This is a tip from Terry Whalin, a marketing specialist, to all Memphis area writers and authors.
Create a presence online
Times have changed. Several years ago, it was okay for an author not to have a web site. In fact, there was a great deal of skepticism about anything online and whether it was true or not. There were many examples of people who built complete false identities online through Web sites that stretched the truth. The pendulum has now swung the other direction, however. While it's a good idea to have some degree of skepticism about the information you find on line, in today's publishing climate, the Internet is often the first place people turn for information about anything and anyone. As literary agent Richard Curtis explains, "When I pitch authors to editors over the phone, I can actually hear them typing on the keyboard as we speak. I know that while we're talking, they are going on Google or Amazon and checking out the author. They'll say, 'I see, oh yeah, I see the author's picture or the cover of his last five books.'"
What do they find when they Google your name?
Open a window in your Internet browser and go to Google.com. Type your own name into the search window and see what you find. From time to time, it's a good habit for anyone in publishing to check this information. This exercise will give you some idea of your level of presence online.
At a recent writer's conference, I heard Rick Frishman, founder of Planned Television Arts, tell the audience about the importance of every would-be author knowing their own reputation online. He described a situation where a major book was cancelled over something an editorial assistant found about the author on the 25th or 26th page of Google. You may not think that a publisher will go to that level of vetting for an author. Be aware some publishers will invest this level of checking your public information online as when you become one of their authors their reputation is hooked to your background. Because of the ease of accessibility and many other factors, every writer needs to have visibility on the Internet.
Copyright@2009, W. Terry Whalin, excerpt from Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and used with permission.
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