Three months ago I did not have a Twitter account, and though I'd reluctantly established a Facebook fan page, I'd put next to nothing on it. But I had a book coming out in May, and the world of publicity has changed radically since I last published a novel, in 2005. So I joined Twitter, set up a Goodreads author page, and posted my new author photo and links to my prepublication reviews on Facebook. Then I wasn't sure what to do, except check my pitiful Twitter follower numbers and feel sad when the total dropped from nine back to five.
Today, three months later, I'm about to close an online contest that involved forty-seven other writers and more than 1200 entries via Facebook, Twitter, and a mailing list. What happened? Well, for one, I went on a traditional book tour, and walking into stores every day wondering whether anyone would be there made me feel not just anxious but powerless. For another, I realized how many newspapers that reviewed my last book no longer had book pages. And, perhaps most importantly, I slowly began to see the vigor and vitality of the online community of readers, writers, and reviewers, particularly on Twitter. On Twitter, you can exchange erudite, funny, snarky, emotional thoughts on literature all day long. It's like going to a writers' conference without the booze and ill-considered affairs.
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