"Some authors spend more time trying to get others interested in them, while the more successful authors spend more time showing an interest in others."
Be Engaged, Be Interesting
You’ve certainly encountered or are friends with someone on social media who does back-flips trying to get everyone interested in what they are doing. They spend so much time telling the world what they’re doing that you wonder how they have the time to do anything in the first place.
It can get to the point where you may roll your eyes when you see their posts pop up in your feed, and then you scroll right past. You might even reach the point where you stop following their account at all. It all feels like some people’s family holiday postcards or letters that only brag about their amazing, near perfect past year.
There’s nothing wrong with sharing what you’ve been up to with your friends, family, and followers, but it’s important to take a moment and find out what is happening in someone else’s life and what they’re doing, too.
As authors, everything shouldn't always boil down to "I'm writing a book, I wrote a book, I published a book, I'm having a book launch and book signings to sell my book, I'm speaking here, there and everywhere about my book, now buy my book!"
Is that really the life story you want your social media accounts to tell? Because, newsflash, that's not such an interesting story.
What is interesting, though, is what others are doing, saying, dealing with, trying to get through in life. It helps you be a three-dimensional person who is about more than what you’re trying to sell, and it makes you more interesting to others. What others are up to and experiencing can also give you inspiration, ideas, and suggestions on perhaps what you could be writing about.
If it just so happens that you already have a book, product, or service that is the antidote to someone’s problem, then by all means, diplomatically and strategically offer up your remedy. Just don’t let pitching your book be the only thing that interests you.
Want to know more about the best ways to present yourself and your work? You can schedule a free 15-minute literary consulting call with a Path To Publishing Verified Literary Consultant by clicking below, or you can choose a paid 30- or 60-minute consultation to get even more out of your time.