Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Recently Wired ran an article on the effect Millennials are having on advertising. You can read it here. Contained in the article is this statement,
“Many times brands think that by reaching out to Millennials online and in social channels, they’re connecting with this audience. But, connecting and engaging have very different meanings. One-way communication is not dialogue, and smart brands want—and need—dialogue.”
That comment also holds true for authors (who are brands, whether they want to be or not, by the way). 
What could be more tiresome than to see an author post online over and over–buy my product, buy my product. Yeah, yeah. I personally tune these messages out; I’ve developed a filter that results in my not really seeing the post.
That doesn’t mean you as an author never tell your readers that the digital version of your book is free or for sale for a specific amount of time; that’s info people want to hear. But it does mean you can’t expect viewers of your social media to respond if your sole message to them is to buy.
If you engage your readers, they’ll convince themselves to buy.
Publishers have begun to grasp the distinction between connecting vs. engaging. That’s why, in the past, publishers wanted to know how many likes you had on Facebook; now they want to see a rolling dialogue between you and your readers on Facebook. It’s one thing to have 21,000 unique visitors to your blog in a month, but another to have you actually respond in the comments section. (No, you don’t have to respond to every person, but, yes, commenters want to know you’re reading what they’re writing.) What publishers want is to know you’re meaningfully engaged with potential readers.
Before you surrender your keyboard in despair that you can’t be all things to all people, here’s a life preserver for you:
Think like a reader. That’s all you have to do. What, as a reader, do you want to hear from authors? Well, howdy, that’s what you should give your readers. Just be you. Engage in a dialogue with readers. Be authentic.
Engaging with readers can be done in person, too. One of my clients, a firefighter, donates a percentage of book sales at his signings to a fund for firefighters injured while putting out a blaze–or to their families if they died on the job. Since his novels are about EMTs, he’s staying true to his brand.
Another client, Lisa Bogart, took herself on a 30-city tour to promote her devotional centered on a knitting theme. As part of her tour, she asked those who attended her talks (held mostly at knit shops) to knit a square, which she would add to an afghan she made while on planes and trains between booksigning stops. The resulting afghans were donated to Warm Up America. Lisa went beyond connecting and instead engaged people not only with her book but also with a larger cause. And stayed true to her brand.
What, as a reader, do you want to hear from an author?
TWEETABLES
Publishers look for authors who engage with readers rather than “connect” with them. Click to tweet.
Connecting vs. engaging with readers–2 very different things. Click to tweet.
If a writer chooses to share aspects of his or her life, I’d like to see that the values lived are congruent with those written.
Reading is a form of vulnerability; to fully engage with a book we open our hearts to the characters, to the plot, and ultimately to the author.
Social media is an excellent way for an author to show that the trust is soundly placed. It allows an author to show that the themes and moral grounding of their work comes from the heart, and not from a merely commercial analysis of the potential market.
My favorite authors are my heroes; I want to be able to look up to them. I want their words to pull me higher, and to be buttressed – and never undermined – by a growing familiarity.
Good point, Andrew. What an author reveals about his or her life and the response to it shows character or the lack thereof.
I also enjoy how clever many authors are as they riff on life.
Please pardon the second comment, but I just had a “DUH!” moment.
What I want is…more to read.
Not a Millennial issue. In the 50s, Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke and Heinlein were prolific in writing for the late and lamented SF anthologies.
In the 60s, Richard Bach worked as a writer for aviation magazines (and was on the editorial staff for “Flying” magazine.
A writer’s voice animates a world, and I’d like to spend as much time there as possible.
The opportunities for exposure are greater today, with free blogging platforms allowing unlimited ‘publication’ of extra writing. The only caveat is that the author has to be his or her own gatekeeper, in regard to maintaining quality.
It may be that the ancillary material we make available today almost has to be better than the books, to maintain the engagement.
Especially for novelists, readers want more to read.
I used to have more time to keep up with Beth Moore, one of my favorite Bible study authors. I loved on her blog when she shared real life … from sharing real problems to cautioning younger women to wear sunscreen. Sounds silly, I guess. But sometimes it’s comforting to know you aren’t the only one with problems. And to see how they handle it … especially someone older and wiser.
A recent thing I’ve noticed from authors is letting their followers give input to the names of their next characters. I think that’s sweet. People seem to enjoy that. Maybe that helps engage them.
Sometimes daily items like an admonition to wear sunscreen makes the author a person you feel you know personally, and that’s part of the connection readers have the joy of experiencing nowadays.
I always enjoy hearing snippets of real life from authors. What’s important to them, likes, their interests. It’s also fun to know when their next books are coming out.
I’m with Shelli. It’s fun when authors ask for input for their stories, in the form of character name ideas or other ideas for their stories.
Great post, Janet!
Jeanne, it is fun to name a character–or even just to get to suggest a name. I enjoy reading those conversations on Facebook.
I prefer to see a demonstrated practice of and commitment to faith.
If these are lacking in an author’s FB missives, I will begin to doubt his or her resolve in, and competence for, infusing writing with transcendent values.
Surpreet, I’m sometimes startled by the language people use on their Facebook posts. It can be very telling.
Amen to that, Surpreet.
I like to hear bits about their real life, so I can view them as a person–not just authors. I enjoy hearing about Deb Raney’s garden, Lauraine Snelling’s paintings of roosters and so forth. I’d feel a personal connection with them, even if I’d never met them. Many of us get in the bad habit of posting all our professional stuff (buy, buy, buy–even if we’re not using that word) on our author page and all our personal stuff on our FB profile. I am trying very hard to mix it up, while still protecting my privacy.
I agree with you about Lauraine. Her unique voice and her compassion for people ooze from her posts on FB.
Lauraine is a great example of an author who likes her readers–and that shows. She enjoys spending time with them, too. There’s nothing quite like knowing someone enjoys you to cause you to like that person in return.
As a reader I want to hear about what inspired them, from memories they have of childhood to a trip they took on their bucket list.
I also enjoy reading blurbs about ‘where they once were’. For example, recently Karen Ball wrote a few posts about Lori Benton’s journey to publication. Not only was it interesting, it was inspirational to see the fingerprints of God through each season.
Jenni, I agree it’s always interesting to know the genesis of a book idea. And the journey the author experienced to get that first book published. I saw a local production of the play Funny Girl over the weekend, and just before Fanny Brice went to Ziegfeld Follies, she told her friend, “But I haven’t suffered enough yet. It was too easy getting here.” Few of us can make that claim, but that’s what makes our recounting the journey enjoyable and inspiring for others.
What a welcome post! I’m still learning marketing, but one thing I have learned is this: Don’t befriend unknown fellow authors on FB, then suddenly ask them to Like your author page. It happens often, and it makes me feel used. The number of FB “Likes” means very little.
Your comments remind me of an Amway dealer I once knew. It was impossible to talk to her without her trying to sell me Amway products. She wasn’t a bad person, but I felt more like a customer than a friend. I don’t my readers to feel that way about me as a person.
Rick, your Amway friend is a good example of what not to do. Especially because we’re connected with so many people through social media, the individuals who just want us to buy whatever they’re selling are easy to identify–and aren’t fun to be connected with.
Am I the only one suffering from reader/writer conflict? Yes, I enjoy several blogs and follow some fellow writers on Facebook. But I find myself going more days between checking their posts and scanning over anything more than two paragraphs. Yes, I’d like to follow even more authors . . . BUT, I have to limit the time I spend on it, or it cuts into my writing time. When I find someone new that I really like, do I drop someone I’ve followed for awhile? Or do I just give up on writing (I know I can’t) and become a devoted reader? It’s the same old time management principles on networked steroids. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” all over again.
Shirlee, we’re all facing that time crunch. I find myself scrolling around Facebook when I’m procrastinating. That’s a terrible habit I’ve developed!
You’re probably right that when you start to read a new author’s blog, you need to drop one you’ve been reading for a while (but not our blog!). It’s kind of like when your closet gets jammed, you have to clean it out or at least discard one garment for each new one you buy. Our social media “closets” are only so big.
I agree, as a reader, I like the snippets of real life from my favorite writers. I’ve been following Nora Roberts’ blog closely the last two weeks as she’s in Ireland and posting daily about what she’s doing. I also enjoy Deb Raney’s Friday FB posts about Wichita’s coffee shops. Just a fun connection. I also enjoy your FB posts, Janet. 😉
Thanks for the specific examples, Carrie. The coffee shop connection with Deb seems like such a simple thing, yet it put that human touch into the relationship.
I enjoy Kathy Herman’s amazing photos of birds she sees in her yard. They’re breathtaking and make me happy each time I see one.
Oh, I’ll look for Kathy’s posts!
Janet, as a reader I want to hear about an author’s faith, family and favorite hobbies. It’s also a draw for me when they show their vulnerable side just enough so I know they’re human like the rest of us.
I’m learning so much about healthy engagement each time I read this blog and its comments. Thank you.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Yes, Wendy … seeing the vulnerable side somehow helps us connect.
Wendy, I’m saying amen to each item you listed that you want to hear from an author. Thanks for the mention of our blog. It took us awhile to realize responding to comments makes a conversation. Duh. It’s made all the difference between pushing info AT readers and pulling readers INTO an interchange. Everyone’s happier doing it this way!
I love the nuances of the word “engage,” too. Not only does it speak of interaction, meaning, and care… it also speaks to long-term relationships that are grounded in commitment. Investment. Not writers using readers as tally counts, but writers pouring into their readers hearts, whether in the pages of their books, or in the exchange of comments, ideas, prayer. Thank you for this wonderful and thought-provoking post, Janet! And for being such a great example of these concepts.
Amanda, I appreciate your pointing out that engagement suggests a long-term relationship in which there is a commitment. It’s very helpful to think about the author-reader relationship that way.
“You are what you share.”
Anybody out there want to share some leftover pizza?
It’s Chicken & Garlic. (I can over-night express it to you)
Love this post, Janet. When I first began to interact with authors online, I was blown away by a few of them because they actually engaged with me. One of them, Laura Frantz, accepted my friend request, and actually looked at my Facebook profile and told me she thought my family was beautiful! I felt valuable to her as more than a reader, and in that moment I became a lifelong fan. 🙂 Also, when she discovered I was a historical author, she committed to pray for my writing journey, and has been an amazing blessing ever since. I love watching how she engages her readers on Facebook and her blog. She makes every single person feel like they are her most important fan.
Gabrielle, thanks for pointing out Laura Frantz as an example of how to make sure each reader is valued. I’ve noted Laura’s special attention to each and every Facebook friend. She’s over-the-top amazing and genuinely wonderful. And, here’s the best part: She’s shy but overcomes her quiet nature to reach out to others.
Love this post, have been thinking about this quite a lot lately. Very encouraged to hear that it’s engagement over numbers now, even though my numbers have been (slowly) growing. Looking forward to trying out some of the ways in the post and comments for engaging readers.
Diane, I’m pleased to hear the post is helping you to think in terms of engagement. When we think about it, it just makes sense that creating relationships is the key to utilizing SOCIAL media, right?
I am a new author and just finding my way around the world of social media. My greatest fear is that I will become obnoxious rather than engaging and no one will tell me. How I long for a social media critique group or a social media accountability partner of some kind. Does anyone know of something like this?
Afton, first off, congratulations on becoming an author! I’m not aware of social media critique partners, but good friends do tend to tell good friends when they’ve overstepped certain boundaries. Studying what other authors do that you like and being aware of what annoys you as a readers help to establish those boundaries.
Thanks, Janet. Wise counsel as always.
Ooooh, what is the name of your firefighter client? My brother is a firefighter and that sounds like an author I would like to read. Ha, see there you are engaging me with fun info and making me want to buy. But really, what is the name?
Kristen, case in point about engaging readers, eh? His name is Shawn Grady. He writes suspense. Here’s a link to his books: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=shawn+grady&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Ashawn+grady