In my opinion, there’s a lot of work involved with being a self-published author in addition to what it takes to write a novel. We don’t usually have a “machine” behind us; a group of individuals working for and with us to help us to become a success. A self-published author might need to outsource an editor, cover designer, and publicist – or he/she has to become all of those things.
This is where networking comes in handy. After all, why should a self-published author be unable to benefit from any of those things simply because a different path was chosen or is not yet made available? If one is lacking the time or ability to do anything but craft an excellent novel, it’s good to be part of a support system to give you that boost.
Admittedly, Twitter is still something new for me and I’m working my way around and adjusting to how it works. I’m not a social butterfly. I’m not even a social caterpillar, but Twitter has proven to be an immersive and responsive marketing and educational tool that I learn something new about every day.
I recently had the pleasure of becoming part of the writing community on Twitter, and it has been amazing. Interacting with other writers, being invited to submit material to other blogs and writing forums, and discovering the amazing talent around me is an invaluable experience that all began with a single Tweet.
The writing community on Twitter includes people that routinely reach out to others to help boost those of us who may not be as well-known or have much of a following. My personal journey started with one Tweet asking writers with less than 1,000 followers to like and re-Tweet the post so that other writers could follow them and be followed back. I did so, and that turned into a firestorm that took me from roughly 150 followers to nearly 800 within a couple of weeks. Of course, there were those that took advantage and boosted their own numbers by allowing people to follow them; only to either unfollow them later or not bother following back at all, but the benefits have far outweighed the less-savory aspects.
I now have access to additional resources that can assist with cover design, editing, and marketing. I’d still like to do as much of it as I can personally, to maintain creative control, and – let’s face it – to save money. But, let’s be realistic as well, there’s only so much some of us can do. We sometimes need to seek the talents of others, and the writing community has made that much easier.
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter! I’m also in the process of building a presence on Instagram and Pinterest, and I’ll be sure to post the links when I do.
