“Today must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursday’s” – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
I put in the above quote because I had a wonderful list of questions for upcoming discussions, but I think I took it home and used the other side for a grocery list. So for today, I thought we could discuss social media and authors. Neil Gaiman is very active on Twitter and in blogging. Does an author’s participation in social media affect what books you read? I know I read The Graveyard Book because of his social media participation: I was following his blog and twitter, and followed the links to the videos of the book tour. I actually listened to the first few chapters online this way before deciding to buy the book.
There are a few other authors I follow on blogs and twitter. Some are prolific in their interactions, some are sporadic. Some post just about writing and writing related activities, some post about anything, including politics.
So, does social media make you feel more engaged with an author? Or is it a distraction when reading?
Author blogs I read:
John Scalzi, Cherie Priest, Blake Charlton, Neil Gaiman.
Author twitter feeds I follow:
@BrandSanderson, @naominovik, @cmpriest, @blakecharlton, @scalzi, @writercastle, @neilhimself
Categories: Reading
Oh, how interesting!
1. As yet, I’ve never gotten into Twitter, but it is a very popular venue amongst writers.
2. Social media, in general, probably isn’t my thing; although, I do love blogging.
3. I’ve been out of the blog loop for over a year now. I used to read a good number of author blogs, and it definitely influenced my book choices.
4. I tend to like connecting with an author before and/or after I read his/her book. I like learning tidbits about the story behind the story, and I like telling authors when I like their work.
5. The Readergirlz is one of my favorite blogs for connecting with authors.
6. I ordered The Graveyard Book because it was a Newbery winner, not because of any connection to Neil Gaiman.