How to Avoid the “Extra” Work of Social Media

social media
by webtreats / via Flickr

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of speaking at a one-day publishing event hosted by Blurb in Brooklyn, NY. My topic was the art & business of building a platform, which included about 5-10 minutes of commentary on social media (out of a full hour).

As often happens, most audience questions were about social media, and my one-on-one conversations with authors afterward focused on social media. They confided that they aren’t interested in social media nor do they see the benefit of the extra work presented by it.

While I don’t think social media use is mandatory, you can set up an significant challenge for yourself if you exclude it from your arsenal of tools. Many think they’re excluding it from their arsenal of marketing tools (or just declining to engage in self-promotion). Perhaps. But shift your perspective just a bit, and it turns out you’re excluding it from your arsenal of creative writing and publishing tools.

Social media is a form of content, and can be seen as micro-publishing. Each post is sharing a tiny bit of your story, message or perspective—possibly something informative or inspiring. The posts might end up being part of a larger work. They might be daily creativity experiments. And they might offer you insight into how your audience thinks and engages with your work.

Consider:

  • Nonfiction writers who author blog posts (part of the social media universe, in my view) compile and edit them into a larger publication.
  • Artists or illustrators who post quick images on Pinterest or Instagram and later publish a high-quality print book collection that includes some of those images.
  • Fiction writers who post about their research and inspiration for a novel, giving readers a sneak peek of what’s to come.

Or, think of it like this: You’re micro-publishing and sharing things you’re happy to give away, and that reach a very wide number of people, because they can spread freely. These things are your “cheese cubes”—but they’re part of a much bigger cheese you have in store. The people who become invested in your work and your message will buy the premium cheese basket: the final, polished, very intentional work with the highest value.

Some author examples to consider:

  • Debbie Ohi posts a daily doodle on social media; it’s part of her creative practice.
  • Jeanne Bowerman started a Sunday night Twitter #scriptchat to learn about scriptwriting, and ended up becoming an expert herself in the topic she set out to study.
  • Robert Brewer issues a poem-a-day challenge to get himself and his community producing poetry.
  • I post publishing and media infographics on Pinterest to keep tabs on industry change, and use them as reference points in my talks, and also to benefit others.

Are these things “extra” work? Not really; in the cases above, they’re the very heart of the creative work. They are digitally native forms that usually involve sharing the work before it’s part of something final or cohesive. This is often rocket fuel for your art; see Austin Kleon in his recent release, Show Your Work. Social media doesn’t have to feel like a drag on your time when it’s not separate or devised in isolation from your “real work.”

I’ll leave you with the words of Richard Nash, who I recently interviewed. We talked about writers who say (basically), “I just want to write,” and would rather not be distracted by non-writing activities. He says:

No one wants to just sit and write! Not even Beckett didn’t want to just sit and write—seriously! If Beckett can’t abide just sitting down and writing, then any writer can find emotional and cultural stimulation by engaging with society. The two are not mutually exclusive. 

Whatever time limitations you face or whatever artistic goals you have, I believe the really meaningful (platform-building) social media activity draws on the same creativity and imagination that’s part of your “serious” work.

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Shirley Hershey Showalter

We have a lot of power in life when we choose to shift the focus slightly, redefining our reality. What a great example you’ve given here. I don’t have as many qualms as many writers to about social media, largely because blogging became my first experience, then FB, then Twitter, then Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr. (For some reason FB is easiest for me, combined with blogging. I only visit the other places occasionally.) I am hoping to make the connection even stronger between blogging and publishing now that my memoir is one year old and readers have asked for a sequel. Thanks for another great post.

Jane Friedman

Thanks so much, Shirley. Good to hear about a possible sequel. 🙂

Mary Burns

I think of my blog, In the Works, http://www.burnsmar@blogspot.ca, as a form of discipline and practice, of thinking “out loud” about whatever happens to be on my mind. I have come to like it and to appreciate the unique form that is the blog. Once a week is enough, though.

Jane Friedman

Indeed, blogging is terrific for discipline & patience, even if just 1x/week. 🙂

Orit

Great examples.

I think sometimes writers write-off social media because of the overwhelm that they see in it + the disconnect that technology can create. Another factor is that many writers are introverts and are having a hard time interacting on a platform that emphasizes, and even calls for, qualities they don’t always have or appreciate.

Which is why I think examples like these are good, because they show that it can be done in a professional, creative way that doesn’t require taking pictures of every meal you have…

Jane Friedman

Thanks, Orit!

Speaking as an introvert myself, what I enjoy most about social media is how much I get to remain in control—of when/where I’m active, who I interact with, and how I can spend as much time as I want thinking about my responses/communication. In many ways, I find it less stressful than in-person relationship building.

Orit

That’s a very good point. It’s much easier to start slow on Social Media. People often use the analogy of a party when talking about social media. But really, with social media you’re not stuck in the middle of a crowded room trying to join a conversation. You’re in a safe place and no one can tell (or cares) how long it takes you to come up with an opening line. (Plus you don’t have to wear heels or get out of your PJs for that matter.)

Amy

I had never thought of it as micro-publishing! After closing a business that grew rapidly with the help of social media (and hours a day working on social media) I felt done, done, done. Now, you have me ready to take another look- this time with moderation.

William Ash

My biggest hurdle was what was it for and how it relates to me? I think this is true for many. Like most thing I start, I let it lead me. A few tentative posts here, a few tentative posts there. Blogging turn out to be something very different that I imagined it. We blog five days a week and spend one, maybe two evenings setting up the weeks blog. My wife just started a new idea on our blog this week.

But we have found a positive feedback to our work. We only blog a few hundred words a post, but it is really an interesting and fruitful exercise.

To be honest, I have no idea what Facebook is about. LinkedIn is OK. Twitter is just secret communication between alien races. Pinterest’s copyright terms prevents me from exploring that, and Tumblr sounds like a cheap bar.

But for creative folks, I would recommend starting a blog and just play with it. I think in my first three month I made two posts. Then slowly the light bulb began to brighten. If you are a perfectionist, it can be scary. Sometimes it seems what you are putting out is not that great, but then you go back to it after a while and it turns out it was not that bad. The great thing about starting is that no one sees it anyway, but over time your audience grows. You get to see how they found you. You get an idea about f it is a returning crowd or a new one. And it is kind of neat to know people in 60 odd countries have come to your home.

William Ash

Sorry for the typos–autocorrect and the iPad will doom this civilization.

emptyque

” If you are a perfectionist, it can be scary. Sometimes it seems what
you are putting out is not that great, but then you go back to it after a
while and it turns out it was not that bad. The great thing about
starting is that no one sees it anyway, but over time your audience
grows.”

True, true. I just started a blog recently and I am trying to turn my anxiety over the quality of my post into brainstorming ways to make future post better. And actually, I don’t think my post are poorly written, just not particularly unique. Finding my own voice in the sea of social media is a challenge for me.

Franssss

I guess maybe it just seems overwhelming to those writers because writing a book is already a tremendous undertaking, and now you have to be the one to take charge of your marketing and fan interactions. They’re probably used to the idea that writers just lock themselves up in a hole and write, and the publisher does the rest.

Jane Friedman

That writers go off alone and create solitary works of genius is a very romantic idea—and possibly one of those very large myths, similar to the myth that a publisher will take care of the writer.

Lexa Cain

Very interesting points of view. Thanks! 🙂

Marcy Mason McKay

Terrific, Jane. I think the key to social media is to a shift in mindset. Rather than pushing your BOOK! BLOG! WHATEVER! — that’s like a sleazy salesman. Social media is about being a part of community and giving. Share someone’s post that you love, cool tips, etc. Don’t make it all about you.

I also think it’s important to only engage to the Social Media you enjoy. I love Facebook. I absolutely do NOT get Pinterest. I may be missing the boat, but that’s okay. It’s all about choices….

Jane Friedman

Yes, I believe in finding the right fit. Sometimes it takes a bit of patience, though. It took me … 12 months? … to understand Twitter. 🙂

Marcy Mason McKay

Well, now you’re even MORE my hero! I don’t understand Twitter…have friends who swear I love it, but I’m loaded with other things…I’ll get to Twitter when I’m ready (by, Gawwwd!). TY.

Susan Raber

I’ve been flopping around like a landed trout trying to find a balance with social media, but I’m getting there, and this article gives me another nudge in the right direction.

Susan G. Weidener

I have always felt that my blog was an extension of my creative work. I get over 4,000 views a month, which is gratifying, like having my own mini-magazine. The posts I write often help me stay focused on where I’ve been and where I’m going with my writing and my writing projects. Featuring other writers is also a pleasure and I hope illuminating to my readers, who certainly don’t want to hear just from me every week. My blog is crucial in launching my next book. I pretty much don’t get Twitter or Pinterest. I like Facebook and Google+. I also enjoy reading the blogs of other authors, writers and social media experts.