tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1036843894999783533.post5206172844290452348..comments2023-05-29T07:15:27.839-07:00Comments on Finding Kat Heckenbach: Blog GuiltKat Heckenbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17690721679155795038noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1036843894999783533.post-30661836020363326952011-11-13T13:56:09.653-08:002011-11-13T13:56:09.653-08:00Alan, you say James Scott Bell's essay is in &...Alan, you say James Scott Bell's essay is in "The Art of War for Writers"? I believe I want to buy that book and quote it extensively. <br /><br />FINALLY, someone with clout has said what I have always heavily suspected: blogging, tweeting, and facebooking are not effective marketing tools. Yes, you may pick up a reader or two here and there, but I really intensely DOUBT that the amount of time and frustration (thinking up "fresh" material) is worth the meager results. And even those who do well with it (and I bet it's the small minority) might find their time better spent writing more or better books.<br /><br />No, I'm not giving up my facebook account. No, I'm not going to stop posting OCCASIONAL promotional status updates, but now I can finally stop feeling guilty for not constantly "selling myself" or trying to "garner attention". Thank you, Mr. Bell!Caprice Hokstadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10625997639466258510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1036843894999783533.post-85437125702596509042011-11-13T07:59:22.051-08:002011-11-13T07:59:22.051-08:00Well said, Alan. If blogging and social networking...Well said, Alan. If blogging and social networking impedes us from getting our writing done--and getting it done well--it's more of a hindrance than a help. And absolutely, a great online presence does nothing without a good book to back it up!<br /><br />Thanks for the comments!Kat Heckenbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17690721679155795038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1036843894999783533.post-46116860607078636332011-11-13T04:12:31.137-08:002011-11-13T04:12:31.137-08:00Hey, Kat
I had the same reactions as you describe...Hey, Kat<br /><br />I had the same reactions as you describe here: Mike's list of symptoms was spot on and I've lived every one of them.<br /><br />Ultimately, the thing that keeps me sane on this topic is a little essay hidden towards the end of "The Art of War for Writers" by James Scott Bell.<br /><br />In his piece on social media, he argues that many selling authors do little or no social media marketing. Your primary marketing tool is a superior book. And if time spent blogging, twittering (tweeting?)FaceBooking, etc interferes with your primary job...writing quality fiction...then it's a bad Return on Investment.<br /><br />Because, despite all the loud and confident opinions on the subject, I'm not sure *anyone* has proven (with data) that extensive social media usage is unquestionably correlated with a proportional increase in sales. Certainly not in the absence of a top quality product. <br /><br />And I know what my own personal reaction is, when I stumble across an author who presents a stellar "face" in the promotional sense, but who can't write their way out of a paper bag. <br /><br />Bell's philosophy is: Write the best possible book. Then, with whatever time you have left over, feel free to market using whatever methods fit you best.Alan Ohttp://www.alanoathout.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1036843894999783533.post-33138075009964703792011-11-11T21:16:13.026-08:002011-11-11T21:16:13.026-08:00ROFL I've had the blog for FIVE years and in t...ROFL I've had the blog for FIVE years and in that whole time, how many "passionate subjects" have I had occasion to write on? Three, maybe. (That's counting the "why?" series which is decidedly too "me-centered"). I also count the shark and the bee rants. <br /><br />Yes, I would do more of those kinds of posts if and when I ever felt the passion, but once I have laid out my case and got it off my chest, I don't feel a great need to keep harping on it or beat the dead horse. I'm not anything close to an "expert" on either sharks or bees or any other subject on the planet that isn't already being well-covered (e.g. does the internet need yet ANOTHER blog on writing tips? Methinks not.), so I can't really offer a fount of knowledge. And therein lies the reason why my blog has very often sat empty (except for the occasional book review). <br /><br />Even if I'm free to forget marketing (which I knew it wasn't helping) I STILL don't have much of anything to say.Caprice Hokstadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10625997639466258510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1036843894999783533.post-12512543054047291392011-11-11T05:08:56.093-08:002011-11-11T05:08:56.093-08:00Well, I read your blog--although I am a fellow wri...Well, I read your blog--although I am a fellow writer and I do so to keep up with you--but you've written some blogs I've found very interesting. The two that pop out at me are the one on sharks and the one on bees. <br /><br />Maybe that's a place to start--they were posts on something you felt passionate about, and that came across and made me really think. Don't worry about using the blog as a marketing tool--seems kinda pointless to do so if you are hating it and you feel it's not being effective anyway--so write about those things you feel passionate about. <br /><br />It seems to me that if you reach a set of people who you connect with over *something* there is a chance that a certain percentage of them will end up being the type who like your books (and if they aren't, you have at least found some cool people with whom you share common ground). But if you're continuing to post about stuff you don't want to post about about and just trying to reach the same people over and over who aren't responding you won't get either readers or new friends.<br /><br />That is what I intend to do. Focus more on being me, not on "marketing" other than trying to get into situations where I can be me.Kat Heckenbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17690721679155795038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1036843894999783533.post-72438487284158053762011-11-10T22:57:17.950-08:002011-11-10T22:57:17.950-08:00You said: "Now I feel pressure to... make the...You said: "Now I feel pressure to... make the blog so cool and interesting that people will flock to it and ultimately want to read my book."<br /><br />I so relate to this and this is why I feel so inadaquate about blogging. It's NONFICTION, and I don't DO nonfiction. I can't think of very many worthwhile things to SAY and I don't seem to be attracting that flock of minions, no matter what I say or where I try to advertise it. The only people who read my blog are other writers and I suspect, deep down, that they probably just do it to be nice or to "keep up" with me, like people follow my lame updates on Facebook.<br /><br />I'm not sure I'd dump mine if given permission, but it sure would be nice to find out it was more a "for fun", optional thing than a "marketing tool" whose main function is to make me feel more guilt.Caprice Hokstadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10625997639466258510noreply@blogger.com