on The Book Designer:
The iconic soliloquy “To be, or not to be,” spoken by Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 1, is essentially about life and death. Do I live, or do I die? Is life worth living, or is it so painful that death might be a better option?
Okay, so that premise is a tad dramatic when it comes to an author’s decision whether to use social media as part of his or her platform, but it’s kind of the same. Given all the nuances of and work involved in being on social media, is it worthwhile or a waste of time?
What is the net gain for authors being on social media?
Never have I ever heard an author say they use social media to sell books. Their book marketing campaigns may include social media, but it’s not from a social media page that readers click on a “buy” button. So why should authors spend their valuable time on social media sites when they could be spending their time on something that would result in direct sales?
