The Personal Perspective
How much of you do you share with your fans, authors? Even if you limit yourself to a brief bio and a single photo, sharing who you are with your fans can be an important way to build lasting relationships. Now this isn’t a suggestion to post an update every 5 minutes, but to give insight into the specifics of you.
Do you have a current headshot? An up-to-date photograph can lend a greater sense of familiarity versus a photo from 15 years ago. Dated photos are very obvious nowadays, and high quality headshots really do make a difference. You want to let readers know that you exist in the here and now. And as a bonus, a quality headshot will add to your professional image, and is something that events could use for promotional material.
Do you have a blog? Sharing weekly updates isn’t a bad idea. They can be strictly professional too if you want them to be. But a lot of readers who find their way to your blog are there for a reason: they want to get to know you better. Sharing a step by step of your trip to the grocery store may not necessarily be the best blog post (except if there’s a truly gripping story of a falling tower of canned sodas on aisle 3 across from the bread) but sharing tidbits about you as an author living your life can add great personality to your website.
Social media is one of the best ways to show how you live your life and who you are as a person. There are so many ways to share: text post, short video, long video, images, questions, etc. But social media can be tricky. Your professional author accounts need to still be professional. There are many things you can share that could end badly (definitely don’t post that video of midnight karaoke from 5 years ago). Consider sharing about your writing setup, your inspirations, and your guilty author habits instead of the latest HOA gossip or about your new pants that don’t fit quite right. These platforms are perfect to curate your content for your followers. What do they want to know about you? Give the people what they want (to an extent).
One great example is Neil Gaiman. He is most active on Tumblr and the app formerly known as Twitter. Because of when he started his accounts, the amount of time spent, and just enough personal tidbits shared, he has cultivated a fanbase that is exceptionally engaged with his every post. Not to say this is the only way to go, but it is a real life example of letting just enough personality come through to connect with your fans with a lasting impact.
Think about what works best for you and your brand, author. You are already sharing yourself with the world through ink on paper or pixels on a screen. How much more do you want to add?
