Welcome to the ninth interview in the Authors and Social Media series; where I interview some of Australia’s most acclaimed speculative fiction authors.
Today’s interviewee really shouldn’t need an introduction - Margo Lanagan will be answering 5 questions on Authors and Social Media.
Sean:
How important do you view social media to selling your books or interacting with fans?
Margo:
Very important for interacting with fans and the curious; less important for generating sales. Extremely important for interacting with colleagues.
Sean:
Do you or would you want to receive any guidance from your publisher/agent on interacting via social media, both in a technical sense or in a 'professional presentation' sense?
Margo:
I don't receive any such guidance, and I wouldn't want to, really; I feel it's up to me to create the impression I want to present. I don't use social media in 'professional presentation' mode. My online persona sits somewhere between professional writer and complete goose, and I enjoy best other writers' use of social media that does more than just alert you to their new books, workshops and upcoming appearances. I like a chat, and every now and then I want some meme like #lessambitiousbooks and #crapfantasyswords to reduce me to tears of laughter.
Sean:
There have been some recent examples of inexperienced authors reacting badly on the Internet in response to blog reviews e.t.c., what are your thoughts on being social media savvy? What advice would you give to new authors?
Margo:
Remember you're out. It's a public forum and a permanent one (although Twitter FEELS very fluid and inconsequential). Think about how much embarrassment you can stand. I don't think social media rules are all that different from general social rules. Or general writerly rules (e.g. don't answer reviews - but opinion pieces are fair game, and personal slights are there to be pointed and laughed at :) ). Also, remember that there is a Delete button on Twitter, for when you mistype something, or decide, 'No, that was just a bit hotheaded.' And, sometimes it's just healthier to walk away from all forms of social media for a while. As with all non-writing activities, you need to be able to recognise when you're doing it for purposes of avoidance.
Sean:
In my experience Social media breaks down normal communication conventions. People can be more familiar and 'take liberties'. Have you experienced problems where this ease of communication has lead to followers/fans 'crossing the line' or has your experience been entirely positive?
Margo:
No, no one's crossed the line. The odd rude comment has turned up on the blog, the odd bit of spam on Twitter, but that's about the extent of it. Balanced against the amount of fun I've had, and the people I've e-met, and the knowledge I've gleaned, that's nothing.
Sean:
How vital is social media to the genre in which you write and how do you think social media will affect the way you write and interact in the future?
Margo:
Social media are pretty much the oil that keeps the big machines of speculative fiction working. I mean, of course people organised conventions and awards nights and magazines and book publication before Twitter and FB came along, but all that is so much easier now. Not to mention just general networking and gasbagging. The online community for spec fiction is extremely lively. I've been blogging for 6 years, tweeting for 2 and on FB for about a month. I wouldn't say it's changed the way I write my fiction, but it's certainly meant that I'm a much more social person than I was in the 90s—I had small children then, and I think I would have been a lot less lonely if I could have vented a bit of 3am misery on Twitter! (You yoong people, so lucky.) I have no idea how social media will affect the way I interact in the future; at this stage, I just hope it sticks around in some form or another.
Margo has a series of great books out. She’s a prolific short story writer and produces distinctive, offbeat work that weaves easily between fantasy, myth and the everyday. I never know what to expect when I read a Lanagan short story, other than she will suck me in, surprise me, and leave me with a pleasant uneasiness.
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