Market My Novel

This week, I have been a purging madwoman.

I went through every dusty bookshelf in my house and starting piling up books that I could never read, would never read, or have read and simply won't get to again.

The feeling was exhilarating. For the first time in my life, I am OK with purging my lovely little tomes – the ink-ladden lovers that kept me warm during a difficult move, job loss, another move and continued life craziness. I figure they can keep someone else a little warm at night now – and bring them a little bit of reading joy that they may not have otherwise found.

As I stacked the hardcovers for my fourth box, I realized that purging isn't just for the tangible. It works just as well for the intangibles of online media.

I check out a number of social media sites for clients every day. Unfortunately before I wizened up, I used my own name for them, rather than a dummy account. Now, I have an endless stream of "me" floating around in cyberspace. No way can I remember every nook and cranny where I reside!

What I decided was this: I need an online purge party. That means axing any social networks that are meaningless to me, Angela Wilson the social media consultant and marketer. It also means axing "friends" on Twitter and Facebook who don't add to my network. I would prefer a small niche of folks interested in what I have to say rather than beating Ashton Kutcher for top rank. 

It also means setting up a dummy account to check out other networks. I means updating my credentials site with my new, smaller list of networks, and truly targeting my "friend" requests in the networks I decide to keep.

I think this method will allow me to post better blogs at sites like Ning, and be more prevalent in discussions in Facebook groups. Right now, no way do I have time to deal with every blog and discussion that comes my way.

If you are in the same quandry, sit down and make a list of social networks you know you belong to. Visit them and see just what they add to your online media presence. If nothing, then cancel/delete the account. Then, create a new list on a fresh sheet of paper and keep it handy. Use it as a check list every week or two, so you know what sites to visit.

If a new social network has caught your eye, start a dummy account first to check it out. See if you like the interface, find people in your genre or from other networks. If you don't like it after two weeks, cancel it and move on. Keep your network down to what you can handle. It will be different for every author, so don't pressure yourself to keep up with Super Human Social Network Author, who drinks Red Bull to stay up into the wee hours blogging, friending, commenting – and probably twitching.

Here are some fun blogs about purging books and networks:

Havoc and Mayhem: "Book Purge 09 – final totals"

From the Mind of Neenz: "Purging Social Networks"