Get Yourself a Reputation - Create a Digital Writing Profile

On Saturday fellow writer and co-founder of Greenacre Writers, Lindsay Bamfield and myself ran a workshop, 'Get Yourself a Reputation', all about creating a digital writing profile. Through preparing and running this workshop plus reading an interesting article by Emily Benet http://www.themarknews.com/articles/4875-selling-a-novel-in-140-characters I began to really think about a writing reputation and digital presence on the Internet.

Imagine if you were to create Facebook pages, Event pages, Page pages, Twitter accounts, blogs. Now imagine that over a short amount of time you had built up a following of writers, a community of like-minded FB friends. What would you have? Answer: A digital reputation, a digital writing profile. And somehow even though you spend far too much time online, looking at emails, liking pages, tweeting and Facebooking and trowling through loads of useless information you have also managed to finally finish that novel. Not only could you follow a publisher using Twitter or Friend them on Facebook, you could message them and ask them to have a look at your digital presence. After all you come as a package and this includes a ready-made fan base. What do fans equal? Potential book-buyers. Your FB friends and family have become a virtual community, and this could be the deciding factor for a publisher who is deciding whether or not to take you on and publish that bestseller. This also applies if you are self published. Why? Because, you want people to buy your books. What better way to encourage them than by promoting yourself and your writing using a range of social media.
 
All these social applications on the internet can create a reader following. As bloggers, tweeters etc we have to be aware that just as we can receive positive support we can also receive negative or downright rude comments. So Just bear this in mind, we are vulnerable out there on the net and sometimes we need a thick skin.

Social media is a way to find out what is going on, the latest competitions, calls for aritcles, funding, events, promotional tools for writers; editors with something to sell. Read other peoples updates, twitters, blogs – do your research before making your own comments.

Decide who you want to follow – Twitter gives ideas – you may want to search for your favourite writers – look on their websites, if they have a twitter account or use FB there will be a link which will take you direct to twitter where you can follow them.

Think about your profile wherever you appear on the Internet. You are building a reputation and it is important to think about what sort of reputation you want to achieve. What are you trying to say about yourself? Always think about your ultimate aim i.e. getting published – think about that potential publisher looking at your profile. Think, eat and sleep writing. First thing in the morning, share your dreams and inspirations, post questions on Facebook - we writers love solving problems. Use the net to create a positive writing presence, a creative writing presence and build yourself a digital reputation.

Paragraph Planet

A little piece of fiction:

published on Paragraph Planet

http://www.paragraphplanet.com/

BBC Radio 2 - 500 words competition

I've been selected as one of the volunteer judges for the Chris Evans Breakfast Show 500 WORDS competition. It will be interesting helping to judge children's stories as opposed to the Greenacre Writers short story competition which was for adults. I'm looking forward to receiving the first batch of stories.

Plus as one of the judges, for BBC Radio 2's '500 words' I'll have the chance to win a pair of tickets to be in the audience for the live broadcast of the Chris Evans Breakfast Show at the Hay Festival of Literature & the Arts on Friday 1st June 2012. What time does Chris do his show? 6.30am - crumbs that's early.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/500words/2012/

WORLD BOOK NIGHT 2012

I've been chosen as a World Book Night giver and got my first choice book: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.WBN is a celebration of reading and books which sees tens of thousands of passionate volunteers gift books in their communities to share their love of reading. 25 titles are specially chosen and printed in their thousands in World Book Night editions. Givers apply to give away a particular book (you get a first, second and third choice) which they must commit to give away to those who don't regularly read to share and spread their love of reading. Each Giver receives 24 copies which they pick up from their local bookshops and libraries - the very heart of our reading communities - in the week before April 23.  I will be giving my books to homeless peeps at my local church that is used as a shelter for the homeless during the winter months and NHS staff a the North Mid, in particular those staff that don't often read.

In 2012 World Book Night will be celebrated in the UK, Ireland, Germany and USA on April 23.

The World Book Night 2012 Books

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Player of Games by Iain M Banks

Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The Take by Martina Cole

Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell

Someone Like You by Roald Dahl

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Room by Emma Donoghue

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Misery by Stephen King

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Small Island by Andrea Levy

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell

The Damned Utd by David Peace

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Get Yourself a Reputation

Greenacre Writers invite you to a Creative Writer’s Afternoon:
Saturday 24th March 2012 2.00pm - 5.00pm
Chislehurst Avenue, Finchley, London N12  Get Yourself A Reputation.
The workshop will introduce you to some ideas of how to raise your writing profile and get your writing published - suitable for beginners. This workshop is not how to get your book published. The workshop starts way before sending manuscripts to publishers and looks at ways to get a writing reputation.
* Writing exercises
* Ideas for flash fiction and websites
* Online writing forums
* Promoting your writing profile
* Self-publishing
* Talk/Feedback from a self-published author
The aim of the afternoon is to meet fellow creative writers, to work on creative writing exercises, and share your work to receive supportive feedback and ideas in a friendly and stimulating environment.
There will be a small charge to include refreshments:
Members £5; Non-members £10
(Cheques payable to: Greenacre Writers - cancellation available up until 7 days before the event)
For further information or to reserve a place contact:   greenacrewriters@gmail.com