The FIne Line Between Sharing and Shoving

GUEST POST on The Total Bookaholic

As we've become a part of the YA/middle grade blogosphere and twitterverse, we have seen a lot of authors use these social networking platforms to connect with readers and reviewers. Some successfully, and some less so. One thing that has proven abundantly clear, is that there is a fine line between sharing information about yourself and your book in an engaging way and shoving it down the throats of innocent cyber bystanders. We thought we might pass along some of the lessons we've learned about how to walk this delicate tightrope between good, solid viral marketing and being an obnoxious braggard.

Do: Read other people's blogs and comment on them.
Don't: Try to steer every comment you write on someone else's blog back to your book. The love triangle in "The Hunger Games" has nothing to do with which animal familiar you are most like. It's stretching and transparent.

Do: Tweet about fellow authors. Congratulate them on good reviews or exciting news!
Don't: Post only about your book's own successes, ie the starred review it got from The School Library Journal or the dozen countries that you've sold the international rights to.

Do: Write guest posts for smart bloggers that you enjoy.
Don't: Write self-aggrandizing posts that are merely poorly disguised attempts at sneaking in how Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, thinks your book is a "great idea" and "will be checking it out on 9/7."

All kidding aside, the key to a good online presence is being humble, reciprocal, engaging, and involved. And it doesn't hurt to mention how your book is going to be a movie produced by Sam Raimi either.