You know what it is and you have to have it. Some authors are quite good at it and really know how to work the internet. Others, not so much.
I can remember a time, back when dinosaurs roamed the land, when there was no such thing as the internet and nobody cared. You can’t miss what you never knew. But today, you have to have it. Since everyone else has it, you are compelled to join the party. Because if you don’t, everyone else will eclipse you and you will become invisible.
How much should you do? At least once a week, but more is welcome. The whole point is to be out there. It doesn’t have to be terribly substantive or meaningful. As long as you’re somewhere.
If you are a hopeless Luddite who feels this is just not for you, hire someone to do it for you. There are many such people available. Readers love it best when they know it’s coming directly from you, as if they have your ear and you are talking right to them. So always try to achieve that, even if someone else is pretending to be you. But something is better than nothing. And go as big as you can. Big numbers make a real difference.
Any publisher considering you as a new author will be looking you up while they are still on the phone with me. If your social media has strong numbers, that is half the battle. It’s as good as having a brilliant proposal or manuscript. When you have both, you are as close as you can ever get to a sure thing.
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