Author Sites/Blogs and Too Much Information

Honestly I think one of the reasons you might not have gotten any replies yet is it's really hard to say. All agents are different, as are publishers. Some people are wizards at self promotion and build up massive fan bases before even signing a book deal (sometimes that's why a book deal is offered). And so long as you aren't sharing the actual novel, there isn't necessarily a reason an agent should mind. So it's a tough call.

But these are my thoughts: If and when I sell said book to a publisher they are going to want to promote it. They will have a design team and maybe their designs will conflict with the illustrations on your blog. Maybe they will want to give a review blog an exclusive character interview. Maybe they will want to epublish short stories set in that world. The more you give away, the less a publisher can use to his/her advantage. It might also come across as you seeming very particular about every aspect of your work and therefore maybe difficult to work with. And in turn an agent might be concerned that you'd be a tough sell.

That being said, maybe not. Maybe they'd be thrilled that you have so much content for free available. Takes a load off their shoulders marketing wise. I could see that too.

I personally would not share such things online, at least not until I had made a decision what way I was going to go with the novel (trade publisher, epub, self publishing). Whatever I put out there I'd like it to be strategic and thought through.

But if you really feel the need to put such things online, if you feel you can't not do it. If waiting is not possible. If it's generally important to you to do it, then go for it. Just don't post the book itself, as you already know. But be careful. Make sure what you are posting is your best possible writing, make sure you've edited it and done a spell check. Treat it like you are publishing your work. Because if you do get the novel published and people come back and look at your website they will judge the soon to be novel on the writing samples you've posted. Be professional, take your time, and make careful decisions.

Hopefully this helps somewhat!

Magnificent Bastard said:

Logic tells that one shouldn't put actual novel excerpts online prior to the book being accepted (or published already), but how risky is it to put illustrations, character descriptions/interviews, stories set in the same world, or anything that gives away certain details about the novel itself? Could it happen that an agent, having received an amazing query and decided to check out the writer's online presence, realises there's too much info available online about the novel?

Click to expand...

Most publishers will want to hire their own illustrators, if your book is going to be illustrated. So don't get your own illustrations done: it won't work in your favour.

I'd advise against putting up too much about your novel too early, for all the reasons Toothpaste has already given; but also because if you promote a book which isn't available, your readers will first be frustrated, and will then move on. When your book is then published they will feel they must have already read it, because they've known so much about it for so long.

And to answer your original question: if you want to put agents off, put up lots of ranty blog posts in which you criticise the publishing business, complain about agents, say how impossible it is for new writers to get noticed, and argue that publishing only wants formulaic, dumbed-down books. That'll do it every time.

Be careful not to spend too much time waxing the cat instead of writing.

Good luck with the book, whatever process you use.

The title might well be changed, so don't use a domain name which is associated with your working title.

The name you call yourself? That's entirely up to you.

The intentions for your blog (to advertise or not) are kind of immaterial. You might not be using any of this material to advertise but maybe your publisher might have wanted to. Also I wasn't thinking illustrations in the book, but if the art you share goes against the aesthetic a publisher chooses that could be confusing. Honestly, I'm probably not the best person to talk to about this. I keep even the details of a novel that has actually landed a book deal quiet until a publisher has made an official announcement. I never talk about my works in progress because I know what it's like to have everyone go "Is it published yet??" when the work has been struggling on submission. I like keeping things private until it's officially time to make them public.

Again, do whatever you like (aside from posting excepts from the novel itself), but make sure you know why you are doing it. And if it's just because it's fun . . . well I'd think twice about whether the high you get sharing something you are proud of is worth frustrations later on.

I do know one now-commercially published author who removed character sketches from her blog, once she signed with an agent and went on submission.

I probably would not. I have character sketches on my blog. I make sure people know the sketches are not my publisher's sanctioned art. I have maps, vague discussions, and snippets of works-in-progress. It's all platform fodder, for me.

I do hold back if my publisher asks to avoid spoilers on as-yet-unpublished work.

If you plan to be a professional writer you need a web site. It's an important tool to communicate with your fans. At the very least it should have a list of your books and where readers can get them, a brief bio, and possibly a little bit about the backgrounds and people portrayed in the books. You should avoid, however, going into too much detail about the plots, to save yourself from accidentally or otherwise giving spoilers.

A published author with a track record can get away with talking about works soon to be on bookshelves, but even they should avoid talking about works in progress. You need your info to be timely, or else you will disappoint your fans. An unpublished author should avoid talking about their works, for your readers will soon become impatient at their inability to get anything. Forget about drumming up business before you have business to sell. That's an opium pipe dream that too many beginning writers fool themselves into believing.

You can, however, begin to establish yourself and build up your social network. Blog (briefly!) about a few topics interesting to you. Those will show up in your books even if you don't deliberately add them, and your likely fans will also be interested in those topics and your books.

On my site, for instance, almost every week I post something about new technical developments, especially in aerospace, and especially in military fields. I'm an expert on those areas having done classified and unclassified work in them for many years and like to ferret out interesting new developments.

I also post almost every week about interesting new developments in sci-fi/fantasy books and movies and TV shows. Occasionally I post about quirkier matters I've come across.

I always end the (short!) blog post with a colorful and fascinating visual, usually a book cover or photograph or a YouTube video.

An unpublished author is in a good position. You can make your mistakes before many people know you. Here's advice that comes from many experienced web site creators, not just from me.

• Start with a free site so you won't spend money on a trial effort.
• Start small.
• Take baby steps to improve and add to your site.
• Stay as small as you can. In other words, avoid a kitchen-sink approach, avoid clutter, avoid complicated search paths through your site. SIMPLE most often equals ELEGANT.

Finally, use WordPress.com. It's the most easy-to-use host platform with lots of options to customize to it to YOUR unique vision. There are other practical and technical reasons for this choice, too. Here is WP's propaganda about their advantages; I've found it to be truthful, not hype.

https://en.wordpress.com/features/