An essay on The Role of Social media in Furthering a Writing Career

–By Blue Lily

    If you asked the average person a decade ago what they thought writing was all about they would say it was a lonely figure in a tiny wooden cottage furiously tapping away at his worn typewriter. They would remark that it was an eccentricity of the introverted, the isolated and the recluses of the generation. To some extent it would be true as to the fact that it is an eccentricity, an obsession but is it something only achievable by isolation? Has the medium morphed into something else? Have opportunities that never existed before suddenly become a reality? Is social media the new Shadow Beast that spells a power up in this age-old game? In this essay we will examine how the changing face of recognition through social media and its impact has affected writing as a career.

   In gaming terms, you could simply harvest potions and farm while you leisurely gain experience points to level up or you go all out and take down a Boss to clear the dungeon. Social media can function gradually like harvesting potions where you build your readership and portfolio to ultimately come out stronger or it could be the Final Shadow Beast that might drop a rare treasure like a book deal. Regardless of what form it takes it can only lead to leveling up in the game.

   In the modern times when technology has surpassed almost every other resource, we are witnessing an era of global networking. It is little wonder that major industries and even government institutions are investing in an approach that is viable and futuristic: Social Media.  Social media are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks (Wikipedia). Basically, websites and applications that enable users to create and share content.

    In the case of writing which not long ago could be considered as exclusively print based career things have changed with social media usage on the rise. The social media impact regarding writing can be divided into four major categories depending on its purpose:

• Marketing and research by publishing houses. (Trends in target audience and lookout for upcoming talent.)
• Writers using a set platform to gain an audience. (Creating a community and building portfolio)
• Creating your own platform (Self-publicity and blogs)
• Using media popularity to sign a book deal (Useful for famous Vloggers and youtubers to enter the writing world.)

In simpler terms: Be seen, showcase and/or promote your writing.

    The first option is used effectively by publishing companies when a new book comes out. Well known publishing companies now have a social media specialist in their marketing teams for maximizing the reception of their new ventures. Social media platforms when it comes to writing can be divided into types:

• Solely Writing based: Medium, Scribbld, Wattpad, WordPress
• Mixed: Google+, Vine
• Other: Instagram, Facebook.

    The fact remains that all the above sites whether they be solely writing based or completely other specialty based have produced writing trends for this decade and continue to change the face of the writing industry.

    Publishing houses make no secret of the fact that they are watching these social media platforms for potential writers and trends in the audience demands. Penguin Random House have long since been leading with their overt articles highlighting new and upcoming ways for writers to build a base. In news as far back as the May 2013 article they spoke about five different new and upcoming social media applications that might be overlooked by the new authors. The article titled 5 Social Media Platforms You Might Not Know was targeted at authors and named platforms like Medium, Whisper and Google+ as noteworthy additions to the social media scene.

    In fact, the major publishing companies are not only watching, they are invested. Newer publishing houses now seek authors purely based on the audience feedback on websites such as Wattpad and WordPress. More traditional publishing houses such as Random House and HarperCollins have approached popular Wattpad writers to negotiate publishing deals, allowing the website to serve as a springboard into the more traditional publishing industry.

    Research Gate displays the statistics for Classics and Teen Fiction Categories on Wattpad. The tide is turning in favor of all digital media as even the classics are being revisited alongside genres like teen fiction. For established authors it is a chance to reach seldom accessible audience and for the novice it’s a whole new step towards potential success.

(Published By Federico Pianzola)

    For example, Author Anna Todd, whose work After has received over a billion reads on the site, was given a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster to turn her online work into a multiple-book published saga. A film version was released on April 12, 2019. (Wikipedia)

    In January this year Wattpad announced the establishment of its own publishing division Watt Pad Books, which was a featured article by Forbes online. Considering the revenue earned by their partners like HarperCollins it was a brilliant business tactic to harness their own platform.

Not to mention the Watty awards are the world’s biggest writing competition held for different authors all over the world. After famous writers like Margret Atwood and Paulo Coelho joined the Wattpad platform it has seen increasing number of published writers seeking a wider range of audience.      

    Statistically for an approach that started a little over a decade ago, Wattpad commands one of the major writing platforms in the world. According to DMR Business Statistics Wattpad has seen the following output: (article updated by Craig Smith on April 18^th, 2019)

• Number of users: 70 Million (updated 2019)
• Number of minutes that users spend on Wattpad per month in total: 22 Billion (updated 2019)
• Number of stories uploaded: 400 Million (updated 2017)
• Number of languages: 50 languages (updated 2017)

    This highlights that the strategies for scouting authors has changed. The shift in this approach comes from witnessing an already established fanbase and favourable reception to the author’s work. This minimizes risk associated with debut work by an unknown writer. However, simply gaining a fanbase is not the only distinctive feature although a well-established portfolio is sought after by publishing companies.

What writers seeking to get published need:

• Good quality writing material.
• Exposure
• Community following
• Opportunities to explore the Industry
• Building a solid portfolio of posts and published work.

    In this regard the social media platforms have completely revolutionized the way fiction for most part is presented to the desired audience. It is now global, all encompassing and gratifying where the author tracks viewership and ratings in a minimum of twenty-four-hour lag. Authors receive feedback on their posts in form of comments and actual support system provided by the site. Many novice writers are being lured by the sheer amount of audience the work can be exposed to.

    Revenue wise popular authors can earn anywhere up to two thousand euros a month through these sites. The real appeal though is the popularity and recognition with thousands of followers from all over the world.

    Conversely, some platforms that are meant for other specialties are gradually being used towards similar purposes. Media like Twitter meant for posts containing no more than 150 characters is being used to promote writing and new content. Especially by established authors like Stephen King for example is very active on Twitter with over five million followers. He uses the platform as a constantly updating interaction and shares his insight into the world of writing.

    These authors using Twitter are being publicly involved in current affairs and visibly offering their opinions on issues ranging from new movements to old school writing.  In fact, Stephen King has made it so that his sarcastic and almost brutal opposition to Trump has led to many articles and news feeds. In addition to that being talked about increases the response to their newest endeavors. (Adaption of Stephen King’s novel IT into another movie after 27 years)

    Applications like Instagram which rose as a platform solely for pictures and photography have risen to be one of the prominent media platforms for new writers mostly poets who self-run these accounts. Out of the 20 top selling poets on Amazon 12 are Instagram based. Indeed, the most followed poet Rupi Kaur has over three million followers on Instagram. Since the publication of Rupi Kaur’s milk & honey in November 2014, the poetry genre has become one of the fastest-growing categories in book publishing.

    In 2017, according to a national survey, 28 million Americans were reading poetry—the highest percentage of poetry readership in almost two decades.

(http://theopinionator.com/ , Meet the Top Ten Insta Poet Superstars of The World. published October 2018).

    Thus, it can be clearly seen that not only is social media helping to establish writing as a viable career option it is influencing new trends in the business as well. It is creating a revival of interest in the new generation about everything literary.

    When it comes to trendsetting and utterly astonishing changes here is genre that might not have even existed on a such a wide scale as of today. Fan fiction: A category of writing based on famous writings, books, pop culture and setting known characters in a different story line. Spin offs of popular culture aided by fans of the genre. These are mostly teen and novice writers with enthusiastic followers. But lately the fan fiction world has changed to be the first step towards being a published writer.

     The discussion about fan fiction and self-publicity would not be complete without one glaring example. That’s right. The Fifty Shades trilogy was developed from a Twilight fan fiction series originally titled Master of the Universe and published episodically on fan-fiction websites under the pen name “Snowqueen’s Icedragon” which was later self-published on the author’s own website.

    The first, titled Fifty Shades of Grey, was released as an e-book and print on demand paperback in May 2011 by The Writers’ Coffee Shop, a virtual publisher based in Australia. By the end of that phenomenon which started solely by word of mouth and a single website, on 1st August 2012, Amazon UK announced that it had sold more copies of Fifty Shades of Grey than it had the entire Harry Potter series combined, making E. L. James its best-selling author. (Wikipedia)

   It would not be entirely wrong to say that we are moving towards an age which is as interested in writing and stories as it is in displaying their routines out for the world to see on the same social media applications. It is a prospect which could not have existed two decades ago and is perhaps the new face of creativity.

    Industry experts have their opinion on the emergence of social media as a platform for authors Literary Agent Eric Smith appears as the Guest Blogger for Insights in the article titled 10 tips for Authors on Using Social Media from a Literary Agent on 20th June 2018. He talks about wrtiers harnessing social media in detail including two particularly unique points regarding exposure and engaging with the industry:

Pitch Events and #MSWL

1. Pitch Events:

 “…every now and again throughout the year, authors can tweet pitches about their books during events like Pitch Madness (#PitMad) and #DVPit, and potentially catch the eye of an agent or editor.

These events, organized by published authors and industry professionals, have some truly astonishing successes — authors nabbing agents and securing deals. It’s a great, accessible way to get some publishing pros looking at you and your work.” (Eric Smith.2018)

• #MSWL:  

“…great one to spend a bit of time on is the Manuscript Wishlist tag. Agents (and editors) will often list what they are looking for using #MSWL — sometimes on a set day, and sometimes randomly” (Eric Smith.2018)

    This is social media functioning as a tool to mingle with the industry for authors seeking to know the industry better and finding an agent that suits what they are working on. of course the above doesn’t necessarily mean that you should abandon what you are working on just because a particular type of writing appears on their wish list but it certainly helps when it comes to picking the right agent at the right time if all you need is that timing.

    Speaking about the publishing industry using the social media platform for their advantage Paulina Kubala-Chucknowska, Junior Marketing Specialist at PressPad states: “However, looking at the potential of social media channels and the successes of publishers, authors and magazines active on the Internet, the conclusion is obvious: it is worth devoting time to analysing the target group and running selected channels to go directly to current and potential readers.” (The Role of Social Media in the Publishing Industry, 1^st November 2018)

    This goes to show that it is just that much easier for the publishing houses to pick authors based on their stability and the readers’ demand. It would be worth an author’s while to research the given market for potential openings and to plan subsequent projects.

    As social media goes there is an entirely novel way to manage your writing. Websites like WordPress allow you to create your own blogs and blogging is the new territory for those who seek to conquer the realms of this shadowland. An established blogger is in an advantageous position of displaying their website page. Publishing houses would rather debut someone who is novice but with an encouraging number of followers on their own blog. Major companies when hiring freelance writers expressly look up the applicant’s blogging site and experience.

    The resources that social media provides surpasses most traditional writing paths that have been rusting throughout the years. It has proved its worth for writing as a career by demonstrating its overwhelming influence on the industry. While traditional ways of writing are still in practice and do work these newer opportunities have seen a rise in potential writers. The pool of people willing to read has also grown exponentially due to the ready availability of reading apps and websites. More and more people are being turned into regular readers due to the exposure to all kinds of writing that most people wouldn’t go looking for. Be it stumbling across poetry when looking at pictures or signing up for fan fiction and realizing new material it’s a path open for anyone looking to enter or climb further up the ladder of creative writing.

    Media is an unseen force behind ‘what’s hot and what’s not’. The next generation comprehends this and makes its choices based on what is trending. Everything from the clothes they wear, the shows they watch, the places they visit all the way down to books that they read is directly linked to what they are exposed to on social media platforms. In a world where influence and being seen or talked about is fundamental to success you must conquer the Shadow Beast of social media lurking in the background for it possesses the ability to catapult an unknown name to fame.