Monday, February 27, 2012

Do you blog for readers or writers?

I recently asked on a readers' forum about their take on author websites/blogs, if they feel inclined to visit an author's site or not, what they expect from it and what puts them off.
The answers were mixed: most would visit a website if they liked a book and wanted to find out about other works, updates on upcoming novels, etc.
Personally, I remember to have looked at Cecilia Ahern's site as well as Stephenie Meyer's and hung on every word as to how they started to write, what inspired them and their feelings about writing in general. I read with interest/disgust about Stephenie Meyer's negative experiences with trusting the wrong people, who then went ahead and posted a huge excerpt of her work in progress, Midnight Sun, Edward's point of view, which, by the way, I find so much better than Twilight itself.

Now, of course, someone like Cecilia Ahern doesn't have to go out and promote her novels, she's one lucky woman who is published with the big six and has her books made into films. For those of you, who don't know her, she's the author behind the film PS. I love you. Her website serves one purpose: give readers information about her works, what she is working on at the moment, what will be out soon. I noticed the website has FAQs and a forum, meaning it became more interactive. Fans will be able to talk to her -- whether it's really her who answers or some poor intern at Harper Collins remains a secret, but fact is, that people come to her.

Most Indie authors don't have that privilege, they are nobody in the world of publishing, they don't have a big marketing budget and their marketing will mostly circle around other Indies, which is a bit of a problem. Indies have it twice as difficult; they compete against each other trying to reach readers and are therefore constantly in readers' faces, which often backfires. They are forced to let their writing speak for itself, but how to get your writing noticed so it can touch a reader's soul? How to make a blog/website interesting for a reader? If you're an Indie with two books, there's hardly much to say and the website will most probably not be updated for a long time. A blog about writing will probably attract more writers than readers, because readers don't care about the struggles an author has; they want to read and enjoy the ready product, and rightly so.

Not too long ago, I ranted about the 'like' my page attitute Indies have and I'm still sticking with it, because it's fake. I don't want anyone to visit my facebook page because we made a 'deal'. I wish for readers who enjoyed my books popping by to find out about updates. Not because they're forced to, but because they genuinly like my work. I think this can only be achieved if authors did more writing and less promoting, they'll have a bigger chance (if the quality is up to scratch) to be discovered by readers and recommended by word of mouth, which will lead to success and therefore to visiting 'fans'.

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