The Importance of Online Feedback

Do you have a website or social media page? 

If you do, that's excellent! I laud your accomplishment! I am gladdened when I see my fellow writers
promoting themselves, gathering followings, and getting their name out there for the world to see.

We authors have to work more and more as our own marketers in this modern publishing world. Websites and social media pages/profiles are excellent ways to do that.

Websites function as online resumes. They showcase or advertise your work publicly. They display contact information. And, if they are well-constructed, they add a degree a professionalism to your name.

Social media pages/profiles are a primary method for author/reader interaction. In this online age, people crave interaction as much as they had back in the pioneer days. Humans are social beings, some more than others, but overall they are social beings. This interaction allows the author to build a relatively personal connection with the readers.


So, you have a website or a social media page, but do you know how to use it?


I encourage you, fellow writers, to share your work with your readers. Share snippets of your short stories or novel. Share a book cover you're working on. Share a concept (I would caution not to do this too often. Though many of we writers will respect another person's idea as his own, there are some people who will steal an idea. I leave this thing up to your own judgement)


Your readers are an excellent source of feedback. Your website or social media page/profile is more than just a place to share snippets of your work or what you're working on. Granted, readers enjoy knowing what you are working on. But they enjoy sharing their honest opinions with you more.

There is one key idea I want to emphasize at this point. While sharing the things above is a good idea, it takes another step to draw out your readers' opinions.Your readers look up to you. Readers respect writers they follow. You need to ask them for their opinion. Then they will feel as though you have a great interest in their own opinion and you should, dear writer, you should!

When you ask your readers explicitly for feedback, they are more likely to give it.


(I know that a lot of authors use this technique I have just blogged about.I have three reasons for writing this post: One, I have not seen any blogs about the technique itself. Two, I wished to laud the writers and authors who do use the technique. Three, I wanted to encourage writers and authors who do not use this technique to start using it and, hopefully, to let me know about the results.)

Until next time,
Joshua A. Spotts

Continue to write!