Does a presence in social media give a writer a better chance with an agent or editor? I’ve wondered about this, but never seen a satisfactory answer, so I decided to do an informal poll on the subject. I emailed a few editors and agents and asked them: When you see a query or proposal and recognize the name from seeing it on a blog post, blog comment, Twitter, FaceBook, or some other social media site, does it give the person any advantage?
Here’s what they said, starting with responses from the agents.
One agent put it very succinctly: “Yes. Name recognition means a lot in today’s distracted marketplace of ideas.”
Another was even briefer: “Sure, it does.”
A third agent went into a bit more detail: “Yes … Sometimes a person becomes so familiar to me from Twitter and blog comments that I feel like I know them, even though I don't. So it can lead to my giving the submission a bit more attention, perhaps sooner, or perhaps considering more carefully… But I often have to say no, even to those with whom I've become familiar. “
The fourth agent I asked said, “Recognizing a name because of comments on our blog is a big plus. Because it conveys more than name recognition; I've gotten to know the person a little, and I realize that individual has been reading our blog and knows who we are.
“Other social media doesn't carry as much weight, but it does help. I realize you're involved in the social media community.”
Editors also said they paid attention in this area. Here’s one response: “If I… see a proposal from someone I recognize—no matter where I know the name from—it does color my interpretation of that proposal. If I know the person but he/she’s a jerk, I’m negatively predisposed, and vice versa.”
Another editor puts it this way: “Yes, but not because I’m showing any favoritism. It’s because if I’ve gotten to know the person better as a result of FB (I’m not on Twitter or LinkedIn), I better understand who they are and what their goals are. Plus—and it’s a big plus—when I see them post on FB about writing, I know they’re serious about their career. That’s especially true when they post something about writing that intrigues me. When I do a “like” to someone’s FB post, I usually remember the name of the person—especially when it happens more than once.”
Lest all the writers out there immediately “friend” every editor on Facebook, take note of this response: “I have 1000 FB friends now, most of whom I don’t know and after I’ve had them for awhile, if I’ve not interacted with them in some way, I ‘hide’ them. I have to order to keep up with the ones I DO interact with.”
And the responses weren’t unanimous. One editor voiced a different view: “Not really. I’m very selective in the blogs I read, and I don’t follow any authors on Twitter or Facebook.”
Another editor gave advice on the question of including your social media experience in your proposal. “I think you should include any and all information that is pertinent to your book or you as an author and that will help you sell your book. If you have a Facebook page with 10 friends and a blog that gets 3 unique viewers a month, I would leave it out entirely. But if you have 7,000 Twitter followers, by all means include that—and your Twitter name so the publisher/agent can verify your claims.”
What’s the take-home message for writers from all this? Unfortunately, it gets back to that hated word: platform. Make sure that one plank of that platform includes such social media as Twitter and Facebook. And, if you’ve got a good following there, it might not hurt to include that in your query.
One more comment about social media. If you want to add to your fan base, include your Facebook and Twitter contact information in your signature line. You might just pick up an extra reader or two that way.
That’s my two cents worth. Now you can give me yours.
Note to writers in the Austin/Round Rock, TX area: I'll be speaking to the Centex chapter of ACFW this Saturday, 9:30 AM, on Medical Details In Your Fiction. Hope to see you there.
Note to writers in the Austin/Round Rock, TX area: I'll be speaking to the Centex chapter of ACFW this Saturday, 9:30 AM, on Medical Details In Your Fiction. Hope to see you there.
15 comments:
Interesting post. It raises a question I've entertained before without coming to any conclusions. Does it really help book sales to have a thousand FB friends, or 7,000 Twitter friends? From what I can tell, most people use filters on their social media accounts and only "listen" to people they really know. Personally, I won't follow anyone I don't know on Twitter who has more than 2,000 friends. So to me it is still up in the air whether having thousands of followers on Twitter or FB has any quantifiable results. However, I think there are obvious benefits to having a strong online presence--it just may not correlate with number of followers.
Thank you. I suspected as much, but never thought to take a survey. Good for you!
Jen
Thank you for this post.
It's always good to know what the agents and editors are thinking on the subject of social media.
Thanks to Rosslyn, Jeanette and Loree for commenting. The impetus for this informal survey was a question I directed to my own agent, whose response made me wonder if other agents and editors felt the same. Apparently, they do--or at least, most of them. (Don't you wish you knew which editor answered that they don't pay much attention to social media).
And to the editors and agents whose responses made this possible, thanks again. Feel free to comment if you want to shed your cloak of anonymity.
My agent and editor keeps telling me to build my social media presence and I've been working hard at that the last few months now that I'm about to deliver my second novel. It's just part of the job description of an author these days.
Great post, Dr. Mabry. Interesting responses..I knew blogs were important; I didn't know FB and Twitter were so much so! Luckily, I have all three. I'll have to make sure I'm keeping active...plus, it's a fun use of my time!
God bless and take care.
Thanks, David and Gwen, for stopping by and commenting. That platform thing just won't go away, will it? As David said, it's part of our job description now.
Very interesting. I wondered if working through all the different social media is worth the time, but this solidifies it.
I've been wondering about this very issue. I've spent many hours working up a social media platform and have been pleased with the responses after only a month. It helps to have reason to hope that the work might be a benefit at some point.
In the meantime, I'm having fun "meeting" all sorts of folks!
Thanks so much for gathering this information. It really helps when deciding how best to use my time.
By the way, my husband absolutely loved your first book, and is nagging me to get the rest!
~Debbie
Thanks, Marji. Glad your social media experience has been fun.
Debbie, I gathered this information after I asked the same question of my agent, who told me she really didn't know. Now we have a better idea. Oh, and listen to your husband when he asks for the other books in the series--I think that's Biblical. : )
Very interesting subject, especially for a new writer who desires one day to be published. After only 1 month on Twitter and my blogspot i am pleasantly pleased with the process of self-marketing, for that's really what we're talking about. I have several e-authors and i will shortly be one also and fully intend to use every web tool at my disposal to get my story out, so to speak. One thing though, a note of cynisism, all of the agents who will not follow me back at present will not be allowed to when I have several books in the best seller lists. Well...we'll see. GS
Thanks so much for gathering this information. It really helps when deciding how best to use my time.
By the way, my husband absolutely loved your first book, and is nagging me to get the rest!
~Debbie
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