“Put your best foot forward.” It’s a cliché, but it’s true, and it’s important for any writer looking to promote themselves and their work to remember.Authors these days are “encouraged” (read: almost required) to keep a website and blog. It’d be stupid not to, when there are so many readers online. I have over 200 blogs in my RSS reader, and something I’ve noticed from a few is an extraordinary lack of professional appearance.
There are a few blogs that I read but will not comment on because their page is so overloaded with colors, animations, and music that I can’t stand to be there for more than a millisecond. (This is especially true of MySpace profiles.) Usually there are ways around this, but not always.
Web sites and blogs should be clean, simple, and easy to navigate. Please, leave off the animations, huge text on a tiled background, and music. Reminding your reader of the horrors that were 1998 Geocities webpages designed by what would appear to be a six year old on a sugar high… does not help you much.
I’ve also noticed a few blogs in which the author does not appear to have even a rudimentary grasp of spelling and grammar. One in particular where, while promoting a new release, said author consistently misspelled the book’s name. Now, I understand that people with dyslexia, for example, have great difficulty with typing and spelling… but that’s what spell checkers are for. I’m not a Grammar Nazi; I don’t mind the occasional typo or comma splice. But if your blog posts consistently look like this, there’s a problem: “i just finieshd my new prooject today and ill be sending it out too my Publisher as soon as possibel. Im sooo Ecxited about this book and I can’t stop thinking about it. Its about Vampyres and i’m taking a totally difeferent spin on it then other ppl. what do u all think?”
No, that’s not an actual excerpt. I’ve seen typing like that on a few blogs, though, and I can’t help but wonder how this person got published, if this is the way they type. Blog posts may not be representative of the actual quality of their fiction, but even if it happened to be an awesome book, I still wouldn’t pick it up. Speaking as a reader, if somebody can’t be bothered to use proper spelling and grammar in a blog post, why should I believe they would do any better with their novels?
Maybe I’m missing out on some great stuff. I’ll probably never know.
When you get right down to it, publishing is a competitive business. Think of how many author blogs are out there. Why risk annoying potential readers for the sake of skipping a thirty-second spell check?
After all, in order to get published, you have to do a lot of work polishing your fiction. (Not to mention queries and synopses!) That doesn’t end at publication. Sure, you can get published–but if you turn off your readers, you’ve just shot yourself in the foot.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
This has been coming up for me in various forms. Whether my blog is a “professional” blog or a blog that represents me or a bitch blog or….
I found that just a “professional” blog for me wasn’t the answer. That works for agents or some authors, but I like to have a little personality in my blogging.
When I was being all careful about what I said, I was so boring, dull, unoriginal.
So I loosened it up a little. I still write about writing and I still pimp other authors, but I also include “Whiskey Wednesday” which is the place that I give myself permission to rant about something (NOT writing related usually).
Then, there was a post here on Bookends that talks about being careful on the internet (since it’s public domain).
I do try and keep the typos down to a dull roar…..with mixed success.
However, I’m still seeking a balance in the “personable but not TOO personal” vs. “professional but not a snore”
June 13th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Yeah, I hear you. That’s why I have two blogs, actually; one for my professional persona(s), and another for personal content. The latter is clearly marked and disclaimed; if you don’t like what you read there, you can bugger off.
Regardless of whether your blog is professional or personal, it’s still a good idea to be professional in your use of the English language. Even if an author’s blog is “personal,” I’m not going to be very impressed if she reverts to using ‘net-speak.
June 13th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
A smart and insightful post, as always. *suddenly feel stoopid with her Master’s degree and runs to check today’s post for typos*
June 13th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
You know how I feel about this. It irritates me to no end. That’s not to say I won’t have the occasional ‘yknow’ or ‘prolly’ (hey, that’s how I say the word, that’s how I’ll write the word when it suits my mood!) However…I hate ‘u’ instead of you. LOL I can understand using, but things like roflmfaopmp bother me (again, on a blog, not necessarily in an IM)
Other things that bother me is the sort of blatant ego-stroking you noted. “I’m taking this whole new tangent on it…” You know there are going to be three readers who can cite at least two other writers who’ve done what you’re doing.
And I balance me/writer-me online to the point where I’m a little boring…but at the same time, there are public persons who’s real life attitudes have turned me off their books/music, and so I don’t read blogs all that often as a result
June 14th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Sure, Dayna. You’ll use any excuse not to read my blog, won’t you? *sob*
June 14th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Lol Crystal. Is this why she never visits my blog? My obsession with comma’s and and’s is my downfall?
I think it’s a hard line to find. I don’t visit blogs that are all promo, but I also don’t visit blogs that are all personal. I think you need a good mix, but I obviously haven’t found it yet lol.
June 14th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I agree Lori
And yes it is a bit jarring to see excessive error in a post where someone is discussing writing as a career.
I hate blogs that are all about promo. I mean I understand them-but I like a little hint of personality with my sell.
June 14th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
I totally agree. I’ve always lived by the rule that if you don’t want anyone to know it and/or you don’t want it to come back and bite you on the butt later - don’t put it in a picture and don’t put it on paper (i.e., letter, email, blog - whatever). Great post!