The number one mistake I see authors make on social is creating content for other authors instead of readers. Publicists observe how authors present themselves, so if you consistently post negative or erratic content about your previous publicist/publishing experience, we may not consider you as a client. AND WE ALL TALK.
Agents do this too! If you shit talk the publishing world all the time, we can only assume you’ll find reasons to shit talk us too. I steer clear from these types of querying authors, no matter how good their writing is.
100%. I always advise authors to watch out on social media because we (meaning people who work in publishing) see it and are like, "No, thank you." No one wants to get into business with someone like that.
Yes!!! The content about how hard it is to be an author… is just not very interesting (not even to me, an author). You’re absolutely right that authors need to figure out the kind of content that their potential readers might be drawn to. This isn’t easy. Hence falling back on the #amwriting and the pity marketing which gives a reassurance that you’re not shouting into the void but this isn’t the same as being effective!
So smart and spot on! I'm currently OBSESSED with West End Girl and just put your book on hold at the library (ebook and audio, I'll read whichever comes first!)
The way this completely restructured my brain. Brilliant and I'm taking it to my burgeoning TikTok efforts today! (Also, won't lie, I am now on TikTok in no small part thanks to your work here making it seem empowering and doable.)
Tapping in as someone who is obsessed with women/girls and houses, Lily Allen's WEST END GIRL, writers and money, gothic lit, and who has every issue of Manjula Martin's SCRATCH *and* the book.... Martin's THE LAST FIRE SEASON is amazing too, and not just because I'm a water sign who's a bit of a pyrophile.
I love this perspective, Leigh! Such great insight. As a writing coach AND author, it feels like a thin line that I walk on to reach potential clients/students and also get in front of potential readers. You have given me a lot to think about <3
where do we draw the line between commiseration content and genuine discussion of the publishing industry? "I've queried 4000 agents and here's how its going" seems pretty clear but there's a lot of discussion about publishing on here. personally, I get involved in a lot of "people think X, but actually y" discussions.
love this question! and I love following Substacks by publishing professionals (like Danielle Bukowski and Sean deLone). The internet has really allowed writers like me a backdoor into learning publishing because of knowledge sharing. But these conversations remain insular (they’re not for readers). I just keep coming back to: what are you posting *IF* your goal is to grow your following of readers
This was very timely because I'm about to go on sub 😂
But here's a question about content pillars: if you write in 2 (or more) genres for very different audiences (for example, middle grade and adult speculative) then would you need separate content pillars for each audience? And what's the best way to balance that on your social media platforms, outside of creating multiple tiktok accounts etc?
The number one mistake I see authors make on social is creating content for other authors instead of readers. Publicists observe how authors present themselves, so if you consistently post negative or erratic content about your previous publicist/publishing experience, we may not consider you as a client. AND WE ALL TALK.
I believe it!
If you make it into the PR group chat, it is not for good reasons.
Agents do this too! If you shit talk the publishing world all the time, we can only assume you’ll find reasons to shit talk us too. I steer clear from these types of querying authors, no matter how good their writing is.
100%. I always advise authors to watch out on social media because we (meaning people who work in publishing) see it and are like, "No, thank you." No one wants to get into business with someone like that.
Yes!!! The content about how hard it is to be an author… is just not very interesting (not even to me, an author). You’re absolutely right that authors need to figure out the kind of content that their potential readers might be drawn to. This isn’t easy. Hence falling back on the #amwriting and the pity marketing which gives a reassurance that you’re not shouting into the void but this isn’t the same as being effective!
I wanted to write about pity marketing, too, but couldn’t fit it all in! future post
I’ll look forward to that
See you in hype house season TWO
!!!!!
You should embrace "The Cassandra of the internet" and build content around that
Highly highly highly recommend the Hype House for anyone who's considering it!
❤️❤️❤️
So smart and spot on! I'm currently OBSESSED with West End Girl and just put your book on hold at the library (ebook and audio, I'll read whichever comes first!)
cool, thanks!
Another brilliant post! I wanted to tell you "You should offer Hype House again," but that seemed nudgey. So glad you didn't need me!
The way this completely restructured my brain. Brilliant and I'm taking it to my burgeoning TikTok efforts today! (Also, won't lie, I am now on TikTok in no small part thanks to your work here making it seem empowering and doable.)
Tapping in as someone who is obsessed with women/girls and houses, Lily Allen's WEST END GIRL, writers and money, gothic lit, and who has every issue of Manjula Martin's SCRATCH *and* the book.... Martin's THE LAST FIRE SEASON is amazing too, and not just because I'm a water sign who's a bit of a pyrophile.
I love this perspective, Leigh! Such great insight. As a writing coach AND author, it feels like a thin line that I walk on to reach potential clients/students and also get in front of potential readers. You have given me a lot to think about <3
where do we draw the line between commiseration content and genuine discussion of the publishing industry? "I've queried 4000 agents and here's how its going" seems pretty clear but there's a lot of discussion about publishing on here. personally, I get involved in a lot of "people think X, but actually y" discussions.
love this question! and I love following Substacks by publishing professionals (like Danielle Bukowski and Sean deLone). The internet has really allowed writers like me a backdoor into learning publishing because of knowledge sharing. But these conversations remain insular (they’re not for readers). I just keep coming back to: what are you posting *IF* your goal is to grow your following of readers
This was very timely because I'm about to go on sub 😂
But here's a question about content pillars: if you write in 2 (or more) genres for very different audiences (for example, middle grade and adult speculative) then would you need separate content pillars for each audience? And what's the best way to balance that on your social media platforms, outside of creating multiple tiktok accounts etc?
Who’s an author you admire who writes for both adults and children? What do they do?