Readers Respond
We recently published an article titled “Is Social Media Toxic to Writing?” In it, fiction writer Rebecca Kauffman describes being asked by her publisher to get on Facebook to promote her book, and coming to terms with “my personal aversion to social media.” Our readers felt aversion, too, and a sense of responsibility for working on behalf of their writing—as well as confusion.
“The unfortunate thing about social media marketing is that much like in real life, if you feel awkward (or have no interest) in the room it shows and can work against you. If you are a natural marketer and love ‘working the room,’ then it’s your best friend. Like most things, one size does not fit all, and the challenge for people who do not take to social media is to either learn how to do it effectively (time-consuming and tedious) or find other ways to market themselves (time-consuming and tedious).”—Scott Myles
“An author unwilling to be his/her own best promoter is simply depriving his/her efforts of opportunities for success. Regardless of what anyone’s personal feelings are about social media, the fact is that it reaches millions of potential readers unlike any other medium or venue.”—Paul T. McCain
“Of course, whatever you do, you’ll eventually find it on somebody’s list of ‘The 10 Things a Writer Should NEVER Do on Social Media.’ ”—John Shea
From the Newsletters
Emer O’Sullivan, author of The Fall of the House of Wilde: Oscar Wilde and His Family (Bloomsbury), reveals 10 things you probably don’t know about Oscar Wilde.
Olivia the bossy pig returns! We reveal the cover of Olivia the Spy (Atheneum/Dlouhy), due out in April.
How the bankruptcy of a Korean shipping company is wreaking supply-chain havoc for several publishers.
Announcing the quarterfinalists of the BookLife Prize in Fiction.
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Blogs
Why have no children’s authors ever won the Nobel Prize in Literature?
Podcasts
PW senior writer Andrew Albanese reports from the Frankfurt Book Fair, which this year has been a very busy and political affair, with events in Turkey taking center stage.
Recapping the largest ever New York Comic Con, plus a roundup of digital comics news from Comixology, ComicsBlitz, and Madefire.
Singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins talks about adapting his song “Footloose” into a picture book set at a rockin’ zoo.
Colin Dickey discusses his new book, Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places (Viking). PW reviews editor Annie Coreno shares more books about the scary, spooky, and macabre.
The most-read review on publishersweekly.com last week was Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey (Tor).
