WRITING SOCIAL

I confess to being a novice when it comes to navigating today's social networking highways.  However, if you are a writer, it is definitely a must.  When I finally made a Facebook page last spring, my sister commented that it was about time.  She was right though I'm still grasping the concept of Facebook and how it can expand my readership.  Since constructing my author page in July, I only have thirty something likes.  Not exactly making a lot of waves, but it's a work in progress.

Twitter, on the other hand, has been a bit more successful.  Joining the writing community on Twitter has been incredibly helpful.  Irish author, Derek Hudson, gave me a simple piece of advice, follow other authors and hopefully they will follow you back.

This has led me to some great blogs, great books as well as writing opportunities.  Twitter is where I read a tweet from Grit City Publications about writing blog post.  They accepted one of my ideas and two weeks ago my post, The Write File premiered.  Can't tell you how exciting it is to see your byline in print!

Twitter also led me to http://writethismoment.com which is a website that lists diverse paying opportunities for writers.  They are based in the United Kingdom, but the jobs and publishers who are looking for authors are worldwide.  The list is updated weekly and is easy to access.  There is a fee, eight pounds for three months and twenty-four for a year, but it's money well spent.

I started with a three month membership and ended up getting it for a year when my trial period was up.  The site has led me to publishers who may be interested in Secrets, Lies, and Trash, anthologies looking for short stories, travel writing jobs, as well as sites looking for bloggers.  I highly recommend it if you are a free-lancer.  It saves so much time.  I check in one place every Monday instead of scouring multiple sites or purchasing various Writer's Markets.

Whether you are self-publishing or with a traditional publishing house, getting social is an important way to spread the work about your writing.  Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Pininterest are just a few of the places you can promote your work online.


Up next: The Art of Tweeting