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

[Gemi]

1) Offer to read and blurb writers soon-to-be published manuscripts?
*** If I knew the author, was asked to review, & liked their work then yes. Otherwise no b/c praising bad work is bad for your business and publicly criticizing others is even worse.

2) Have a blog dedicated (keyword) to offering advice to aspiring authors?
*** Definitely not unless I was teaching a work shop. I don't want to see writing as a profession or I'll lose the love for writing. And most advice is subjective.

3) Have a Twitter account, Author blog, or author Facebook fan page?
*** Yes. For fans, it's a must. Those are the people who pay me. It would be a poor show of gratitude to just take their money and ignore them.

4) Read the good, bad, and ugly reviews for your book?
*** I would likely pay attention to defamatory critiques that could affect my sales revenue and the critiques by the most important industry institutions.

5) Criticize other published authors publicly without being questioned or baited by fans or an interviewer?
*** Nope. Never. That's social suicide. You might as well buy all of your own books, pile them in the middle of central square and host a book burning ceremony. There goes your marketable name.

6) Do a blog tour if you're asked?
*** Doubt it. Depends on the situation and for whom.

7) Do a regular national tour if you're asked?
*** No. I have a daughter, a life. I can't just up and go on book tours. I'm not in it to play the fame game anyway.

8) Sign copies of your books for the local bookstore so fans can get signed copies when they buy the book?
*** Only when I know that I can bring customers in. Book stores expect authors to bring customers.

9) Let readers send you their books so you can sign them and mail them back?
*** If they included a return shipping envelope with paid postage? Yes.

10) Do an overseas book tour if your foreign publisher asked (assuming you've sold foreign rights)?
*** No refer to question 7.

11) Give out bookmarks, etc
*** It's pretentious to assume people would want it. I write for adults so this would be tacky as well. If I was a children's author then perhaps...if I knew I could sell it

12) Give away books to all your family and friends who wanted one?
*** Just strangers. Family and friends can borrow from me, strangers share with other strangers.

13) Hire an assistant?
*** No. Unless you count an agent as an "assistant"

14) Hire a publicist?
*** Yes, of course. And I'd have 80% control of my publicity campaign. I have quite a few excellent promotional ideas that have never been tried by authors.

15) Communicate with fans regularly on Facebook and Twitter? [Some authors do, some don't.]
*** Yes, refer to question 3

16) Give exclusives to fansites dedicated to your book and/or characters?
*** Of course

17) Hold a contest to have a fan name a character in your book (including using their own name)?
*** It would be something to consider. Probably do something better than a name though.

18) Have family and friends go to review sites and review your book?
*** No. That's cheating.

19) Quote the good fan reviews your book has received on your Facebook, Twitter, blog, tumbler, etc.
*** No. That's like tooting your own horn and is very tactless.

20) Follow fans on twitter, Friend fans on Facebook who send you a request,...
*** No. I'd reply to who ever left me messages and leave it at that.

21) Have a list of fan sites on your website?
*** Only if they benefited from it by increasing traffic to their site/promoted them. Otherwise its tactless.

22) Give away books to random fans for no reason?
*** Yes. I'd give them to those who couldn't afford them or had some sort of issues. Not to those who could afford them. I'm there to make money after all.

23) Read all your fan mail, including physical letters and email?
*** Probably not all of it, assuming there is a lot.