June 19, 2009

I talked about some of the pluses of being able to market from your home via the Internet, using such things as book trailers. But is there a down side to all this? Yes, according to Elaura Niles, author of Some Writers Deserve to Starve! (31 Brutal Truths About the Publishing Industry.)

It’s a New Marketing World

Not only can we do a lot of promotion via the Internet, but we also submit e-queries, receive e-edits, and do e-revisions. It was at least ten books ago for me that I actually had to snail mail a paper copy of a finished book to a publisher. Being able to submit through email has been wonderful. It gives you more time before the deadline, allowing you to work right up till 5 p.m. the day it’s due, press “send,” and still be on time. And it saves hundreds of dollars in paper and stamps and gasoline burned going to the post office.

So what’s the problem?

Hidden Dangers

In the chapter called “Many Writers Are Working in the Stone Age,” the Starve author says this (and I totally agree): “But a word of warning before we go: While e-queries are the new way of doing business, the Internet can be a huge time gobbler, and many writers have been lost to Web marketing. Some writers don’t realize when it’s time to stop, and there are no Web lifeguards to reel you back in from thousands of research hours. A good rule of thumb is to spend one hour of Net time for every two hours spent writing. After all, you can’t call yourself a writer if you don’t write.”

How does your own writing stack up against this time frame? When you count marketing time on the Internet, count such things as looking up writers’ guidelines, studying online magazines and market guides, reading industry newsletters and blogs, Twittering, and yes, blogging. I know blogging involves writing, but it’s still essentially a marketing technique.

Finding the Balance

I, too, have fallen into the trap of thinking, “Well, I wrote today because I blogged.” Yes…and no. Yes, I wrote. No, I didn’t make any progress on my novel. I need to reassess my time online. Am I writing enough first? After all, as the author said, “you can’t call yourself a writer if you don’t write.”

What kind of online marketing tends to eat up your time? More importantly, what ways have you found to limit it and be a “responsible” Internet user? I’d welcome your ideas!

6 Comments »

1. 

   Kristi, this doesn’t exactly answer your question, but remember the old movie, “Throw Mama From the Train”? In it, a writer who isn’t writing shouts, “A writer writes! A writer writes!” At the time, I was a writer who wasn’t writing. So when I hit those ruts, I admonish myself with that cry.

   Comment by Jane Heitman Healy — June 19, 2009 @ 6:04 pm

2. 

   Jane, I never saw the movie, but telling myself “a writer writes!” at high volume would probably be a good idea for getting me off the Internet when I’ve done my necessary stuff. So, yes, that does answer the question! Some of the simplest solutions are the best.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — June 20, 2009 @ 10:16 am

3. 

   Going to a location to write where you can’t get on the internet might help. I’m more productive at Starbucks since I don’t have an account and the one here doesn’t have free wifi. Panera and the library are tougher because I can get on, but I generally don’t because of warnings about people getting into your computer at public places.

   Home is the worst, because we have a router and wifi no matter where we go in the house or yard. My best suggestion there is not to turn on any application which accesses the internet until the end of the day. I like the two hours of writing = one hour of internet idea. But after two hours of writing, you may just keep on going and not want to even access the internet after all!

   Comment by Beth Mac — June 20, 2009 @ 6:52 pm

4. 

   Beth, I don’t envy your Internet availability all over your house and yard! When we moved to this house two years ago, I had the DSL routed into the living room instead of my office, and my large PC doesn’t even hook up to the Internet. That has helped, since that’s where I do my writing. But I found ways to even “cheat” on this system, once we got a longer cord that reaches into the office and my laptop. I DO find that when I write first in the day, the Internet isn’t so much of a lure. I’m tired by then, and I just want to get the business done and get off. Always a challenge though!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — June 21, 2009 @ 5:25 am

5. 

   Yep, I guess the trick is simply write first, then allow yourself the Internet. Like you state, Kristi: when you write first, Internet is less of a lure simply because you’re tired. Works the other way as well, I find. Made the mistake to start this morning with reading my e-mail [which I consider just as draining as Internet] and some internet sites. Now it’s 14.14 pm and haven’t done a constructive thing – and feel drained as well.
   Tomorrow is another day. I can choose again to start differently …-)
   happy travelling,
   Karin-Marijke

   Comment by Karin-Marijke — June 22, 2009 @ 11:14 am

6. 

   Karin, I think that’s the thing that finally made me realize I had to flipflop my schedule. I enjoyed hearing from friends and family, looking at their Facebook pictures, etc. so for a long time, I didn’t make the connection that to my brain, email felt like work and it got tired. Like you, I began to realize that email was draining–even the good stuff! Starting with the writing always seems to work better.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — June 23, 2009 @ 5:59 am

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