There is a startling amount of unprofessional behaviour amongst so-called professionals. Just think of models, movie stars, musicians, and sportsmen - there are always a few who insist on behaving like spoilt children. Now it seems the bad behaviour trend is spreading to authors.
Regardless of whether you are a potential author, newly published, or a long-time bestseller, the people you work with and the people who buy your product expect a certain level of professionalism from you.
Interacting with readers
Not very long ago, authors were almost invisible to readers. An author was just a name that a reader looked out for if they enjoyed a previous book. As recently as ten years ago, I was still hearing from readers who said they preferred to know as little as possible about their favourite author because too much information spoilt the entertainment value of the novels.
Now, however, publishing has become more about celebrity authors and having a solid promotion platform. With so many books out there, a writer stands a better chance if readers have already heard of her before the book comes out. Marketing and promotion are a bigger deal than the actual writing process.
It's not surprising that with the increased use of Internet social networks and blogging to promote books and authors that the gap between authors and readers has narrowed, allowing direct communication between the two. In one way, the author has become a real person, gaining more loyalty from her readers because of who she is, but in another it has become all too easy to overstep the line and lose the respect of your readers.
Handling reader criticism
It's never easy to receive criticism, particularly when it is delivered tactlessly. With the increase of amateur reviews on sites like Amazon, it is likely that you will find a negative comment or two about your book at some stage. The best response to criticism is no response at all.
Readers are not usually writers. They don't understand what it feels like to have your years of hard work shredded in a few sentences, but they also don't appreciate a tantrum over it. As far as many readers are concerned, if you put yourself out there by having a book published, you have thick enough skin to handle a bit of criticism.
The PR motto "The customer is always right" also applies to your readers - they are your customers, and if they are disappointed in your product, you need to listen and not argue. The value of this type of feedback, however, is that it is coming directly from the "horse's mouth", as it were. Newspaper reviews are written by journalists with the sometimes-jaded experience of many hundreds of books. If you want to know what your real fans think of your book, the Internet gives you this opportunity.
Unlike in business, there is nothing you can do to change a disappointing book once published, but you can learn from your mistakes if a reader genuinely points out a flaw. This is where it becomes so important not to cheat your reader by cutting corners in your writing, plotting, and characterisation. Use beta readers and critique groups so that you get used to your work being picked apart, and have enough pride in your manuscript to make changes when you discover weak writing practices.
Removing inaccurate statements
If an online reviewer or blogger has written something about your book that is evidentially untrue (perhaps they've mistaken your book for another by the same name), the best way to correct the error is to contact the site owner privately. Don't start commenting publicly on reviews or in someone else's blog. In the case of Amazon, your case will be checked and the inaccurate reviews removed. A blogger may be more subjective when it comes to retracting a review, but a private, polite email will go down better than a slanging match in the blog comments.
Sock puppets
A sock puppet is Internet lingo for someone creating more than one username and pretending to post on a forum or networking site as another person. A sock puppet may come to the defence of a book, or attempt to promote a book as an "ordinary" reader rather than the author, or may simply notch up stars or positive ratings for the author. Don't stoop to this. Sock puppets are very easy to uncover, and the signs are well-known to moderators. It will be extremely embarrassing for you when you are exposed as a sock puppet, and your credibility will be lost.
If friends or family insist on interacting with your readers, make sure they identify themselves as such to avoid being mistaken for a sock puppet.
Treat your fans and readers with honesty, sincerity, and respect, and your online promotion will be strong and healthy for years to come.
Make the most of the social networking and Amazon platforms and tools available to you as an author. These books will help to talk you through the processes for successful online book promotion:
Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors, Book Publicity through Social Networking by Steve Weber
Sell Your Book on Amazon : The Book Marketing Coach Reveals Top-Secret "How-to" Tips Guaranteed to Increase Sales for Print-on-Demand and Self-Publishing Writers by Brent Sampson and Dan Poynter
If you want to read the bizarre stories of the badly behaved authors who prompted this article, I've posted the links to those stories on the forum.
Printer Friendly Version
