Writers: If you were published...(Random writerly questions)?

[cathrl69]

I imagine the way I feel about interacting with strangers who read my writing wouldn't change much from how I feel about it now, so on that basis...

1) Offer to read and blurb writers soon-to-be published manuscripts?
No, not unless I'd beta-read the book.

2) Have a blog dedicated (keyword) to offering advice to aspiring authors?
Nah. Millions of the things already.

3) Have a Twitter account, Author blog, or author Facebook fan page?
No. I'd have a website.

4) Read the good, bad, and ugly reviews for your book?
Yes.

5) Criticize other published authors publicly without being questioned or baited by fans or an interviewer?
No. Their books, maybe.

6) Do a blog tour if you're asked?
No - I'm not a blogger so I'd probably make an idiot of myself.

7) Do a regular national tour if you're asked?
I have no idea. Probably not. I have two kids and a day job.

8) Sign copies of your books for the local bookstore so fans can get signed copies when they buy the book?
Maybe. It would be good to support a local store instead of everyone going to Amazon.

9) Let readers send you their books so you can sign them and mail them back?
That sounds like a major pain in the rear end. No.

10) Do an overseas book tour if your foreign publisher asked (assuming you've sold foreign rights)?
Again, I wouldn't have time.

11) Give out bookmarks, bookplates, clothing branded with your book's title (like hoodies that some authors giveaway), pins, or other tangible items branded with your book to fans? [You'd have to pay for it.]
No.

12) Give away books to all your family and friends who wanted one?
No. Sorry, but if they want to read it they can buy it. I don't expect my friends to do professional work for me for free either.

13) Hire an assistant?
To do what?

14) Hire a publicist? [Publishers don't do it all or might not put a lot of money into it.]
I'm not interested in being published at that level.

15) Communicate with fans regularly on Facebook and Twitter? [Some authors do, some don't.]
No.

16) Give exclusives (interviews, info about upcoming books, or whatever.) to fansites dedicated to your book and/or characters?
Probably. I mean, I'd rather talk about my characters to people who actively like my writing than to people who couldn't care less and are only interested in how many books I've sold.

17) Hold a contest to have a fan name a character in your book (including using their own name)?
Ew. No. I might consider a contest to supply names where I picked a winning _name_. But no way would I commit to maybe having to accept Crystylle Marysue.

18) Have family and friends go to review sites and review your book?
Hell no. I wouldn't even do that with my fanfic.

19) Quote the good fan reviews your book has received on your Facebook, Twitter, blog, tumbler, etc.
I think that's up to the publisher.

20) Follow fans on twitter, Friend fans on Facebook who send you a request, or follow fans blogs who follow you? [I know this is kind of confusing, hehe, but if you have one of these things then you'll know what I mean.]
I don't do any of those sites, so no.

21) Have a list of fan sites on your website?
Probably. I mean, having started out as a fanfic writer I'd like to have somewhere to point anyone who tried to send it to me, since I'm aware that reading it myself would be a Really Bad Idea legally.

22) Give away books to random fans for no reason?
Not for no reason...but it might be fun to, for instance, run a little contest for people to draw fanart associated with the book? Since I have all the artistic talent of a dead frog, it's not like I'd ever pass it off as my own...

23) Read all your fan mail, including physical letters and email?
I'm cheerfully saying "yes" from the position of a fanfic writer who gets, if I'm lucky, two reviews a month. For as long as it was practical to do so, yes. I appreciate that bestselling authors simply _can't_.

24) Accept gifts from fans? Including the innocent like a fan's drawing of your characters to someone's homemade pie.
If it was posted to me, there wouldn't be much else I could do, would there? I'd love drawings.

25) Attend a book club discussion of your book if asked by the book club? If so, would you charge?
That would be way cool. If it was local? No, I wouldn't charge. If it wasn't, it would probably be impractical (see above comment about kids and job).