The 21st Century reader is a strange breed, checking Facebook instead of reading great literature. In a tongue-in-cheek response to this trend, one writer decided to take great literature to Facebook.
Today’s guest on mediabistro.com’s Morning Media Menu was Sarah Schmelling, author of the uniquely 21st Century tome: “Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook.” Schmelling explained how she landed a book deal writing humorous Facebook pages, gave tips for pitching McSweeney’s, and pondered the Internet’s reaction to Congressman Joe Wilson and his infamous outburst during a presidential speech.
She also shared strategies for promoting the book through Facebook contests, rather than endless shilling: “It’s a matter of having a conversation, instead of trying to pitch things to people all the time. I’ve seen writers do that on Facebook and Twitter, and I’m like, ‘Okay! Enough already!’ You just get tired of it.”