Want To Publish A Novel? Better Toughen Up
I feel naked. Naked and vulnerable. For all of you planning on publishing a novel, may I suggest a new suit of thick skin?
Exposed
I once boasted being un-Googleable, save a few work-related Internet entries. Well, sayonara anonymity.
This online-visibility angst isn’t new; it’s troubled me since my blog’s inception. Within a short time, a search for ‘Carrie Rubin’ netted more than my professional, white-coated countenance.
But I adapted. I understood the permanent nature of everything I scribbled online and tried to conduct myself accordingly. Sure, there were nights I’d awake in a panic—Good God, what have I done?—but most days I managed to breathe.
And then my book came out.
Now I’m putting my business in everybody else’s business. Not just blogs and Twitter but forums and review sites and book sites and any other place where one sells her soul to the devil.
Vulnerable
Of course, this increased visibility is the whole point of marketing. “No s**t Sherlock,” you say. But like an autopsy incision, it leaves one wide open. Gaping, really. The next thing you know, there are emails in your inbox from people you’ve never met—online or in person. Good comments for the most part, but a few back-handed compliments as well. One person enjoyed my novel but suggested some bits weren’t realistic. Ah, very true, very true. But this is the land of fiction, a land where vampires and zombies and good-hearted serial killers exist. If one can’t invoke creative license in this made-up terrain, then writers, put down your pens.
On the other hand, this individual read my book based on a writing group member’s recommendation. Well, that’s pretty cool, is it not? Perhaps this word-of-mouth sparked the book’s recent good standing on Amazon in a particular country. Imagine my surprise last week when The Seneca Scourge ranked #30 in medical thrillers across the Atlantic. My flu tale has since tumbled, but I enjoy these waves when they come.
What’s Next?
So, yes, I’m naked. But that nudity is what gets one noticed. What’s the latest addition to my striptease? Facebook. Oh, yes I did. I finally joined the time-suck. I still sport an ample dunce hat, thus shortchanging my friends in this relationship, but everything takes time. (By the way, a special thanks to JM McDowell for helping me navigate a few steps and to Le Clown for offering help if I need it.)
Although it’s a work in progress, I’d love you to come ‘like’ and subscribe to my page. Or lick it or scrub it or whatever the heck one does. I hope to offer something different from my blog and Twitter. Perhaps a daily short post of a health or parenting or writing tidbit with a useful link to support it. Maybe this is not Facebook’s purpose, but anything more personal just isn’t going to happen.
This woman is naked enough.
Please click here for my public Facebook page. (And check my recent status update for a contest! Hint: my paperback is out.)
Are you on Facebook? Got any much-needed tips or words of wisdom to share with me? Can you persuade me it will be worth my time? Cause so far I’m not convinced…
All images from Microsoft Clip Art
217 Responses to “Want To Publish A Novel? Better Toughen Up”
Though I haven’t published my novel yet, many of my friends are successful writers – and you’re right. People will come out of the woodwork and say the kindest and the most hurtful things. One of my friends writes suspense and receives emails from time to time “correcting” her. Surprise…they’re often wrong, but there are always people out there who want to one up you. If you won one award, they’ve won three. If you lost 20 pounds, they lost 40. If you downed four martinis in an hour, they downed an entire bottle of Svetka, a jar of olives and ate all the glass to boot.
I, for one, am looking forward to checking out your book. If your blog is any indicator, I predict your novel is brilliant!
Well, thank you, but warning: my blog offers humor; my book offers death and disease. But, you know, semantics.
And yes, the One-Upper. Don’t we all know those folks? You summed the behavior up perfectly. I know they don’t mean anything–probably just seeking a little attention–but it does get a little old.
Death and disease? Well, that’s right up my alley! Much scarier than zombies because pandemics HAPPEN! Believe it or not, I actually survived one back in 1969 (Hong Kong Flu pandemic), so that stuff scares the beejeezus out of me. I may have to go to sleep with the lights on. Okay, my book light maybe…
Hey, I’m not that big of a sissy!
Pandemics are scary. And I’m sorry, but my virus is not at all kind…
If it was kind, it would be an incredibly boring book. Here’s a flu. Oh, there’s a cure. Everyone got better and no one died. Yawn.
See? Where were you when I was responding to this guy’s email who said my story wasn’t very realistic? That’s just the answer I needed. (Then again, I was thrilled someone I didn’t know actually read my book and thought enough to contact me. For that I am forever grateful.)
Well, you know me now. I’m not sure if you want me to give you advice on things to say to your readers, though. You might lose them. That said, I just hit 1800 followers on my blog and I have no idea why. I’m not fishing for compliments, either. I thought my first few blogs would offend anyone who read them, but they just kept coming back. Now, I take the “South Park” and “Family Guy” approach – offend everyone and no one gets upset. Unless that person is just a douchebag. There’s little you can do about a jackhole.
People do flock to that kind of snark. I have to rein in my snark since I blog under my real name. Then again, I’ve always been a conflict avoider. I’m annoying that way.
You know, I blogged under my real name for ages. Didn’t seem to make any difference at all. Snark away, girl! Get your snark on!
Carrie, you are so very brave. I genuflect in your direction.
I started t set up a Facebook account, took a better look, and ran away screaming. Did you know they want PICTURES?
So funny to see this comment now, because I’m just working on my Thursday post about my FB experience thus far, and the difficulty I have between the personal and the public aspects. Stay tuned. We’ll see how much longer I last…
Welcome to FB. Now we have yet another place to connect!
Thanks, Lisa! I saw your friend request. I’m actually not doing too much with my personal account–just some family members and such. Most of my activity and interactions will be on my public page at http://www.facebook.com/carrierubinauthor. Would love to connect with you there. Do you have a public page I can ‘like’ and subscribe to?
No, I don’t have a separate page — my personal page is the same as my public page.
Okay, thanks. At least I was still able to subscribe to it.
2 things — did you see the lana wachowski video that i posted? particularly the points she makes about losing their anonymity once the matrix came out? she makes such good points on the price one pays to put their creative work out to the masses… second thing — what sometimes poses as criticism is often thinly veiled envy. not always, but often. keep that in mind when some ‘back hands’ you. a lot of it can be rooted in jealousy. much love, sm
I did see that post of yours, and although my book has only been seen by a few eyes, it’s still a weird feeling. And I appreciate what you’re saying about the ‘thinly veiled envy.’ I’ll keep that in mind, at the very least to make myself feel better. Thank you!
i think it’s true A LOT of the time. far more often then you think. he’s in a book group…chances are he’s a writer…writers want to get published… and so the green deepens… maybe no, but also…maybe so. xo
I chose to focus less on his words and more on the fact that he read my book on a recommendation from someone else. It’s all about the spin, right? And I thought that was pretty cool.
Carrie, I’m late but I sympathise. I don’t think there is anything more demotivating than touting around for likes on a FB page. It stinks. I feel sure, however, that you will very soon be burgeoning with the things. Off to Like you right now.
Thank you! And I’ll go scout out your FB page as well. After nearly a week of using FB, I’m happy to say it really hasn’t taken too much of my time. I’m not thrilled, however, with the unwanted political bits that have entered my news feed uninvited…
You made your post interesting enough on Stan Mitchell’s Post about the reader thing I figured I would come and take a look. Like your style for this post, broken into sections. Will visit your fb later when I get some time, off to work. So you write stories in the medical field? I might be able to refer 1 person your way. Happy Sunday and if you are in ET TN, stay dry! Dave
Thanks for stopping by to check things out. I appreciate it. I’m not in TN, but there’s still plenty of rain where I’m at.
I am so impressed by you, Carrie! You did something I don’t think I would have the courage to do – write a novel and promote it. You are a brilliant writer, and I am pleased to have met you in the blogging world. I will be catching you on FB!
Thank you! That’s nice of you to say. But I have no doubt you’d have the courage to do the same. You teach high school kids, after all. Nothing takes more courage than that.
A very nice post! I’m nowhere near as famous as you, but I can understand the strange feelings one gets from putting themselves out on the web. PS – I’ve had a Facbook account for years, but I never check it on a regular basis and hardly every post anything there. I keep saying I should get on the bandwagon… Good luck with your fame and marketing and general stuff along those lines! PPS – very cool about the writing group! PPPS – I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book! (That’s a lot of exclamation points…)
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it. As for the fame part, I’m about as famous as the dust bunny under my bed. Which is fine, but sadly, my Internet anonymity is no more. Then again, the number of people searching for my name is probably in the single digits, so I likely don’t have much to worry about.
You are SO funny. I love the dust bunny under my bed comment. I’ll be following you as you continue to journey exposed to the world.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words, and I appreciate your visit.
You are really breaking out of your comfort zone! Good luck on Facebook. I rarely ever sign on these days; I guess the thrill is gone. But from a social media standpoint, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Continued success to you Carrie!
Thank you. And yes, we gotta do what we gotta do. Too bad it doesn’t always mesh with what we want to do.
Welcome to the nudist colony. It is unnerving, isn’t it?
That it is. Not a fan of wearing the birthday suit in public.
I joined Facebook a couple of years ago after avoiding it for many more. A new work friend of mine had clued herself into my awkward fascination with the morbid, and her ferret had just swallowed a rubber tube and received surgery to have it removed. “Do you want to see ferret stitches?” she asked. “Heck, yes!” I replied, loving both pictures of ferrets and stitches. The rest is history.
I frequently find it terrifying; sometimes I just want to quit. I’ve reconnected with people I care about, but it can also be a massive time suck from writing and life, so I had to install a program to lock myself off the internet on occasion. Recent privacy concerns mean my page is locked down as tightly as I can make it, and that I try to avoid “liking” things or joining a bunch of apps that might leak information. I don’t post anything I can’t handle the rest of the world knowing. I don’t post my birthday or city or where I was born, because all of that is information that could be used for less than benevolent purposes. Don’t click on any link that seems out of character for a friend or has been sent to everyone; it’s likely a virus or bug. Maybe I sound paranoid, but as you’ve found, once the information is out there, it’s hard to impossible to take it back.
I mostly remain on Facebook because of people I care about and writing groups, and to support authors I’ve “met” on the web, but I spend far less time interacting than I used to. Now, off to boost your Facebook popularity quotient. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with just posting links to useful advice, interesting things, or book updates; that’s what most author’s pages do. I find it useful.
You sound just like me (well, except for the ferret part…)
I don’t list my birthday, hometown, school, or other personal information, and so far my personal account is mostly just family. I’m very paranoid and private, but I agree, that’s kind of the way one needs to be. I haven’t even explored apps yet, and don’t really understand their purpose. I am enjoying the interaction, and so far it hasn’t been too time consuming (other than initially trying to learn about it).
Thank you so much for stopping by and for the insights. I can use any help I get.
You have been liked and commented on on FB. No licking. But I do appreciate the offer.
I linked my blog to FB and Twitter–it helped me gain a few followers. BTW, I think you are doing a terrific job marketing. You built a huge following on your blog by being you and you mention your book but never ever in a hard sell. You made me want to know more about it and buy a copy. 
Thanks, Kourtney. I appreciate hearing that. And thanks for the support–with the book, my blog, and now Facebook. Do you have a FB page I can go ‘like’ or do you only have a personal account?
By the way, I just dropped copies of my paperback off at my local bookstore. I tried to pretend I knew what I was doing, but I don’t think I fooled anyone.
I just have a personal account.
I thought about getting the author page, but I figured I’d wait until I have a book.
OMG, that sounds so thrilling. But I’d have been so nervous I’d have stumbled through and likely taken down a few display tables.
I’m sending my husband there today to take a picture of my books on display. He’s better at looking like a dork than me. Well, okay, maybe not, but I’m too embarrassed to do it myself.
Facebook has not been my friend. Maybe if I spent as much time there as I do on my blog it might help. … But then when would I write? So dern happy for your success so far. Remember… No matter what … You Rock!
Aw, thank you. And we’ll see where Facebook gets me. So far, it’s more interaction with people on my blog, which I can do right here. But there are a few new faces to interact with, so we’ll see. And now that I’ve settled in, it’s not taking too much time from my day.
I have met people who said they follow me on Facebook or Goodreads… it’s only becaue my blog auto feeds them both.
I try scanning through all the comments, so I don’t sound redundant, but there are toooo many! (which is great, of course) I’m enjoying the book – it is awesome! I like that you are sharing all of your thoughts on the publishing process – seems scary AND exciting to me!
Don’t worry–the reading of other comments is never expected. Interestingly enough, they’re rarely redundant.
Glad you’re enjoying the book. Wonderful to hear. Thank you!
Your journey continues to enlighten you about marketing … especially electronically. Now about those in-person ways.
… I couldn’t resist. Keep up the good work. 
Thanks, and now that the paperback is out, the face-to-face angst starts. I’m actually dropping off copies to my local bookstore today. I’ll pretend I know what I’m doing…
And if you get a book signing gig, look at the person and smile … then small talk is fine!
Yes I have some set up. Small talk it is. An introvert’s nightmare.
I imagine so … but look at them and smile … well, and be genuine, thus not a fake.
Oh … an idea … think of some go-to generic questions … such as, What type of books do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors? … in other words, questions to get them talking, not you.
That is really good advice. I was thinking of ways I’d answer their questions, but that would allow me to turn the tables. A sincere thank you for the suggestion. Really.
My pleasure.
Ugh, yeah, I know what you mean about the lack of anonymity thing – I subscribed to WordPress and it asked of course for my email, which is my first and last name – it clearly states your address will never be published; However another blogger told me that it popped up when I commented on their blog, which WP never informs you about. Sayonara anonymity indeed. If you feel bad about your reviews ever I suggest visiting the reviews for Twilight and seeing some of the funnier lambastings, they make for amusing reading but also evidence of how caught up people can get in novels.
Yes, some people really invest their lives in “Twilight.” I bet those reviews are pretty enlightening.
Luckily, I haven’t received any bad reviews yet, but I know it’s only a matter of time. Must buck up for it.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Pleasure. And I keep a pitchfork handy in case you need to round up a posse of hater haters
Somehow that doesn’t surprise me…
Hahaha… I’m pretty handy with it, too.
Good job! Writing the book is tough enough, why does the aftermath have to be such a challenge too. Trying not think of that part; just trying to finish the novel! Thanks for navigating for us
It’s funny how little thought we give to the aftermath. Then again, if we worried about the potential for vulnerability and defeat, we’d probably never create.
Thanks for the comment!
If it’s any consolation, Carrie, I love being naked, especially when writing – so you’re not alone! We are kindred spirits – sans clothing and jewelry. Just make sure fingers don’t wander off the keyboard.
Well, at least one of us enjoys it.
But alas, I would prefer being bundled up from head to toe, every inch of me concealed.
It’s great that you’re conquering any and all fears and continuing that striptease! I feel naked enough just with the blog. Before that, I just did the personal FB thing and hopefully the world can’t see those scary college pictures that tend to pop up there. I think you’ll get a different audience with FB so it can only help. I’ll make sure to go and like!
Thank you! I’m not doing much with my personal account–mostly just family–but the public page is a nice option to keep subscribers updated with what’s going on. Be sure and give me the link to your public FB page if you have one so I can go ‘like’ it.
Haven’t done one of those yet. Maybe someday when/if my books get published. For now you’ll have to lead the way on that striptease!
Okay, but I promise it won’t be pretty…
Congratulations on your book and good luck with Facebook. I think like anything it just takes a while to get used to, but it can be a wonderful way to promote yourself (and your book) my advice would be have fun with it but don’t let it become a time sink.
Thank you, and I appreciate you stopping by. I just checked out your blog–great content by the way–and now I’m headed over to your Facebook page. That’s the one nice thing about joining Facebook: I’m a little more in the loop now and can go visit other people’s pages.
Congrats on your paperback being out! Yay!! I can’t wait to read it. I’d like to connect on Facebook. But a forewarning, I don’t use it much and it’s probably kind of outdated. I need to improve that. Much luck in this new frontier. I imagine you would feel exposed. Hopefully, it will pass.
Let’s hope! I’m not really using my personal FB account to much, but if you have a public page I can ‘like’ and subscribe to, let me know.
Thanks, Carrie. I’ll let you know. So, you’re not using your personal FB?
Not really–mostly just for family. Most everything I post will go on my public page. Just too private of a person to reveal much more than that.
Well, that’s a good idea! I don’t blame you for wanting to hold on to your privacy. Maybe I’ll create a Bumble Files Facebook, but I’m not sure what would be the point of that. Hmm…on the other hand, if you’re a writer with a book it makes sense to me.
Well, it’s nice for people who want to follow someone publicly. For example, I’ll post various snippets of (hopefully) useful things. And it’s also a way to communicate with others outside of my own personal circle.
Just liked you.
I need to get better with FB. I think part of the problem is that a lot of people dump ridiculous info into their posts, such as the fact they’re drinking coffee or had a wild night, etc. So, I strayed away from it because I was reading nonsense.
However, it is useful for quick updates that you want a lot of people to see, and when you don’t necessarily want/need to engage in conversations. I guess Twitter is like that, too. But that’s another one I can’t get into the habit of using either.
And I think because you have a published book, you will get a lot of use out of it. Have fun.
Thank you. I hope it will be worthwhile. I’m not really planning on using my personal account much (which is why I sent you the message that it might be better to subscribe to my public page rather than ‘friend’ me).
We’ll see how it goes. Thanks for the ‘like.’ Do you have a public page I can like and subscribe to?
Oh! When I clicked the link you provided on your post, it brought me to my own FB page, which I thought was weird. But you showed up in my news feed for some reason, so I clicked on you, then I thought I was ‘liking’ your author page.
Very strange. Okay. Yes, I will fix all that…right now I have to go do kid stuff, but I’ll make amends tonight…
That’s weird. I suspect it’s going to take me a while to figure all this out. But do let me know your page link, so I can like it. Or maybe it’s on your blog. I’ll go check.
Found you page. Liked and subscribed.
See. You’re getting the hang of it already. Thanks for the like and subscription. I think I found your corrrect page, too.
Now we’re rockin-n-rollin.
We’re too cool for school.
Yeah, I did the Facebook page thing, too – just popped by to Like yours. FB is nice for keeping in touch with my personal connections, but I’m still on the fence about its usefulness as a promotional tool. Guess we’ll both find out.
That whole naked-on-Google thing? There are so many pages of entries on me by now, I doubt if anybody would bother sifting through it all to find anything potentially embarrassing/incriminating. And what the heck, it’s not like I had a lot of dignity to start with…
Well, I don’t think I’ve done anything undignified, but it’s still weird seeing my name out there. But then again, I highly doubt anyone would find me interesting enough to search for unless they were trying to find my book, so I think I’m okay.
Thanks for the FB ‘like.’ I stopped by yours as well.
It will be okay Carrie, really I promise. But this is why I don’t blog under my real life name. Some day there will be face recognition software used widely and then I will rethink my strategy but for now, well I just will use my pen name (which is actually very close to my real) and be happy with the results.
I debated using a pen name for my book, but I figured it would be hard enough for people to find me–why make it harder? And thus, I must blog under my real identity. If I were still practicing professionally, that would be difficult–in fact, I was still working in clinic last spring when my blog was up, and that was awkward for me. But now I’m taking time off from my ‘other’ world to focus on the writing, and that weight has been removed. Still wish I could hide, though.
I debated as well. My decision mostly came down to two issues;
1. I knew I would be talking about some things that were sensitive and some of the people who would land on my pages were still alive. While I don’t owe them my protection, I owe me some privacy from their spite.
2. I live in the very very Red state of Tejas and I am a private contractor working in a sometimes very vicious industry. I owe me the ability to earn a living.
I don’t blame you a bit. I would use a pen name if I were in your shoes as well.
sounds like you are going through the process of your book being out pretty darn good. i’ll be contacting you soon as to the paperback. now this doesn’t pertain to your book. i went to a reading in warren pa and it was a mix of poets and novelists. personally i have a short attention span, but i think when it comes to reading a chapter or chapter and a half i think it’s gotta to have some stuff in it to grab the listener. it’s an entirely different sell versus the one that just reads it. i think it just something to think about when a novelist sits down to write that novel – kinda think two-fold – listener and reader. that’s just my take. others may have a different one. have a great day carrie.
That’s a good point. I don’t plan on doing any readings (at least I hope I don’t have to at my book signings). Seems a little strange to read from a thriller out loud. But I can see where listening to an author read his/her words might be more appealing for poetry or literary novels.
Thanks, and you have a great day, too!
I’ve been, I’ve seen, I’ve likey liked
FB is a significant tool for any business, self employed, author etc nowadays, I seem to think that someone told me if you get 500 likes your Google search ranking improves as well? might be wrong, but anyhoe….I have two friends in marketing, one here in Oz, one back in the UK, who swear by FB for individual promotional purposes. Not everyone is going be swinging past twitter or WordPress, but heaps more folks are on Facebook; I always publish links to my blog on my facebook, even though mine is not public and just limited to actual real life friends!! so it does kind of form a big sharey/likey loop back! As long as you manage your profile as an ‘official author site’, have appropriate privacy settings and don’t get dragged into trivia and personal stuff you’ll be fine……I think you can even ‘hide’ comments on newsfeeds now so you don’t get bombarded by all the ‘what I’m eating for dinner’ posts from anyone you’ve added as a friend!!
Thank you for the FB info. I appreciate it. And I think you’re right–it’s probably a must have for authors nowadays. There are a lot of things you can do in the settings to block this and that; it’s learning it all that’s tricky. But I suppose as with anything, it takes time. Thanks for stopping by to ‘like’ it and for your comment!
Gonna go give your FB page a lick now.
Excellent! Thank you, and let me know if you have a public page where I can reciprocate.
Good for you for putting your name and book out there! Self-promotion is honestly the most gruesome job and I hate it myself, although I have no problem doing it for someone else.
Your Facebook page looks good. Of course, there’s more you can do but this is a good start. The key is to keep it updated with relevant info without overloading your FB page fans.
As for being found in search engines, get used to it. They know everything about you, where you live, who you’re married to, it’s scary. I have my name in there hundreds of times because of what I do today, but also because of all the press releases I ever sent out with my name on them in the past 10+ years. It’s kind of funny to find my name on a press release dated 2003!
Press releases–there’s another thing I know little about. I’ve drafted something to send to my local papers now that the paperback is out. Hopefully it will be sufficient. Then again, I don’t suppose it’s rocket science. It’s just getting the word out.
Feel free to send it out if you want me to take a look. The key is to state the facts: who, what, where, when, how, why. But somehow most company executives can’t write a decent press release…
Thank you. I just sent it out to my local paper and community magazine yesterday. Nothing fancy, but hopefully I covered the basics. I’d be more worried if I was sending it to the NY Times than my small local rag.
I’d definitely prefer the ‘before’ to the ‘after’ ~ but hey, Carrie, you’re pretty good at it ~ respect
Thanks, Polly. And yes, I’m kind of missing that ‘before’ right about now. Not seeing too much of the WIP.
They always tell you to becareful of what you wish for! Getting published is always a double-edged sword. One I’d like to be stabbed with…anyway, once you get your name out there it’s a never ending marketing nightmare. But you’re good! You’ll make it with no problem!
Well, thank you, but it is kind of never-ending, isn’t it? I’m certainly always learning something new. Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, after all.
Social media platform or not, FB happens to be the one I like best. I’m on it for fun and online connection–and hooking up in some shape or form with all those blasts from my elementary and high school past. (BTW, I really enjoy all my author friends too. So glad to have you on board! No personal page? Even for the fun of it?
I have a personal page, but I don’t plan on doing much with it. Mostly just family. Do you have a page for me to ‘like’?
One of the things I keep saying I’ll get to. I have only a personal page. Can you friend me w/o a personal page?
You can’t ‘friend’ with a public page, though people can subscribe to your page for status updates. As for my personal account, I’ve mostly only ‘friended’ family so far. Don’t think I’ll do too much with this one, though.
Carrie, Facebook is a time suck. But, you kinda have ta do it nowadays. (At least that’s what they tell me.) As far as developing a thick skin, you can take an advanced course by living in Southwest Florida. The people and the sun sure toughened me up during my four years there.
Haha–yes I imagine they did. I come from the cold Midwest. Didn’t get too much sun exposure there, but the cold did make me hardy, so I should be able to handle this visibility stuff, I guess.
We’ll see how much time FB takes from my day. But I think you’re right–you kind of have to do it.
I too have avoided the publicness of Facebook, but I’ve never danced naked in front of Amish guys.
Yeah, you’d think that would have prepared me better, wouldn’t you?
I’ve sent you a like Carrie, feel free to friend if you like. I’m pretty sure my skin isn’t tough enough.
Thank you for the like! I subscribed to your FB account.
Congrats on joining the digital age and the time-suck that is Facebook.
Regarding “toughening up” to publish a novel, I think it’s fear more than lack of talent that keeps a lot of people from living out those dreams.
Also, regarding the back-handed compliments ” (not very realistic)–sure, some of those are people who get off on putting a little hurt on folks, usually out of jealousy, but I think a lot more of them just aren’t thinking. Why WOULDN’T an author want to hear my list of factual errors about her book which she couldn’t easily correct if she wanted to?
And honestly, that’s the way I took it. The person didn’t mean any harm, and it was a nice email overall, so I hope I didn’t paint the person in a negative light. It’s more my feeling of vulnerability to know that anyone could contact me about my work. It’s a bizarre feeling. Now, when that inevitable one- or two-star review pops up–well, that might sting a little.
Scare me just as I’m embarking on my first novel, why don’t you. Just started reading your book. Loving it. Like you on FB. You can put some clothes on now
Thank you on all accounts! Glad you’re enjoying the book. And yes, that does make me feel more clothed.
Thanks for the comment.
Well done and good luck with your book, Carrie!
I’m (I’d like to say in the process of, but I can’t yet) starting to write a book of my own, but at the moment I’m always on the look out for any ‘handy hints’! Having a thick skin wasn’t one I expected to see, but I can see why it’s needed!
Hope you get to like Facebook… I never did, but it is a handy tool for getting yourself ‘out there’!
Hope you’re having a good Monday!
Thank you! And yes, in the years leading up to my publication, I spent the time writing, thinking about writing, and thinking about publishing. I did not spend the time thinking about what came after, well, not in a realistic manner anyway. Marketing is the opposite of what most writers want to do. But market we must, so thick skin I will grow.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. And good luck with your own writing.
Congrats on the Facebook thing. I’m probably not going to click for fear of revealing my “secret identity”, ho hum. Actually your post made me think about that. I keep my blog relatively anonymous for now, not so much to hide it from family or friends because i was embarrassed or some such, but to just do it on my own without being bothered by them. I don’t have a Facebook account for the blog. But have fun though
Thank you. Yes, it’s tough to maintain complete anonymity online. But once you’re published, you won’t be able to hide anymore. And I’ll be first in line to ‘like’ your author page!
putting on my tough face as I type … just hope they don’t find my soft spot
Yes, those dang soft spots get poked when we least expect it.
and then we whimper and cry like babies … no good
I like to act all tough and stoic on the outside, but inside I’m a quivering infant.
People are strange. I can’t really say anything as I am constantly pointing and laughing at E L James,but at the same time, why say some things. Every book is not for everyone. I am proud of you for being published and I am sorry people are giving you naked in public dreams. ((Hugs))
Thank you! And really, everyone has been very lovely, and the reviews have been good, but it’s still a vulnerable feeling. Now, if I were to sell as many books as E L James, well, then I suspect I’d have very thick skin, indeed.
Right…I say good for her right?
She definitely found something people were interested in, so more power to her.
I’ll come by your page and say hi. About time you joined the real marketing teams on FB. I’ll be happy to show you around, if you like.
As for comments – take them with a pinch of salt. My only 2 star reviewer said he liked the style but found it unbelievable that a 4yr old would swim to save his life. Perhaps he was not aware that in UK – an ISLAND – kids as young as four can qualify as life savers. I’ve met some. Swimming – well and early – is what you do when you live on an island. LOL
Don’t pay attention to weird comments. People will be people – and intrinsically flawed, jealous, protective of own property and critical of others.
I think you’re brave. And funny. And talented. And hard-working. I’ll read the Scourge as soon as I get a break in my schedule. And I know what I’m talking about, usually. There are over forty reviews on my blog to prove it.
Thanks, Ella. It’s nice to hear those things. I’m just waiting for that first one- or two-star review. So far, feedback’s been positive–save for a couple comments by email–but it’s bound to happen sooner or later. Let’s hope my armor’s in place for when it does.
And let me know if you have a public page I can like on Facebook. I’d like to reciprocate. I pulled you up, but only got your personal profile.
posted a hello, Carrie
Thank you! I haven’t been to my FB land yet today. Time to mosey on over there.
I have a FB page, but it is a feeble attempt. The first few times I searched my name, it wasn’t anything to write home about. Since I now have a blog, it is just one more thing that freaks me out! Check the images for your name, too. Phew!
The only images of me out there are a past work-related one and any I’ve put on my blog. But there is a mug shot of a woman bearing my same now. Hope that doesn’t get associated with me.
I’ve also thought about this; maybe someday I’d win a million dollars for writing and have to reveal my true identity. Anyways, till then
Well, a million dollars just might make that personal revealing worth it.
Oo! I’ve been thinking about going on Facebook too, because my community service encourages me to do it, but I hate to set myself up. IGJ
Well, you can make it as personal or as impersonal as you like, I think. Plus, there are different security settings you can set. Learning them all is the tricky part.
That million copies sold is just around the corner!
Liked your Facebook page and hope it helps!
There you go with your delusions again, but they’re welcome here anytime. And thank you for the ‘like.’ Good luck in my contest.
You are welcome!
Anytime!
Congratulations on the Facebook account! I stand by to answer any of your questions, but honestly I’m not doing much more with my own FB page than just sharing posts. Need to get smarter/more engaging with it!
Also, I’m not sure what that guy was complaining about – I found your depiction of *SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK* time travel very realistic and the mention of an outbreak that wiped out over 2 billion historically accurate!
Yeah, I’m not sure what he was talking about either…
I’ve never thought fiction has to be completely realistic, but I do think it has to be plausible in the story the writer has created–meaning there should be no deus ex machina or things like that. Plot twists and turns should be foreshadowed.
Thanks for putting in a warning spoiler alert, by the way. That’s a tough twist to keep quiet, but so far, so good.
I think that although it is a bit frightening being naked…it is also quite exhilarating! I’m going to find you on Facebook….congratulations for your paperback!
Bisous,
Dawn
Thank you. I appreciate that. And let me know if you have a public FB page I can go ‘like.’
I do! It’s Pivoine68.
Thanks!
Introverted extrovert here. Or should that be the other way around? Fine and dandy and noisy as hell with good friends. But I do agree all this social media stuff was (and still is to a degree) very scary. Throwing caution to the winds and doing it because I do want to be a serious writer and I gather that publishers look more favourably on those who have a ‘platform’ (or some other horrible word).
But I’ve found some people who are so lovely and supportive, I’m glad I have begun. Fitting it all in is v. hard.
Not read your book yet, but will get there. And I wish you lots of luck and will head on over to FB to like.
And I am unGoogle-able. I think there are about 2 million Pat Woods in the world, and most of them seem to write!!!
Haha. I never thought about that. If my name was Jill Smith, it might be a different story.
Thanks for ‘liking’ my page. Let me know if you have a public page that I can reciprocate on.
I’m happy to hear that your book is doing well Carrie.
Facebook sucks. I liked your page
Now you are officially, spread all out around everywhere… Welcome to hell — bwahahahahaha!
Thanks, Sandee. I think…
And as I mentioned to an earlier commenter, ‘well’ is a relative term when it comes to how my book is doing, but I’m happy with things so far. Do you have a Facebook page for me to like?
Thanks Carrie — I do have a fb page for my book. Here it is:
http://www.facebook.com/MeanSpiritedTales?ref=ts&fref=ts
Teehee — on my regular Sandee Harris face book page I wrote a scoldy message after reading your post about those who specifically asked me to ‘like’ there pages, not ‘liking’ mine in return. I ‘inadvertently’ erased it while trying to include the link to the page to make it easier for these one-sided people
Thanks for asking if I had a page Carrie — after reading your post I thought I would also mention ‘liking’ my page in a post also.
I hope you’re enjoying your day…
I have licked and scrubbed your page (or at least, these are the terms I like to use–they are less trendy than like and subscribe…). I like to reciprocate. My only worry is–everytime I ‘like’ something, does this get announced in the timelines of all those following me? That could be really annoying for my ‘friends,’ and the last thing I want to be is annoying.
Thanks Carrie — I appreciate it.
I think sometimes fb does make these announcements. There might be some default setting you can change where that doesn’t happen. If I figure it out, I’ll let you know. On ‘down-time’ now we have the pleasure of trying to figure out all this kind of stuff. You’ve probably heard me say it before, but if I didn’t have a home- made book I wouldn’t be on facebook…
I hear you. Remember the old days where authors just wrote their books, and someone else did the marketing? Ahh, bet those were sweet times…
“Liked” as requested on FB (but that was easy, because I really do like you). I would ask you to like mine back but it sucks so bad I haven’t made it public yet.
You started, finished, and published a work of fiction which puts you at the top of my hero worship list (right next to Sweet Mother).
=)
Ah, thank you. I’ll take placement next to SM anytime.
And thanks for the ‘like.’ My public page will be just that–public. Nothing too personal there. I’m sure that surprises you…
Aww Say it isn’t so Sista. Now I stand alone the only person on the planet that does not have a FB account. I think it’s the intorvert in me and also the rebel I guess.
I feel for you as far as feeling nakid and vaulnerable aspect of writing. I think that is one of the most difficult parts of being a writer is putting it all out there. That’s why I have books barried in boxes, because I can’t stand the vaulnerability part. Why I blog is beyond me. I shudder at times with feelings of being ‘out there’ but really I’m not as nakid as you are sorry about that, I guess Tits up. :+)
Introvert and naked I can’t spell this morning. :+/ Now I feel silly and naked. I guess I better go eat breakfast maybe my brain will work better.
Food always helps.
I usually don’t wait so long I just was busy reading good blogs. Time flys when you’re having fun. Now I’m going to go and eat. Talk Later
Oh, Starla, your last line made me laugh out loud. We’ll see what sort of search terms lead people to my site now…
Yes, it was difficult enough knowing people would read my book. Now I realize they can contact me and tell me what they did and didn’t like about it. Yikes!
Yikes is right! Tits up! :+) I know I will be thinking about that line later today probably at my Picasa class sitting there with a dumb grin on my face. Oh well I think the good stuff is just right outside of the comfort zone. So Good Job on pushing forward very brave of you.
Thank you.
Facebook is great for posting goofy writing stuff, funny comics, etc. Much like Twitter and blogging, never FB while partaking of the spirits… you’ll be ‘that’ girl and you don’t want to be her… lol I’ll look you up now
I don’t think there’s any risk of me ever being ‘that’ girl. I’m way too reserved. Which when using social media is a good thing.
I never thought you would be LOL but it sure is fascinating to read the posts of those who are – great writing material to be found on Facebook sometimes
I bet. I’m already surprised by some of the things I’ve seen posted.
I have liked you on FB! I have absolutely no helpful hints towards that website. In fact, if you come up with any, I’m all ears. As always, love reading about your journey through publication.
Thanks, Emily. I appreciate your ‘like’ and your reading my angst-filled words.
WHAT????? Are you kidding me? After all the time I spent reading your book I am now finding out it’s not realistic? Next i suppose you are going to try and convince me that Capt. Kirk and Spock aren’t real either!
Well all I can say to that is still hope you live long and prosper.
I know, right?! Thanks, Kevin.
By the way, I did take out the second line in your comment to avoid a spoiler of my book for anyone who reads your comment and hasn’t yet read my book. But I get your point, and I feel the same way!
I love the idea that people know who I am. I even get google alerts…lol. I will check out your facebook page. We will have to connect there.
While you are enjoying your Google alerts, every time I get one for my name, a little privacy part of me dies inside. (And perhaps an angel gets her wings…)
Well, it’s funny because like you, I am an introvert (don’t even like my OWN company at times) and yet sometimes I love being in the spotlight. Mind you, I’ve been there a few times and reacted like a deer caught in the headlights.
I suppose I should be more specific and confess: I’d love to have my BOOK in the spotlight, just not my personal self.
Congratulations(?) on setting up a facebook page!
And congratulations on pushing through your discomfort to follow your dream of being a world famous author!!
Haha–well, I think you can omit the ‘world famous’ part, but otherwise, thank you!
Do not fear the FaceBook! It’s fun. I use it a little more for fun than for marketing, but still, I enjoy it quite a bit.
I’m tickled your book is doing well! Proud of you!
As I told an earlier commenter, ‘well’ is a relative term. I’m sure the sales numbers are very stinky to a purist, but I’ve been happy with them. As I’m sure you know, the rankings rise and fall. I’ll be interested to see my first quarterly sales info. Or maybe I won’t be…
Do you have a public page I can go like? I’m starting a list of other author’s FB pages I can go like when I get a chance later.
Yes, I do have a public page. I thin it’s on the about.me/GMBarlean site. I liked you. So much technology, so little time. I struggle with using twitter and goodreads, as those sites are more complicated and time consuming for me for some reason. I completely forget to use LinkedIn. I end up using FB more than anything because I understand it. Good luck!
Oh, good, so FB is understandable then? Phew! (But I don’t think I’m there yet…)
I have to admit Facebook is NOT my strong suit. (My own page is almost entirely auto-generated by WordPress. Shhh.) I will try to figure it out though. Lately I’ve been able to like things, but I haven’t figured out subscribing just yet. (And I neglect my personal page too, updating it only when relatives ask for pictures.)
I think for people who are extroverted, it’s probably not AS hard to be out there and naked. I could be wrong though; am curious what others have to say about this.
I’ve found the visibility almost painful at times, but I know it is what it is, and it’s what needs to be done. One just has to be cognizant that everything we say online is out there forever. That’s not too intimidating, is it?
Yeah, I know. In my youth I could be a complete idiot and it was kept fairly private. My kids won’t get that same luxury.
I’m so happy my boys aren’t into social media. Not at all–no Facebook or anything. They’ll text their friends, and that’s about it. Yeah! (So far, anyway.)
Great poast. Just posted also, about Facebook and Twitter. I would be honored to Like your page. I have one too (hint, hint)…
Excellent! I am keeping a list of other authors whose pages I need to check out. Yours is officially added. Just can’t keep up with everything today, but I will eventually get over there. Thanks again!
Oh, I feel your pain! I think I have survived the public vulnerability (a.k.a., nakedness) by fooling myself into the feeling that my public persona is someone else, not really me. Of course, this is silly, since part of what makes a public persona appealing is its genuineness. A hard path to navigate.
I was on FB since the beginning (of launching Dance of Souls) but only recently discovered a nice benefit. Blog posts on WordPress take time–at least for me. I look at them as mini-essays, which I write, edit, and rewrite. It can take several days to polish them enough to put them out there. With FaceBook, if I have a small thought not really worthy of developing into a blog post, I can share it without having to go through the whole process of polishing. Of course, there’s another catch: many people do just fling stuff up on FaceBook without thinking thus creating a morass of unreadable junk. We should aspire not to be among them!
That’s true–much easier to post a small snippet of info than write a blog post. But I’m with you–less can be more. I don’t want a FB wall (that’s what it’s called isn’t it?) full of ‘unreadable junk.’ I’ll post an update daily or every other day maybe. That’s enough for me.
I’ll have to go subscribe to your page. I spent all this time getting my own account and page up, but I haven’t really sought out other’s pages yet. Is next on my agenda. And thanks for the ‘like’!
Thank you… it’s nice to be “liked.”
Yes, indeed. I’m glad there’s not an ‘Eh, take it or leave it’ tab.
I think you’re approaching Facebook the right way. It’s not a forum for in-depth posts and discussions like your blog is. It’s designed for shorter content. So a link to some good medical hints, your latest blog posts, parenting tips, and such is a good way to let readers follow (like) you.
It can be an easy way for fans of your book who don’t blog themselves to get to your posts. No need to subscribe to the blog for updates or to bookmark it and try to remember to check it. Just a simple click in the day’s Facebook news feed.
A once a day status update is probably fine. And I’d bet you could get away with fewer than that. And the events feature makes it easy to see if you’ll be in a reader’s neighborhood for a book tour.
So used as you describe, it shouldn’t take up too much time. Especially since you’ll probably see more “likes” than comments after a while. Of course, I could be wrong about that. You’ve got some chatty blog followers (me included!) who might carry that over to FB…. But the comments are usually shorter and don’t necessarily need replies.
Thanks for the shout-out, and WooHoo! I got to be the first person to like your FB page!
You were indeed! And you are, of course, included in the FB contest. Plus, I’ll be mailing your paperback copy soon (for being one of the first 7 reviewers).
Thanks for the info. What you just described is exactly how I want to go about it, so if I stick to that, I don’t think it should take any more time than Twitter, which is about 30 minutes of my social media time.
Thanks again!
Carrie,
You have one of the most distinct and well-defined voice on the blogosphere… I can understand how this would be unnerving for an introvert… It was unnerving for this extrovert… I have liked your Facebook page as Eric and as A Clown on Fire. The offer still stands, if you ever need it.
Le Clown
Thank you. I appreciate that. It’s nice knowing I have someone to contact if the informational sites confuse me. I’m taking baby steps for now.
And thanks for your kind words and your ‘likes.’ Everyone wants to be liked by a clown.
I agree with Le Clown. And as a once introvert now transitioning into extrovert, I have found it unnerving as both!
“transitioning into extrovert”—Does this involve painful surgery?
I can tell you for certain that it involves pain, haha
I can only imagine.
Well I’m on FB in a personal capacity, so I shall go and like you later – well I like you already, but you know what I mean
Thank you! I look forward to your ‘like.’ (Did I really just say that?…)
Carrie,
I’m going to say use a little fictional license myself and say your e-book cost me $990.54 and I thought it was worth it. OK, so I’ve been thinking about purchasing an i-pad and it was taking for-e-e-v-v-e-r for your book to come out POD so I sprang for both. I did get the Apple cutie to show me how to download your book at the point of sale. I love the i-pad; still comptemplating e-book format. However, I did read Seneca on the way back from the beach – instead of sleeping. Thanks for 4 hours of sleep last night!
Tortured sleep that is!
Knowing what a slow twit I am, you’ll understand my review may take a week or so of churning before it’s butter.
Thanks for the ride; it was wild and bumpy…just the way I like it, Nikki
Thanks, Nikki! So glad to hear I gave you some tortured sleep. But hey, you were at the beach, after all, so a little payback from this Ohio, far-from-an-ocean gal was needed.
But seriously, thank you for your support. And you’ll love your iPad. I read a lot of books on my iPad Kindle, not to mention all the other things one can do with an iPad. But I have the original iPad, and by now, it’s probably a dinosaur.
Carrie, I’ve never been on Facebook and for some reason, it scares me. I’ve heard these horror stories and seriously, I don’t know how people have the time to blog, tweet and Facebook. I understand in your case — your getting the word out about your book but I’d feel the same as you. I cry when someone’s mean to me so I don’t know…. Good luck!!
So far, the biggest time suck has just been learning the FB process. Every informational site I read links me to another site and then another and so on and so on until my head is spinning. Hopefully, once I get more comfortable, it will just be a matter of a daily post and some mild interaction. Wishful thinking, anyway…
Welcome to FB. I agree with your comment just above. When is there time to write? I just started a new blog – well, mostly it’s to be my professional author website, but it seems so empty right now I’m filling it with blog posts (please visit janetkoops.com). Like I have more time to blog. The nice thing about FB is that your blog post gets posted there so it feels like you’ve updated your status even though you’ve done nothing specific for FB. I have yet to start a public page (it’s all set up but not visible). Silly, but I’m not ready yet. Glad to hear your book has been doing well.
Well, ‘well’ is a relative term. I only have Amazon rankings to go by–won’t get my sales info until next quarter–and sometimes the rankings suck and other times they show some promise. I try not to look too often.
I’m impressed you’ve started another blog. I barely have time for one. I’ll check it out later when I get some time. Mondays are always a blur.
I am on FB and used to keep up with it better than I do now… the most difficult part is when FB tidbits are referenced when I’m among friends I don’t see often, and I haven’t read them (because I’m on there so infrequently).
One friend will say to another, “Wow, that Mike guy sure was cute. And your dinner looked so tasty! Can you believe that waitress??” And I’m standing there, like, did I miss a whole conversation?? Yes. I did. It was on FB. And I was not on there to read about it. Everyone looks at me incredulously. Sigh.
Haha. You’ve highlighted yet another reason why there will be few personal details from me–either on my personal account or my public page. And I’m always the last to know about gossip in real life, so I suppose virtual life will be no different. So, you are not alone.
I cringe when I hit publish here. I can’t imagine what you’re feeling. I’d definitely need a thicker skin than I have now. You’re a tough broad.
Haha. At least I like my kids to think so. Keeps them in line. (Actually, in reality, they tell me I’m “an easy nut to crack,” which I suspect is a euphemism for “pushover.”)
I think this is one of the greatest challenges for an author — and we thought just finishing the story was the tough part… : )
But, seriously, most authors are introverts and we hate putting ourselves out there…
Anyway, congrats, on taking another plunge!
Thank you. And you’re right–we spend a lot of time creating the book and thinking about publishing, but we don’t spend so much time contemplating the ‘after’ part. I think I prefer the ‘before’…
Me, too. : )
With you FB, Carrie…my thoughts exactly! That means we are related…I think.
Ah, so that’s who you are! Thank you for your support. I appreciate the ‘likes.’ We’ll see how well I do with this FB thing.
Nice Blog Carrie. I feel the same. I haven’t done FB yet. About to Jump in.
Thank you. And good luck with FB. Let’s just hope we can still find time to write amidst all this social media.
