many feel strongly about - even if only occasionally.

ETA: I also think our blogs should be off limits too - unless your books have something to do with what's going on in the world.

Bookewyrme · Apr 18, 2013

I actually feel very strongly the opposite. I understand the urge to not alienate potential readers but...frankly...I think it's more alienating if an author only talks about their books/advertises/whatever. I'd rather follow people with opinions who I enjoy (even if I don't agree, I may still follow because I enjoy the way the opinions are presented) than someone with seemingly no opinions.
I definitely DON'T think any social-media/blog/whatever should be off-limits to an author's opinions. If we silence ourselves, how will readers get a feel for our voice and how we perceive the world so they can make a choice about whether that voice speaks to them. No author is going to get 100% of the readers out there, so I feel like it's fairly useless to stifle ourselves out of some misguided attempt never to alienate anybody, ever.

Some of the most popular tweeters and bloggers are those with loud opinions and creative views on life. Don't silence yourself.

Pearl · Apr 18, 2013

I agree, but I guess it's good to be cautious especially when you're building your brand. If you're a new author, like me, maybe you should tone it down. But Anne Rice could say whatever she wants because she's been around for a long time and is very popular.

But I do think authors shouldn't turn their social media accounts in long political or social rants. Meaning, don't overwhelm your marketing and branding with a sensitive subject. Make that come second to getting the word out about your book(s).

I guess when I tweeted my thoughts on gun control and got immediate responses, I was a bit shaken by the harsh tones. Not that I didn't expect I wouldn't ruffle feathers, but hey - that's what happens when you voice your opinion on an issue that matters a lot to so many. And since I'm annoyed with a lot of issues, I don't want to shoot my mouth off like a firecracker. So maybe I'm kind of steering myself in now.

So yeah, your priority is to sell your books - not your beliefs

LFisher · Apr 19, 2013

I don't have a FB for my writing (just a personal one) but I do have a twitter and a blog. Since I'm still unpublished, I'm quite sure no one would follow me if all I did was talk about "my upcoming book". I may have tweeted about my blog once, (and to be honest, I don't really tweet much anyway) the other tweets have just been random things. And on my blog, of course I talk about my book, but also other stuff. Of course I probably wouldn't go on a rant about politics or religion, but that's just me. (Some people might.)

People like people with personalities and interests, not people who post link after link to their amazon page

JoNightshade · Apr 19, 2013

I don't use social media to broadcast my political and social opinions from an author standpoint... mainly because I don't do it from a personal standpoint, either. My facebook page is for family and friends, not for writing, but I don't subject my facebook friends to my political opinions, either. (I do, however, subject them to constant photo evidence of the supreme cuteness of my spawn.)

If you know me, you can probably guess my views - if you can't, and you're interested, I expect you can ask. I really prefer to discuss my beliefs person-to-person, because so much context is lost in a little tweet or FB update. I'll occasionally comment on someone else's post, or I might share something if I think it's going unnoticed by the general population. (Half my relatives have no idea what Anonymous is.) But other people spewing their opinions online rarely, if ever, persuades me to take up their cause. So I avoid doing the same.

Exactly the same thing goes for my work as an author. If you read my books, you might be able to guess my views on some matters. Probably the ones most important to me. But my books are not themselves meant to be politically polarizing. They are meant to show how much we have in common in spite of perceived differences. So for me, using my 'authorial platform' to trundle out my politics would counteract the reason I write to begin with.

Which is not to say I think everyone should adhere to my own personal policies... if you are someone with very strong political leanings, it probably shows in your writing anyway. You may lose some folks by tweeting your spleen, but most people aren't going to be terribly surprised.

Sunflowerrei · Apr 19, 2013

Well, I'm unpublished, so nobody cares what I think. I have my blog and my twitter and my Facebook is personal. Of them, I'd say that my twitter is my most irreverent. I DO get up in arms about politics from time to time but it's in short bursts appropriate to Twitter. I don't tend to discuss those topics anyway, in real life or online.

Besides, beyond your book and the story and your own authorship, there are a lot of things that authors can discuss and give opinions on, on social media. If there weren't, then most of us wouldn't have blogs.

Polenth · Apr 19, 2013

I don't worry about random offense. What I consider is whether my thoughts will interest readers of my genres. So when I write about political issues, I relate it to writing fiction. For example, I write about equality issues in fiction. And my stories apply those things and have a diverse range of characters. None of this harms my brand. It creates it, because it makes it clear who I am and what I write.

As far as Twitter goes, I wouldn't unfollow people for a few comments during election time, but I have unfollowed people who flood my feed with the stuff. I don't need a list of voting stats.

It's not about what you think, but how you're presenting it. Have you related it to something your readers care about? Is it a fair reflection of your work? Is it an entertaining way of putting things or are you flooding people with random junk? Get it right and you'll increase your audience overall, because you'll show you're interesting and aware, and your fiction is likely to be too. You need to think more about getting it right for the readers you want to attract, not the ones who'll hate your work anyway.

slhuang · Apr 19, 2013

::shrug:: I like being opinionated on my blog. I'm a very opinionated person, so if I couldn't be opinionated when I'm blogging, it would be WAY too much work.

Also, the posts that have been linked around and had their hit counts go through the roof have been some of my rantiest or most political or potentially most controversial ones. Which encourages me to keep doing it.

I do understand the urge not to dilute branding. I have a professional Facebook for my "day job," and I never, ever, ever post anything political or opinionated on it. But my normal job has to do only with my skills, not me as a person, so I feel it would be unprofessional to share such things on my Facebook. On the other hand, when it comes to writing . . . I find it very hard to believe that anyone who would be actively turned off by the things I rant about (turned off, not just uninterested) would be interested in reading my books. It's not that I use my fiction as a soapbox or anything -- far far from it; I'm writing pulp adventure spec fic, basically -- but when people read/buy my writing, they're going to be reading/buying what's in my head. Honestly, I feel like if they object to what's in my head in a blogging venue, they're not going to be too happy reading the type of fiction I like to write, either.

And the people who do like my blog might be attracted to my fiction!

YMMV, of course. I think it's for each author to figure out. But I certainly don't think that social media that talks only about a person's books is a very good promotional tool, because then there's no reason for non-readers to seek the author out! So if you're not going to write opinionated political rants, then I would recommend writing how-to posts, or talking about observations on the world, or posting your photography, or reviewing movies, or anything else that might bring people in. Because otherwise, what's the social media platform for in the first place?

slhuang · Apr 19, 2013

PS -- I'm a gun nut and I wouldn't not read an author's books just because that person was in favor of gun control. That feels . . . very extreme to me.

Just for the record, reasons I would avoid an author's books are things like racism, sexism, homophobia, extreme rudeness to fans, or suuuuuuper judgmental religiosity (no problem with religion at all, just with people who rant that everyone else is going to hell). I'm not going to not read an author because we disagree on politics, as long as that author's not being dehumanizing.

Maybe I'm alone in being cool with disagreeing with people, but that kind of seems like the reasonable position, doesn't it?

But this isn't limited to what authors say in their blogs. If I read a review I trust about an author's book and that review finds disturbing levels of racism or sexism or homophobia in it, I'm unlikely to pick up anything at all by that author. Because liking a book is about more than whether the author's a skilled writer; it's about what that author chooses to put on the page, which is so often related to how s/he sees the world. So . . . I think for me I tend to think of the author's blog writing versus fiction writing as six of one, half a dozen of the other when it comes to reasons I might avoid* that author.

Okay, this postscript is getting long, so I'll stop now.

* I talk like this happens a lot -- there's really only a handful of authors I avoid for these reasons.

Pearl · Apr 20, 2013

Good points. Yeah, I always wondered about branding yourself as an author, and if political and social beliefs can play a role. Of course, if it is related to your book, then it works. But other issues had me cautious.

Maythe · Apr 20, 2013

I've been pondering these questions lately too. FB is friends and family only for me. Twitter used to be mostly connected to my gardening blog but that's changing lately. Partly because I've realised that I don't want to be a garden writer but would rather be a gardener and a writer. I'd previously been considering garden writing as a career option and taking a couple of steps toward that. So now I'm left with a gardening skewed twitter audience, a garden blog I'm not as excited about anymore and a writing blog that needs more life to it. I've been considering accepting that my garden blog posts will go down to about once a fortnight and then expand my writing blog - but what to put on it? That's the question.

calieber · Apr 20, 2013

Now I know why John Scalzi is starving in the streets.

Is it naïve to suggest my books would speak for themselves? I don't think my writing is as overtly political as I come off on social media (except when I write about politicians, I suppose; also, I drastically changed the tone of one project after I went to Zucotti Park). I make no secret of where my politics lie, but nor do I write propaganda. I suppose if you follow me on Twitter and say "gee, he's so left-wing, I can't possibly read his books" -- well, first, I don't know what kind of a mossback you are that I'm "so left-wing," but even aside from that, I think readers like that, from whatever part of the political spectrum, are doing themselves a disservice, and I don't think there are a whole lot of them.

veinglory · Apr 21, 2013

Basically you make a choice. Either option can go well or go badly, depending on the specifics.

jaheath · May 18, 2013

You have to put the social in social media. If your only concern is building a brand, then people will look at you exactly like that, just another brand of product. I want to put myself out there so that when someone does stumble across my work, I make it easier for them to relate to me.

If I am alienating someone by what I blog or tweet about, chances are they wouldn't have liked my work to begin with. I have no problem putting off a hundred casual readers to find one true fan. Once I let go of the idea that I wanted to appeal to the masses, everything started to flow for me.

Wendy Jenae · May 18, 2013

You have to put the social in social media. If your only concern is building a brand, then people will look at you exactly like that, just another brand of product.

I think "building a brand" goes beyond just promoting your books.

I very much think it's important to keep your professional social media presence separate from your personal one.

Your professional persona/brand can be genuine and candid, but within the boundaries of how you want people to perceive you.

As an an extreme example, say you write middle grade novels but you also have an admiration for porn actresses. Do you really want your readers, teachers, and parents to see you have a back and forth banter via Twitter with your favorite adult movie star? On the other hand, if you write erotica, your readers would find the exchange intriguing.

And what if, by chance, you were writing erotica, but one day became a born again Christian and decided to write Christian-related books? As they say, anything you put on the Internet is there forever. That past Twitter conversation with the porn star can easily come back to bite you in the butt.

While you don't have to totally hide who you are and what your thoughts and opinions are, I think, if you are serious about treating your writing as a business, you have to consciously choose what you put out there to create the perception you want people to have of you and you can do so in a way that doesn't come across as being contrived.

jaheath · May 18, 2013

Wendy Jenae said:
While you don't have to totally hide who you are and what your thoughts and opinions are, I think, if you are serious about treating your writing as a business, you have to consciously choose what you put out there to create the perception you want people to have of you and you can do so in a way that doesn't come across as being contrived.

An excellent point, Wendy Jenae. I found once I opened up more and began sharing more about my art and technique, I got more and more visitors to my various sites.

I use Twitter and FB to network with other artists and meet fans. Nothing stops you from having a fan page on FB and a private page for family.

Look at social media for what it is: Another access channel to connect with people who enjoy your work.

Pearl · May 22, 2013

Yeah, I've come to the conclusion that if you've written a book(s) supporting same-sex marriage or about climate change being a lie, I see nothing wrong with discussing it on your social media. But if one has nothing to do with the other, avoid it.

For elections, maybe avoid that so no one is alienated. If you support one party, someone who supports the other may be miffed to see your tweets or posts.

And if you change your views at some point in your life, I think the best way to handle your past comments is to simply own up and take responsibility for what you said. Make it clear in a blog post that you grew up or whatever and you no longer support what you did support. If anyone has an issue with what you once advocated, well that really is their problem. If they are going to judge you for something you truly regret and use it against you, I wouldn't aim to please them in anyway. Easier said than done I'm sure, but that really is the best answer.

slhuang · May 22, 2013

Pearl said:
For elections, maybe avoid that so no one is alienated. If you support one party, someone who supports the other may be miffed to see your tweets or posts.

In general, I'm not offended if someone supports one party or the other, and I don't mind if they blog/tweet/post about it. What *does* offend me is the tone of assumption some people take in their posts of, "anyone who supports the other party is evil and/or stupid." It's kind of like religion, to me: I'm not going to be offended someone is of a particular religion, even though that's de facto saying they think my thoughts on religion are wrong, since usually the two are mutually exclusive. What I *will* object to is someone sounding off against all people who believe what I believe and saying we're evil and/or stupid.

Pearl · May 22, 2013

slhuang said:
In general, I'm not offended if someone supports one party or the other, and I don't mind if they blog/tweet/post about it. What *does* offend me is the tone of assumption some people take in their posts of, "anyone who supports the other party is evil and/or stupid." It's kind of like religion, to me: I'm not going to be offended someone is of a particular religion, even though that's de facto saying they think my thoughts on religion are wrong, since usually the two are mutually exclusive. What I *will* object to is someone sounding off against all people who believe what I believe and saying we're evil and/or stupid.

I'm with you on that. I think the problem is the U.S. is so politically polarized, it is tough to not make biased comments or for anyone to see them as such. That's my impression *shrugs*

slhuang · May 22, 2013

Pearl said:
I'm with you on that. I think the problem is the U.S. is so politically polarized, it is tough to not make biased comments or for anyone to see them as such. That's my impression *shrugs*

You know . . . you could be right about that. Especially online, people do sometimes interpret things as offensively and aggressively as possible! ::mulls:: Maybe I won't blog about the next election after all.

Using Social Media For Other Than Your Authorship

Pearl

Bookewyrme

Imagined half of it.

Pearl

LFisher

JoNightshade

has finally arrived

Sunflowerrei

Polenth

Mushroom

slhuang

Inappropriately math-oriented.

slhuang

Inappropriately math-oriented.

Pearl

Maythe

calieber

Couth barbarian

veinglory

volitare nequeo

jaheath

Wendy Jenae

Autonomous & Nocturnal

jaheath

Pearl

slhuang

Inappropriately math-oriented.

Pearl

slhuang

Inappropriately math-oriented.