Should aspiring authors use social media? Why or Why not?

[mrs jady]

Half my favorite (established) authors don't use it and sell very well. Of course, they're established. There are fans, even, who create Facebook "fan pages" for them.

How much time should an aspiring author give to personally promoting their work, and how much time should be spent actually writing?

What authors have you seen use it effectively? Has the use of social media by authors influenced your book purchases? If an author reveals too much about him-/herself via their online social marketing activities, does it turn you off from buying their books?

[hp_resource]

"How much time should an aspiring author give to personally promoting their work, and how much time should be spent actually writing?"

That suggests that you expect them to be writing ALL the time. Many people can do their professions well while still being very active on social networking. Writers are no different. They simply can't spend every waking hour writing their next novel, even if it's a much-anticipated novel that fans are waiting for.

I've seen Neil Gaiman and John Green do fabulous jobs of maintaining their social media presence, especially on Twitter.

http://www.twitter.com/realjohngreen

I don't necessarily want to hear them ONLY talk about their work, but their work is the reason I follow them... so i want to know where they're planning on doing book signings, how their current book is progressing through the publication process, etc. I also like when they link to reviews of their books. But I don't want to hear them praise themselves to no end, etc.

Many writers often also have a blog, and I like when they give out links to their newest blog posts.

It has never turned me off from buying a book, reading authors on social media. Often they post recommendations for other books that you may enjoy if you like their books, and I've read quite a few books I hadn't known about, because of their recommendations.

Aspiring authors should balance social media activities with personal info and professional info. Of course, if you're only an aspiring author and not a published author, it's unlikely you will have fans following you just yet because of your work.

Hope that helps answer your question!