How Authors Can Use The Internet To Interact With Readers

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When it comes to authors reaching out to their readers, the landscape has certainly changed over the past decade. In the past, authors could only directly connect to their readers via book tours or written correspondence. Today, however, writers have many new channels through which to connect to their readers. Here are some innovative ways that authors can use to speak with their readers directly

Many people may still be unfamiliar with Reddit. However, it's quickly

becoming a powerful marketing tool for many people, including authors. Lemony Snicket, a children's book author whose real name is Daniel Handler, used a Reddit post called "Asked Me Anything" to allow his fans to ask him questions directly. Handler was able to have a direct dialogue with fans who may not have been able to come see him on one of his book tours. It was an easy and free manner of promotion.

Goodreads

Goodreads is a platform for readers to create virtual bookshelves of the books they've read and to share their opinions with other readers. Authors can create author portals where they can receive reader feedback directly. This is an ingenious method for authors to be able to receive feedback directly on their work, in addition to an easy way for them to keep their readers posted on what they are up to.

Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media

When it comes to authors communicating with their readers, popular social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook work well. These platforms are not made specifically for authors, but they do work well for this purpose. Readers can "follow" their favorite authors on these platforms and can keep track of what their favorite authors are up to, in addition to being able to send them questions and comments.

The publishing landscape is changing across the board and it's important for authors to keep up. If authors use these tools to communicate with their readers and publicize their brand, they will be able to successfully compete in today's market. Plus, their readers will appreciate their accessibility.

How important do you think it is for an author to have an online precence? If you loved a book and then found that the author had no social media accounts, would that bother you?

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