Fil-Am Kicking Scribe

The Official Website of Juan Rader Bas

  • About Me
  • Back Kicks And Broken Promises
  • Works In Progress
  • Panlasa
  • Quotes, Reviews and Features
  • Blog: Contemplations

Social Media and Books Making a Connection

2/10/2012

5 Comments

 
Social media. That’s what sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are called. However, while professionals do market their talents and products on Facebook and people do make actual friends via Twitter and LinkedIn, I dare say that Facebook is probably the one that is the most social. Social, to me, connotes a sense of personal and not professional. However, and this is going to sound contradictory, it is often through those personal connections that professional ones develop.

A week ago, I was in my local bookstore on a Saturday with my wife and son and I was hoping to catch the person who I think is the owner. I’d e-mailed him earlier in the week, announcing the upcoming release of my novel, Back Kicks And Broken Promises, and I asked if carrying my book is something he’d been interested in doing. I explained that I reside locally, that I teach in the middle school down the block and that my book is set in New Jersey. He replied with interest in carrying my book and that, perhaps, we could arrange a reading.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t there but, being a lover of books, we browsed and checked out what was new. My son sat in the children’s section and flicked through some picture books. My wife checked out the new YA books, which she’s completely into after reading the Twilight series twice and devouring The Hunger Games series in a matter of days. I checked out the fiction sections.

As I perused the shelves and displays, I noticed a poster advertising that Naomi Benaron was going to do a reading from her new book, Running The Rift, this coming Saturday. I picked up the book, about a Rwandan boy who takes up running during the height of ethnic tensions in the 1990s and how his running helps him come to terms with his own identity. I’m also a runner so I was instantly interested in Naomi’s book. My own novel deals with identity issues so I was drawn to Running The Rift for that reason as well. In 1996, I wrote a science fiction screenplay, that got some agent interest, called Aliens Among Us, Part I: Discovery. The central theme of the script is racial tolerance and ethnic cleansing. With that as its theme and having written it in the 1990s, Naomi’s novel really seemed to be calling to me on a very personal level.

My wife bought me the book and I began it immediately. It’s a wonderfully written book with exciting running segments, a main character I wish I could meet in real life and revelations of what was going on in Rwanda during the 1990s. I’m still speeding through it but I was extra motivated to finish it in time for the reading. I also found Naomi on Facebook and sent her a message letting her know that I’m enjoying her book and that I was looking forward to the reading. She replied and, unfortunately, she’s had to cancel the reading due to illness. There is another reading on Monday, February 13, in Brooklyn but I don’t think I’ll be able to get there.

We exchanged a couple of messages. She told me to introduce myself if I am able to attend and she also wished me luck with my novel and my running. About my novel, she also asked for its title so that she could pick it up. That just made my day and, in a way, my entire writing career so far. I've had Twitter chats, albeit brief ones, with Lisa See and Marie Lu and Cindy Pon, all established writers. I also know Matt de la Peña, who I regard as a writing mentor, and he endorsed my novel. As a writer, part of me feels that I should take her request in stride but Naomi’s an award winning author and her book’s gotten all sorts of praise so, for someone of that stature to ask for the title of my book so she can go pick it up, I can’t help from feeling excited. It’s like Kobe Bryant asking someone who plays pick-up basketball on the weekends to play with him and share a thing or two about the game. It’s the equivalent of Chuck Norris asking me to go to his school and teach his martial arts classes.

I guess, what I’m saying is that there is definite value in connecting through social media. Most of you reading this already know that, owning your own Twitter and Facebook accounts in addition to websites dedicated to your novels and such. I’ve never met Naomi Benaron and I can’t profess to being able to call her a friend but we are fellow writers doing something we both love while trying to earn a living - or part of a living - doing it. I feel that through the simple and personal message I sent her, as a new fan of her work, I’ve also managed to make a professional connection of some kind.

So, for those of you who are unsure about getting into Twitter and Facebook and whatever else is out there, don’t be. Yes, idiots and hackers can send you all sorts of stupid - usually pornography - links and they can get into your accounts. Just be vigilant about changing your password and login settings and don’t put anything up that you don’t want anyone to see. Really, if a hacker wants to get in they will. They’re merely the dark side to the light of those people who write the security programs to block them. Most people I know - myself included - have been victims or know someone who’s been a victim but, in the end, things are restored and fixed.

The benefits, though, are worth it. I’ve made a professional contact with a well-regarded author through Facebook. On Twitter, I’m now a part of a large community of writers, indie and traditionally published, who support each other’s endeavours. With my novel about to come out, that’s particularly important. Beyond that, I get some love and validation and support for what I’m trying to do and for those times when it becomes overwhelming to do it. You’ve got nothing to lose. Give it a shot and if you don’t like it, just like at the party whose lights have flicked ‘last call’ and the kegs are drying up, you can always leave.

For me, I’m sticking around for a while. And, who knows? Some of my online friends and connections may even become real ones.

5 Comments
SEO Advice link
7/10/2012 01:19:17 am

Nice blog about the social media and the points which are described are also interesting to read. Thanks for the blog post.

Reply
Juan link
7/10/2012 01:24:58 am

Thanks for stopping by. Check out some of my other posts too if you have time.

Reply
marketing companies Vancouver link
9/11/2012 10:54:33 pm

I've been looking for information like this for quite a while and found your blog post. Thanks so much for the information.

Reply
Juan link
9/11/2012 11:49:34 pm

Thanks for stopping by. If you found this post useful, check out the ones I have about the Nook, knowing your book royalties, and what to do after your book comes out.

Reply
Hire Magento Developer link
9/30/2012 08:22:06 pm

I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and have my children check up here often. I am quite sure they will learn lots of new stuff here than anybody else!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Categories

    All
    양식
    경쟁
    태권도
    2013
    2014
    2015
    2026
    Aala
    Aaww
    Abbott Press
    Acting
    Adaptations
    Advice
    Agents
    Aging
    Aid
    Al Dacascos
    Alex London
    Aliens Among Us
    Amazon
    America
    Angle
    Anniversary
    Apex Tigers Martal Arts
    Arsenal Football Club
    Art
    Asia
    Asian
    Asian American
    Asian-American
    Asian American Literature
    Asian-American Literature
    Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
    Asian Books Blog
    Aunts
    Autumn
    Awards
    Back Kicks And Broken Promies
    Back Kicks And Broken Promises
    Bamboo Martial Arts
    Barnes And Noble
    Baron Pierre De Coubertin
    Bellwether Prize
    Birthday
    Bobby Jindal
    Book Baby
    Book Expo America
    Book Giveaway
    Book Reveiw
    Book Review
    Book Royalty
    Books
    Book Signing
    Boxers & Saints
    Boxing Day
    Breaking Dawn
    Bruised
    Bruno Mars
    Buffy
    Business
    Caa
    Carissa Villacorta
    Catching Fire
    Celebrations
    Champion
    Characters
    Character Traits
    Chariots Of Fire
    Children
    Chinese
    Christmas
    Chuck Norris
    Chuck Wendig
    Cindy Pon
    Columbia High School
    Competition
    Conflict
    Connections
    Conundrum
    Cooking
    Cousins
    Createspace
    Creating
    Creative Writing
    Crossover
    Culture
    Danielle Paige
    Darth Vader
    David Yoo
    Daylight Savings Time
    Decade
    Decisions
    Discussion Group
    Disney World Marathon
    Diwali
    Don Lee
    Do The Right Thing
    Duryeas8932f6cea7
    Dwayne Johnson
    Dystopia
    Dystopian
    Ebooks
    Eddie Huang
    Editors
    English Language
    English Premier League
    Ereaders
    Ernie Reyes Jr
    Ernie Reyes Sr
    Ethnicity
    Facebook
    Family
    Father And Son
    Fathers
    Favourite
    Fearlssness
    Fiction
    First Draft
    Food
    Food Blogging
    Foodie
    For Love Of The Game
    Forms
    Gene Luen Yang
    Genodice
    Glasnost
    Goals
    Good Luck
    Goodreads
    Gotham Writers Workshopbfddbcea09
    Grace Lin
    Graduating
    Graduation
    Graham Salisbury
    Grease Trucks
    Guru Nanak
    Haiyan
    Happy New Year
    Harlan Coben
    Hawaii
    Hines Ward
    Holden Caulfield
    Holiday
    Hone Your Craft
    Hong Kong
    Hunger Games
    Hyphen Magazine
    Identity
    Imagination
    Immigrant
    Inclusion
    Indie Author
    Indie Books
    Indie Publishing
    Indiereader
    Indie Reader
    Indiereader.com
    Ing Nycm
    Innocence
    Interview
    Intra-asian
    Ipad
    Iphone
    Irdas
    Itf
    Jeremy Lin
    Jhoon Rhee
    Jhumpa Lahiri
    J. K. Rowling
    John L Parker
    Joy
    Judgement
    Judging
    June
    Katniss
    K C Liquete
    Keshni Kashyap
    Kevin Costner
    Kidlit
    Kids
    Kindergarten
    Kindle
    Knowledge
    Kobe Bryant
    Kukkiwon
    Learning
    Legacy
    Legend
    Life
    Life Of Pi
    Linda Sue Park
    Linekdin
    Lisa See
    Literacy
    London 2012
    Longevity
    Looking Back
    Losers
    Lost Girl
    Lottery
    Macys Parade4a0a6280fe
    Magic
    Manila Bulletin
    Manuscript
    Marathon
    Marie Lu
    Mark Dacascos
    Marriage
    Matt De Lan Pena
    Matt De La Pena
    Matt De La Peña
    Meaningful
    Memories
    Mhm Editorial
    Michael Phelps
    Miss World
    Mma
    Mockingjay
    Monica Harris
    Montauk
    Mo Willems
    Mr Morris Lessmorec9bf63e964
    Ms Fiji
    Multiethnic
    Multiracial
    Murakami
    Music
    Musical Tastes
    Naboplomo
    Nanowrimo
    Naomi Benaron
    Negatives
    New Brunswick
    Newspaper
    New Writers
    New York City
    New York City Marathon
    New York Times
    New York Times Book Review
    Next Generation
    Nj Books
    Nook
    Nycm
    Obama
    Obi Wan Kenobi
    Office Of Letters And Light
    Once A Runner
    Orange
    Oscar Pistorius
    Pacific Islander
    Panlasa
    Parenting
    Pasta
    Pbs
    Philippines
    Phillip Rhee
    Picnic
    Pitching
    Pitching Agents
    Politburo
    Poomsae
    Pope Francis
    Positives
    Power
    Prodigy
    Pronunciation
    Publishing
    Pulitzer
    Race
    Racial Slur
    Ray Bradbury
    Read Across America
    Reading
    Rebecca Hamilton
    Recipes
    Relief
    Religion
    Reminiscing
    Resolutions
    Respect
    Review
    Revisions
    Rex Pickett
    Rocky
    Rocky Iv
    Rod Dixon
    Runners World Magazine
    Running
    Running The Rift
    Russell Peters
    Rutgers
    Rwanda
    Ryan Lochte
    Ryan Songalia
    Sam Tanenhaus
    Santa Claus
    Sarah Skilton
    School
    Sci-fi
    Screenplay
    Season
    Seasons
    Self Publishing
    Selfpublishing8081e9eb37
    Sensitivity
    Setting
    Sharon Leal
    Sideways
    Simon Rhee
    Six Degrees Of Separation
    Small World
    Social Media
    Something Wicked This Way Comes
    Sons
    Spelling
    Spike Lee
    Sports Movies
    Spring
    Stand By Me
    Star Wars
    Stephen King
    Steve Bertrand
    Stuff Yer Face
    Summer
    Summer Holiday
    Super Why
    Surreality
    Tabloid
    Taekwonco
    Taekwondo
    Tax Day
    Teaching
    Television
    Ten Years
    Thanksgiving
    The Body
    The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao
    The Collective
    The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time
    The Fall
    The Filipino Reporter
    The Forever Girl
    The Hunger Games
    The Manila Bulletin
    The Manila Times
    The Master
    The Newbery Honor
    The Olympics 2012
    The Ring Magazine
    Things Not To Say To Children
    Tiger Kim
    Tiger Woods
    Tita
    Tito
    Top Ten
    Torika Watters
    Tradition
    Trivia
    True Blood
    Tutsi Hutu
    Twilight
    Twitter
    Typhoon Ellen
    Ufc
    Uncles
    Volleyball
    Wat Misaka
    William Inge
    William Joyce
    Winners
    Wisdom
    Words
    Workshop
    Worst
    Wrack And Ruin
    Writer
    Writing
    Writing Classes
    Ya
    Yahoo
    Young Writer

    RSS Feed

✕