Social Media and the Modern Author

I received an email from my publishers the other day that began by chatting about what they're planning to do to promote Why Kings Confess, but then quickly progressed to what they want me to do. And what they want me to do, of course, is have more of a presence on social media. Not nearly enough people "like" me.

It's times like this that I wish I were a Victorian-era author.

I can't do Twitter. I just can't. It would be wonderful if I could, but my brain simply doesn't think in clever little sound bites. Fortunately, they're okay with that (some publishers actually put in their contracts that authors are required to Tweet!). But that still leaves Facebook and Goodreads. And I am not nearly as active as I "should" be on either.

I'm supposed to post on Facebook at least once a day. But I'm only supposed to mention my books every 4-5 posts because we wouldn't want people to think that I'm actually, you know, doing this solely to promote my books.

I'm also supposed to post new info on Goodreads every couple of days, but even that isn't enough; I need more of a Presence. Evidently Presence requires going to at least one other author's page a day and posting a comment while casually identifying myself as the author of, ahem, that series that I don't want to look like I'm trying to promote even though of course everyone knows that's exactly what I'm doing. Seriously?

So, be warned: I will be putting up blog posts much more frequently. I apologize in advance if it becomes annoying. I will also be posting on my Facebook page at least once a day. If I can think of anything to say. Suggestions for what to post are welcomed (earnestly intreated...begged on hands and knees....) But I won't be commenting on other authors' Goodreads pages simply as a way to promote myself. Call me an old-fashioned girl.

Oh, and please "like" me at https://www.facebook.com/CSHarrisAuthor. Get your friends to like me. Your mom. Your cousins. Your book club. Your sewing group. Your fellow prison inmates. Whatever.