Go to where the readers are

It’s great advice for a writer who is looking to sell more books. I’m all for it, just as I’m all for selling more books. But I am questioning the way the author who suggested this (and, no, because I’m criticizing what they said, I’m not going to reveal who said it or where, sorry) said to do so.

The author of the blog post suggested that to find readers for your books, you go to where they hang out. Well, that’s a terrific idea. But they said to do so as a reader, not as a writer. This author said to put on your reader hat because all authors are readers, and hopefully they read the same genre as they write and join the readers groups as just another reader. This is an honest this thing to. I’m totally with this person.

I am a reader of paranormal romance. I love it and I read it voraciously. Give me a good fantasy with a great romance and an interesting twist on the paranormal part and I’m happier than you can imagine (yeah, tried to find a good simile, couldn’t think of one that wasn’t a horrible cliché – care of offer one?). I’d be more than happy to join a group of other readers to discuss the books I’ve read.

But I’m so busy writing my own stories (and editing them, and then editing them again… and then, yes, again), that I don’t have time to hang out on Goodreads or Facebook reader pages or search through Twitter hashtags. I wish I did. I would probably find a lot more books to read (not that I need them, honestly, I’ve got so many books sitting waiting to be read it’s not funny).

But let’s just say that I did have the time to hang out with other readers. Yes, it’s good to know what they read and why they read what they read. As an author I definitely want to know that. But is it going to change what I write? Probably not. I write what I want to read. I write from my own imagination. I generally don’t write to the market – I’ve been told not to (by agents and editors), and I’ve been told I definitely should (by other writers).

And let’s just say in this hypothetical world where I’ve got so much time on my hands, that I hang out with these other readers. I make friends. We chat about books that we love to read. We have a grand ol’ time – until I suggest one of my own books. And then I know what’s going to happen. I’ll get shunned. Kicked out of the group. It’s nearly happened before. I got my hand slapped by the moderator of a Goodreads group for recommending one of my own books.

So how is hanging out with readers of books like mine going to help me if I can’t suggest my own books to them? I do want to reach these readers. I do want to develop relationships with them. But I don’t want to be thought to be a spammer, or worse, a user without authentic intent. It looks to me like I can either join readers groups as a reader and stay a reader and not let them know that I’m an author or I can try to find these people elsewhere…somehow… by being open and honest and telling people that I’m a writer, that I write fun books they’d probably enjoy reading, and I hope they give them a try.

So, where do you find readers? Do you hang out with them as a writer or as a reader? What do you think about this?