Can authors survive without Facebook?

All authors, from small independently published novelists, all the way through the New York Times bestsellers, are in need of social media as a channel to their readers nowadays. Some networks are better than others, but the network most of my colleagues complain about is Facebook.

“It’s too pervasive,” some say.

“The feeds are clogged with silly statuses and whiners,” say others.

“I don’t want Mark Zuckerberg owning my soul,” some others add.

But Facebook nowadays is quite necessary. Why? Because for lot of readers, it’s the primary way they are interacting with the Internet day to day. Yes, it’s even more popular than Twitter, let’s be real about this. That means that authors who have a platform on Facebook have an opportunity to reach more people than ever before. In some cases, readers may even visit your author page more often than your own home-grown web site. What do think about this?

Starting today, I’ll be promoting my own author page on Facebook a little more than before, because I want to make updates convenient for you, and because I also want to know more about what you’d like to see coming out from my site and the podcast. I’ll also be posting a few giveaways and contests for stuff I’ve got published (like special signed copies of “The 12 Burning Wheels.”).

If you’re an author, I’d like to know what your opinions are regarding Facebook. If you’re a reader, I’d like to know what methods of communication help you connect with authors best.

And in case you didn’t already join, here’s a link to the ol’ Facebook fan page I have, just for you, Gentle Readers.