This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Caroline Hogg has worked in publishing for almost ten years. She is Senior Commissioning Editor for Commercial Women's Fiction at Pan Macmillan.
This week a Novelicious reader asks:
Does Twitter influence you when considering authors? Do you ever Google prospective authors?
Caroline says: I absolutely Google authors. I Google the movies I’m about to watch, I Google a shop I like, I Google whether it’s going to rain later. So I’m absolutely going to Google someone I’m considering working closely with over the next few years. If I’m engaged by their writing, it will only interest me more if they have a good online presence – blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed – and it will be a sign of how seriously they’re approaching their writing career. It’s not essential but it’s a big plus if they are already actively forming a network online.
I love Twitter and I do notice when a few people I follow start to mention the same book – I get a lot of my holiday reading recommendations that way! I’m not convinced it’s the best way for an unsigned writer to get an agent or editor’s attention, but I do think Twitter is an amazing place for writers to support each other, give handy tips and share news about writing competitions or opportunities. But if it’s not for you, don’t force it. As I said, an author’s online profile can be a huge plus but it’s not make-or-break.
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