Social Media has become a glossed-over, cloudy place. It is filled with fake personas and instant celebrities. People post pictures of their cash and checks on Instagram, for instance, and weigh their worth against the backdrop of numbers and likes. Instead of focusing on the message, we have focused instead on the screen and have invested not in the voice but in the marketing and promotional schemes of so-called professionals who get rich off the backs of those of us who are too lazy to be ourselves.
Research is all fine and good, but what it boils down to is a balance between research, advice, and your overall message, and the people who care about what you have to say. If you rely too much on research and professional input, you may just miss the message.
People hear the word “message” and think religion or politics. This is not always so. If you have a voice, which we all do, then you have a message. We can define a message as:
“A communication containing some information, news, advice, request, or the like, sent by messenger, telephone, email, or other means.”
When someone writes a book, they are sending a message out into the world. It doesn’t really matter what the book is about; every book has a message because every book has a voice. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the online aspect of writing that we forget how important the message is. It is not the marketing plans that will bring readers to you. At least not in the beginning. In the beginning, it’s not a strategy, it’s truth. It’s your message. It’s your voice. Do you have one?
“Focus on what makes you different, what makes you unique. Being true to yourself is a cliche for a reason — it works. People don’t want to connect with something fake. They want to feel understood and heard, and the only way you do that is honestly and authentically. The last thing you want is to showcase to the world a shadow of your true self.” – Curiouser Editor
What do you want to say to the world? Why does it matter? Why is it different than what the previous person has already said? The sky is blue. Why is the sky blue? Why is it important for us to know that the sky is blue? Is the sky blue?
People who agree with you will flock to you because you sing in a key similar to their own. They are the people who actually want to read your books and who will, in turn, support your work. The only way to do this, as Curiouser Editing has stated, is to showcase your real self in your writing, but not just in your writing, in your overall social media presence in general.
The PBS Blog 