Do think social media takes away from authors?

[Greenlove]

I ask this because years before social media readers picked up books because they thought they were good from the store. Now today people pick up books only because they know them on social media or because it's just well advertised on the internet. Popular or best selling is the titles these books get because they are well advertised when there are many good books that don't have that kind of support. *Do you think it is right a book should be judged by this?

[Fae]

People can pick books however they like. Anyone who wants to browse a store and find books that way can still do that.

[Sky]

I choose my books on what catches my eye then I read the blurb and if I'm on Amazon I read reviews I do this with everything. Most people my age don't read as its seen uncool because it's not in all the mags so I think media is unfair as it don't support views it should be teaching my age. All it teaches it that you need make up and expense stuff to get along in life and that's not true. You need kindness and a education and to read.

[J Taylor]

it helps and depletes

[DIANE]

There never was a utopian world where all books had an equal chance at success and the bestsellers were also the best written. I'm certainly aware of the pre-social media world and I read some great things and I read some crap and some of the crap I really enjoyed. Whether I was fair to writers in my choices is a matter of no concern nor is it anything I expect from readers for my own work.

[Cassie the Weird]

I read books because I see them on Twitter. I read books because they were recommended on Goodreads. I read books because I'm in the library/book store and the title sticks out.
I don't judge books on the way they're advertised. If I like it, I'll tell others to read it, if not, then I don't tell others to read it.

[SRB101]

It's interesting you brought this up, since many agents and publishers now push their herd of writers to start up twitter accounts, facebook accounts, rss feeds, you name it. If it's a social media outlet, they're pushing it. Why? Advertising is freak'n expensive! Social media is (for the most part) free. Of course, it's the WRITER who has to keep up all these accounts. Not the publicist, not the agent, the writer!