It’s been a humiliating week. I am a total novice when it comes to serious social networking. This is an embarrassment for me. You’re reading the post of someone who learned by touch how to work an iPod in less than 5 minutes, and has 750+ friends on Facebook. I consider myself savvy with modern technology.
I knew that Facebook and Twitter are the two gods of an indie novelist, in terms of telling people that he has an indie novel coming out. Well, I’ve spent the last few days in front of the computer, realizing how stumped I am, and how much work it’s going to take. I have to make contacts, and post clever things, and get people to interact with me. In other words, I have spend hours away from The Kingdom: The Quest.
It’s a balancing act, and it’s dangerous, because writing and marketing are polar opposites to me. Writing, especially writing The Kingdom: The Quest, is a craft unlike any other. At my laptop, I dissolve into the words. I squint, and grit my teeth, and clench my forehead. I shape the words I know into things that are greater than the words. I am telling a story, just like generations have done mellenia before me. It astounds me, when I sit back and ponder it.
When I market, I plunge into a whole different world. I can’t help but think of Fahrenheit 451. If you haven’t read it, it’s a science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury. Futuristic America becomes a pleasure park. The citizens are absorbed by games, television, and never-ending stimulation.
It’s eerily similar to how Facebook and Twitter work. It’s not the deep thoughts that get you fans or followers. It’s how appealing the thought looks, when written as a tweet or a status. It does not have to be good, bad, or even logical. It only has to catch someone’s eye. Please correct me if I have misinterpreted all this, but that’s how matters seem to me.
Regardless of what I think, if I want to share The Kingdom: The Quest, social media is where I have to go. And I’m going. I’ll follow the advice of Jay-Z. I don’t agree with the message in his raps, but he’s a good rapper nevertheless, and a good businessman. He talked in one interview about how he’s an artist in the recording studio, and a businessman outside of it.
I like that idea. I can hit that balance. I can bridge these two worlds. I can play this game. At least I can try.
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