Guest Post from Sue Moorcroft: What use is Social Media to Writers?

I’d like to welcome Sue Moorcroft to my site today. Sue, a fellow Accent author, who has written a huge selection of wonderful novels, is addressing a question I am often asked myself.

Over to you Sue…

I’m frequently asked by writers who use social media very little or not at all ‘What use is social media? Wouldn’t the time you spend on Twitter and Facebook be better spent writing?’

Social media works well for me. I do keep a close watch on how much time I spend on it and the more under pressure I am the less you’ll see me online. But …

1 What use is social media?

• Readers can contact me. I feel privileged to be writing in an era where someone can read one of my books then, in a couple of clicks, tell me that they enjoyed it. It’s not just that there are few things that give me more pleasure than readers enjoying my books, it’s that the reader can get into conversation with me if they wish. They can feed back about what they think of the book compared with another or ask me questions created in their minds by reading my book.
• Promotion. I can tell readers about special offers or when a new book’s out. This is, obviously, not just a service to readers – it helps my book sales.
• Increasing traffic to my blog. Whenever I post on my own blog a link automatically appears on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn etc. Others share the information. (Likewise when I publish my newsletter.)
• Information. I read social media as well as contribute. I pick up interesting articles about writing, publishing or world events.
• Research. Some of my research isn’t so much about facts as about public opinions and feelings. The zeitgeist. On social media I can ask, ‘If you’re in your thirties, would you expect to split the bill on a first date?’ The resulting conversation arms me with a view of modern manners in this particular area. Or I can ask for help from someone with a particular job, condition or experience, to learn how it feels to be that person.
• Networking. Via social media I have been invited to appear at literary festivals, give talks, run workshops, do appraisals, write guest posts on blogs (including this one) and submit my work.
• Profile. Visibility. Discoverability. Presence. Utilising social media I can, to some extent, promote and influence all of these.

2 Wouldn’t the time you spend on Twitter and Facebook be better spent writing?

No, not in my opinion. See above.

Supplementary notes

• Publishers and agents have never asked me questions 1 or 2!
• Publishers and agents are often keenly interested in the visibility, of otherwise, of a writer’s social media platform.
• I limit my time on social media but usually work on it at intervals throughout a day.
• I enjoy it. Not every writer does enjoy it and not every writer does it.

• I don’t attempt to be active on all my social media accounts all the time. I concentrate on those that suit me best.    Blog: https://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/ Twitter @suemoorcroftLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemoorcroft 

• Google+: google.com/+Suemoorcroftauthor
• Facebook sue.moorcroft.3 and https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor
• Website: www.suemoorcroft.com (where you can sign up for her newsletter)
• Sue’s latest book: The Wedding Proposal
• Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing ‘how to’ and is a competition judge and creative writing tutor.
• Award winning author Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes. The Wedding Proposal, Dream a Little Dream and Is this Love? were all nominated for Readers’ Best Romantic Read Awards. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. Sue received three nominations at the Festival of Romance 2012, and is a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner. She’s a past vice chair of the RNA and editor of its two anthologies

Thanks, Kay, for inviting me onto your lovely blog.

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Many thanks for sharing such and excellent blog Sue.

Happy reading,

Jenny xx