Welcome to Goose 2.0 Where Authors Use the Internet to Create Golden-Egg-laying machines
For authors, the internet holds Geese that can possibly lay Golden Eggs.
If you're an author with a finished manuscript, you hold a pet goose capable of laying Golden Eggs. But she's not going to start laying on her own, as all geese that are egg-bearing must be properly nurtured.
Out with the Old Goose
Up until recently an author's "gaggle of geese" was touring to book signings, book fairs and radio and television appearances. These are still pretty effective methods. People still love book signings. People still love interacting with their favorite authors personally. People still care to follow authors who seek personal connections with their fans. But now with the internet and social media, authors have a golden opportunity to get personal with so many more people than could be met at a book signing or touched by a media broadcast.
Enter Goose 2.0
Goose 2.0 is personal and interactive, just like the book signings. However, the differences between the Geese of old and Goose 2.0 couldn't be more radical. Gatekeepers, like publishing houses and media outlets, no longer matter. Obstacles, like exorbitant publishing costs associated with printing, are practically obsolete. Moreover, time is on an author's side more than ever as Goose 2.0 is about creating online platforms where engagement with fans is constantly far-reaching, interactive, and ongoing.
The result is that authors who consistently nurture Goose 2.0 can zoom past gatekeeper hubs directly into the lives of their fans and potential fans across the globe. Can't get booked for a local call-in radio show? No problem, there's always podcasting and sites like Blog Talk Radio where anyone can create their own shows. What's more, all of the work can now be done from the comfort of a personal workspace. Imagine that.
Don't get me wrong. To me, the value of a good face-to-face interaction is priceless and irreplaceable. What I am saying is that good authors willing to use social media and other online resources to authentically represent themselves, automatically hold a higher competitive advantage than their counterparts who resist.
I've personal found success for myself online. So coming Wednesday and Friday, will two consecutive Goose 2.0 blogs with a "gaggle" of tips for you to nurture your own Goose 2.0.
