So, I was reading a thread on goodreads.com and a gentleman by the name of Tom was asking for tips on what to do to self-promote. An idea struck me. Since I really won't have anything constructive to blog about until I hear from Tor, I could do interviews to help others promote their stuff. It gives me an excuse to keep blogging and it helps others out. Why not really?
So, starting next week, every Tuesday, I'll try desperately to have an interview up. I hope to interview someone from a different walk of life each time, though it is likely that most of the interviews will be from authors trying to get themselves out into the world. There are plenty of people interviewing the already famous, so I won't bother with them... like they'd accept an invitation from me anyway....
If you want to be interviewed (it doesn't have to be related to writing at all), do let me know. Tell me what it is you do, or hope to do, and why it warrants an interview, and I'll do what I can to accommodate you.
Well, I'm off to try and compose a decent set of questions. This should be interesting...
2 comments:
As a writer, and because it would be a bit of an ego-trip, I have no problem answering questions.
However, in the age of blogging, facebook, twitter and whatever else allows the masses to babble publically, frequently and above all incoherently(*), I have to question the point of self-promotion.
A writer writes. Sure, they might do it to get their horrible childhood traumas out of their head, or with the hope of making some money out of it, but the primary task is always the same. I write because I need to. Although I have a blog, it's got nothing to do with my written fiction, it's merely a journal. Is that what blogs are meant to be, some sort of public diary?
I worry, constantly, about how some of the most successful blogs not only nowadays seem to have very little written content, but seem to get to a point of critical mass, fame-wise, where they depend on others sending them stuff. So other than posting it online, the bloggers actually don't do any work. No writing, nothing creative, not even a commentary. Yet they take these submissions and run adverts next to them, put them in books or go on tour to talk about what is effectively someone elses labour.
So, the return for a self-publicist must be fairly minimal, and I doubt whether it'll have any positive effect on the likelihood of publication.
Put it this way; when I was asked in an interview what else I did and I said writing, the interviewer said "have you got a blog we can look at?"
I don't want my political, ethical or moral views to influence my chances of getting a paid job, unless those views directly relate to the job in hand. Self-publicity in that case, and I think in most cases, can do more damage than good.
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(*) Twitter, I am looking at you. Honestly, text messaging hasn't done much to improve the use of language, so what is to be gained by limiting people to even shorter messages is lost on me.
I am struggling with the whole "self-promotion" thing as well.
All I know is that it is important to get my name out there. Because I am trying to get my name out there, this blog will be largely devoid of personal/political views. Of course, I do intend to slam the conservative government over their arts funding every once in a while....
As to my ethical or moral views, they aren't likely to make a show here either, unless it is something I feel very strongly about. Like, say, animal rights or environmental issues or something that makes my blood boil over.
I am lucky in that I already have a job that pays my bills (and I write on the side), so perhaps I am a little less concerned. Moreover, any person should know that anyone can read what is posted on the internet, and should therefore be very, very, very careful about what they post.
For example, if I hope to get a job in the government, I'm not likely to post crap about how little government employees work and how they are overpaid slobs (assuming that is what I felt - I know people in the government, and they work very hard!)
It seems pretty straight forward to me.
A blog is whatever you want it to be. If you want to share your innermost thoughts and feelings with a faceless crowd, then your blog is a diary. If you want to write about your travels to strange locations, then your blog is a travel journal. If you want everyone to share your pain in trying to get published, then your blog is mine.
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