Is Your Author Page the Place for Political Opinions?

My Facebook feed is full of political opinions and, of course, I have a few opinions of my own. In fact, there are some I feel strongly about, however when it comes to my author page, I never share political posts and rarely do so on my personal page. The reason? I don't want to alienate my audience.

Authors have a public presence. Those who read our books seek us out online and follow us on our social media channels. The last thing I want is to put someone off of reading my books because I came out strongly on one side of a debate. Whenever I consider blogging or posting about something political, I think long and hard about the repercussions. I think about my audience and how it might be construed. Not only could I potentially alienate readers, I could actually hurt them by devaluing something they feel passionate about. 

The opinions we share online are, like it or not, forever in the public eye. They are there for our readers to find and for potential publishers and employers to find. 

I'm not trying to make anyone paranoid. My hope is that you'll think it through thoroughly before you post something you may regret in the future. 

Ask yourself some key questions before you make that next political post on your author page:

• Who could I be alienating by posting this? 
• Could my post possibly hurt my audience? 
• Would I be comfortable with my future readers, publisher, or employer reading this? 
• Will this post build others up or tear them down? 

When in doubt, don't post it. Let it lie and see how you feel about it in a week or a month. It's better to err on the side of caution than to have regrets.

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Melinda Marshall Friesen writes speculative fiction for teen and adult audiences. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with her family.

Intro: Aimee Hyndman

I was still half asleep the morning I got the email from Operation Awesome saying that they wanted me to be their newest contributor. Soon after reading this email, I was no longer asleep. It’s a huge honor to have been chosen, especially considering my experience level.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been writing for a long time, like we all have. I caught the writing bug before I could even write actual words and started filling random sheets of paper with scribbles. I claimed I was writing books in my own secret language. When people asked me to read them the story, I spun tales of dragons and dinosaurs and adorable talking animals. As soon as I could write in a real language, I did, horrible spelling and all. For me, writing truly has been a lifelong passion and something I’ve been working toward since my little toddler fist put pencil to paper.

I’m a wee little college student now, but still working at it. I just landed an agent in February (squee) and hope to go out on submission with my steampunk fantasy novel HOUR OF MISCHIEF. Fantasy is my wheel house and lifelong passion, especially in the young adult catagory (since I am technically still a young adult). I also work on the other side of the table as an intern for a literary agency where I sort through the slush. It has been a very rewarding experience.

My other interests include movies, theater, music (of many sorts), anime, good food and, of course, READING. Things I become rabidly protective over if provoked include Harry Potter (I AM the HP generation), Inkheart, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Les Miserables, everything Disney, and a long list of Animes I can’t even begin to list.

I have a personal blog here, I tweet on occasion, and I am active on pintrest and youtube. I’m so excited to start contributing on this site!

To Blog Or Not To Blog

Over on my personal blog, Chasing The Crazies, I'm celebrating my two year blogaversary today! It's a bit overwhelming for me because when I first started blogging I thought there was no way anyone besides my family would actually read what I wrote. And honestly, that was okay. I approached my blog as more of a personal journal, rather than a format to spread my thoughts on writing and publishing as a whole.


But then a crazy thing happened. One day I got a new reader. And then a week later a few more. Slowly over the years my following reached a respectable number. And today, I'm eternally grateful to all those people who think enough of me to read my words three times a week.


I've had a lot of people ask me about blogging, and what do I personally get out of it?


Today, I want to share the triumphs and tragedies of actually having a blog. Hopefully, this information will help you consider whether or not you want to start a blog of your own.


1) Pick a topic. Any topic.


In order for your blog to be successful, in my opinion, it needs to have focus. If you're a writer, talk about craft. If you're a reader, perhaps share reviews. Whatever your passion is, use that as a source for your posts. Readers will follow you if you have a specific topic you focus on each and every week.




2) Commit


If you're going to have a blog, you have to commit to posting at least once a week. If someone is going to invest their time in following you, then they are going to want to see original content. If you're not going to do that, be honest about it on your blog. Tell the readers when you plan to post and let them decide if they want to follow.




3)  Respond


If a reader takes the time to ask a question, or leave a comment, respond in a timely manner. If that person has invested time in reading your post, you need to acknowledge that and thank them for reaching out. This simple act of courtesy will get them to return to your blog time and time again.




4) Always, Always, Always, Be Professional


A week ago on Twitter I saw a very high-caliber literary agent post that she wants to see social media contact info in query letters. This tells me that agents are starting to research what authors do and say, not only on Twitter, but on their personal websites and blogs. So remember even though you may want to unload on an agent who sent you a form rejection on a full, or curse out an author who wrote a book you didn't like - DON'T do it. Use your blog to showcase your personality and writing - not your bias.


Blogging is a huge time commitment, but I have made many contacts and grown as a writer because of it. Really think through if it is something you want to commit your time to. If you do, I say go for it! There are many people out their just itching to read something new and interesting from an aspiring writer!


Have questions about blogging? Share them with me in the comments!