Posted on

Authors Behaving Badly: What NOT to Do on Social Media

Authors Behaving Badly: What Not to Do on Social Media

Authors are human. There, I said (wrote) it.

We have feelings. We have the same life stressors everyone else has. We work our butts off.

Authors Behaving Badly: What Not to Do on Social MediaWe don’t like it when we get negative reviews or comments on our pride and joy, our babies, our very souls also known as our books. It happens, and it happens to even the most popular and well-known authors.

There is more than one case of an author having a highly public meltdown online. The problem with this is that once it’s out there, there’s no taking it back. I don’t care if you delete it, give 97 reasons why you responded the way you did, make well-crafted and well-punctuated excuses, send flowers or a sing-o-gram, or even apologize – the Internet never forgets. Ever. Someone somewhere took a screenshot of your ugly words and posted it again. ON THE INTERNET.

Let me give you an example that happened on Twitter. An author, who shall remain nameless here, received a less-than-glowing review in the Boston Globe of her latest book by a reviewer of some renown, a reviewer with a long and esteemed literary career of her own.

The author didn’t tweet one response; she tweeted 27. Here are some of the words she used: “[blankity blank] is a moron.” “Now any idiot can be a critic.” “If you want to tell [blankity blank] off her phone is _____.”

Oh yes, she publicly posted the reviewer’s phone number and email address.

Oh my. My, my, my.

This is a perfect example how social media can be misused as a place to vent. That’s what BFF’s are for, people! Call up your best friend and vent every vile word you can think of. Drink wine. Go out for beer and darts. Take a nap. For the super-healthy types, go for a run, climb a fourteener or eat some tofu. I don’t care.

But DO NOT, under any circumstances, respond online to negative reviews or comments.

The end.

That’s it. That’s my number one bit of advice for authors on what not to do on social media.

Don’t be one of those authors that someone like me can easily find online as a bad example for yet another article.

How do you deal with negative comments posted about you online?

Posted on

What story are you telling on your social media?

What's your story?
What’s your story?

You’ve heard, read, and seen by now that social media is not really a selling mechanism so much as it is a way to tell a story. People respond to stories. They do not respond to constant advertising which will work against you if you use it too often.

Does that mean you never post an event you’re hosting or a widget you’re selling? No, you can do that, especially if you make it enticing to your fans in some way.

If you’ve taken the time to develop your social media personality and platform, whether you’re witty, warm and fuzzy, passionate, to-the-point, or intuitive, and have interacted with your fans in an authentic way, they’ll be okay with the occasional plug. In fact, if you don’t mention your product at all, they won’t see you as someone with a product useful to them.

Most of you follow a brand or personality on social media. Pay attention to what you like and don’t like. Why do you keep following that page or Twitter account? Do they offer coupons, contests, or other ways to save? Are they amusing? Do they use funny photos?

If you are following a personality, you probably love it when you’re allowed a glimpse “behind the scenes” of that person’s life. It doesn’t have to be deeply personal. On Facebook, Dwayne Johnson will post something from a movie set he’s on, a photo of his mom, or the one day a month he makes pancakes. He also talks about charities and philanthropic efforts.

You can do the same on your social media. Be who you are and do it within your platform. For example, some authors will post photos of their work spaces, talk about the trials and triumphs of being a writer, and post about their latest book. Some ask fans to name a character. They do this in a way that represents their true personality while staying within their genre/expertise.

Other brands post fan photos of their product, whether it’s coffee or a magazine, which encourages engagement. Some offer coupons, host contests and giveaways, or host free webinars.

If you set up social media profiles and then never or rarely get back to them, you are still telling a story.

But is that the story you want your customers and fans to see?