Have you given any thought to the digital footprint you leave? If you hope to be—or already are—a published author, you should. I follow several agents on Twitter. Most of them are quite candid there, and some regularly share tips for aspiring authors. Several times, I’ve seen the admonishment to be careful what you write online because agents, editors, and publishers all know how to Google your name or username. Have you tried that? You might be surprised to find how much of what you’ve written in posts, comments, and tweets is available to anyone who considers doing business with you. And never forget that publishing is a business.
Assume an agent has received interesting query letters from each of the following writer types. Their sample pages show them to be equally good writers, so the agent does some background research to see how these three present themselves online (blogs, websites, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
- Writer A: openly admits they work only when the mood/muse strikes them; believes they know it all; thinks the rules don’t apply to them; criticizes other writers, agents, editors, publishers, and reviewers
- Writer B: displays no faith in their work; complains constantly about the stress of writing; declares they would never be able to handle promoting their work to the public
- Writer C: reveals they work on their craft as often as possible; is willing to learn; has a pleasant demeanor; appears supportive and respectful of others in the business
Which of those writers will the agent likely offer to represent? How would that agent categorize you after an internet search? Yes, we’ve all probably made some of Writer A’s and Writer B’s mistakes at one time or another, but how do you consistently present yourself online?
Another group to consider is your readers, present or potential, who just might search for more information about you. I suppose it depends on what you write, but do you really want your readers to know about the time you got wasted and danced naked in the street? And if you accompanied said revelation with photos or a video, you might want to consider writing under a pseudonym.
Don’t forget: the internet is infinite and eternal.
Ha! While I disagree about eternal and infinite, the Internet certainly does have a hard time forgetting — or letting you forget — the impression you might be leaving behind.
I think I’m soundly in Writer B’s camp. I don’t know if I can alter that or not, but I’m pretty sure that’s where I am. I’ve also done some Writer A things, so I’m probably able to set aside any notions I’ve ever had of being published right here and now.
There! Done.
I sure hope you had a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!
It only takes a glance through my blog posts to see I’ve commited the errors of both A and B, but the key word there was consistently. My intention is to display myself as Writer C most of the time. And especially from now on.
Let’s just say my Thanksgiving was too quiet, but I thank you for the times you wished me well here, there and …
Hmmm. Might be time to go back underground before I seriously consider trying to publish anything:) You know, I might try googling some AGENTS though, just for fun….
Are you rethinking your decision to reveal your real name?
Follow some agents on Twitter, you’ll get to know them with their hair down.
Great post, Linda, and definitely a good reminder! I hope I fall most consistently in category “C,” but like everyone, I’m sure I’ve been an “A” or “B” here and there.
Hope you’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Yep, we’re all human–I think–so we’re bound to be a combo. My holiday was fine and I hope yours was too.
These are all very good points, Linda. And you’re absolutely right. We should all think about the way we present ourselves. Thanks for reminding everyone!
Well, I know I need frequent reminders, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to bring it up. Not that many people have stopped by to read it. Thanksgiving and the end of Nano has turned even Twitter into a ghost town!
I do actually think about this a lot! I’m especially careful about what I say about other authors and books.
Am I to assume there’s a dark side to you, Candice?
This makes perfect sense, and I also wonder where the line is between revealing yourself to your readers and keeping everything tidy for agents. It’s the revealing that brings people close and keeps them interested, which also can lead to sales if something is published.
Obviously, I don’t hide my personality on this blog. I only try to tone it down in some respects.
As for agents, they’re people too, and if I exhibited a totally different personality than my real one to land an agent, it would be exhausting to keep that up. Sooner or later, the real me would be revealed anyway.
Love the post and the comments thus far. Yes, we all need this reminder. And, like Candice, I try to be especially cognizant of this even when I comment.
I’ve thought about writing book reviews on my blog, but I don’t feel comfortable critiquing another writer’s work. I read another blogger’s perspective on reviews, and I like her vein of thought: she only writes about the things she admires in the work.
Sure, we all need a critic, but that might best be reserved for an intimate critique group (and not online).
I agree, Christi, in private I might tell someone why I didn’t like a book, but not publically. I know that any book I criticized would be someone elses favorite … and vice versa. More than once this year, I’ve read/heard someone trash a book I loved. And I’ve checked out a book someone raved about and didn’t care for it at all. We must try to keep this in mind when we’re published!
So true. I’ve gotten more and more careful as I’ve gotten more into this blogging thing.
Great reminder.
Me too. I think I’ve only made one blog comment (not on mine) that I really regret. For me, that’s excellent.
At times, it does appear to be infinite and eternal, thanks for the reminder!
You are welcome.
Hello Linda. Sorry I’m late but I promised a writer friend that I’d read her exposé of the publishing industry. Then she wanted some constructive criticism. Well, you know me, always ready to put my extensive professional experience at the disposal of others. It took me quite a while to convince her that “Scumbags and Parasites” was probably not the best title she could have chosen. “Have you ever met an agent?” I asked her. “Some of them are really very nice.” Of course, I don’t know. But I imagine they are, don’t you? Then I showed her my well-thumbed copy of “Tools for Writers” to support the many helpful corrections I’d made to her manuscript. To my horror she never realised you could actually buy books to help you improve your craft. “Oh yes!” I told her. “I’ve written some of the best ones myself!” Naturally I let her have them at a discount. I’ve always thought the recommended retail price for “How to Plagiarize” was a bit optimistic and, to be honest, sales of “Painless Punctuation” and “Awesome Adjectives” have been a bit flat lately. Brilliant blog by the way. Love it!
Joseph, I do believe I’ve taken you too seriously in the past. Thank you for brightening my day. I’m clearing a shelf for your top-notch how-to write books.
[...] it all harkens back to Linda’s “be careful what you say on the Internet!” post. I’m sure I didn’t do anything directly to that person, and I’ve never, to my knowledge, [...]