In the holiday lull last month, digital newspaper developer Howard Owens posted an essay aimed at motivating the journalists who haven’t already gotten themselves online to add some much-needed capabilities to their skill set, from starting a blog and shooting digital photos and video to creating a “Google Maps mashup.” I might’ve included some work on podcasting, but it’s a pretty decent list—and though Owens is speaking directly to journalists, I believe that what he has to say applies to just about any writer, particularly given the increasing importance of being your own best marketing and promotion person.
Obviously, a lot of you get what I’m saying, because you’re already out there doing it, and some of you are telling me about it as you go along, if I’m not following you already, which gives me plenty of material (and thanks for that!)—but what about those of you who, as Owens sums it up, “only use the Internet for e-mail and a little web surfing”? What steps can you take in the days, weeks, and months ahead to use this technology in service of your writing life? If you have a book out or coming out, what are you willing to do to spread the word? If you’re not even close to a book deal yet, how can you still reach out to other writers and readers…or, perhaps, nurture a daily practice of writing with a strong, passionate voice? Or even educate yourself about creating your own path to literary success on your own terms?
Not everything in Owens’ list is necessarily useful for your writing life—I’m convinced that Twitter is nothing but a massive distraction; you probably won’t need Google Maps for anything other than directions; and though I’m willing to concede the majority view on Facebook and MySpace, I’m still not personally sold. So I don’t want to scare anyone into thinking they have to drop everything they’re doing and become a total webhead. But keep this in mind: The publishing industry isn’t set up to just hand people success—unless, of course, they’re already successful in some other arena, in which case they can get gobs of money from publishers hoping that success and notoriety will rub off on their books. Whatever you accomplish as a writer, including the support you receive from others along the way, springs from your own willingness to do the work of connecting with readers. And anything technology has to offer that makes that work easier is worthy of your serious consideration.