Fan Interaction

I swear I'm not trying to write whole essays with these things. I know there have been some long-winded ones in the past couple of weeks, but I'm not trying to make that the norm.

That said ... we're going to talk about the importance of fan interaction this week.

If you are in any tiny possible niche of the book community, you have been informed a thousand and one times how important reviews are for authors. Especially on sites like Amazon that will give authors more exposure depending on the amount of reviews they have. And here's the thing: they don't have to be good reviews. If you hate a book, it's perfectly acceptable to rate it how you feel, and rant about why you feel that way. Every. Review. Counts. I cannot stress this enough. Please review the books you read! Now that we're past that, the most enjoyable (aka the BEST) form of fan support is the art you create in relation to ours. And, sometimes, that has a bigger influence on an author's career than you ever thought possible. As an author, it's also the most flattering, wonderful, incredible feeling knowing that you created something that invoked such passion in other creatives that they chose to build on your world in their own way.

As someone with a small audience, it's not yet something I've been able to experience. It is, however, a driving force that keeps me working on stories that I think will have bigger impacts in the world than the ones I've already released. My writer goals for fan interaction include: 1. Having music created about my books (The Bookish Song Collective is a group that really encapsulates different novels and their music hits hard. Victoria Carbol and Karliene give off incredible bard vibes. And I would die if Tommee Proffitt learned anything about my work.) 2. Fan art. All the fan art ever. Drawings. Paintings. Videos. Fan casts. Any/all of it would make me squeal and kick up my heels like a teen girl in a sitcom. If you ever wondered what an author would consider their biggest sign of success is, that's it. 3. Fanfic. This one is hit and miss with a lot of authors, and I think it's pretty "eeeeeehhhh" for me, too. For this reason: popular fanfic can actually disrupt readers' perspective concerning canon events/characters. I say, if a series is finished and the author(s) have no intention to redirect their energy back into that world or those characters, then it's free rein. However, if a series is ongoing or there are possible spinoffs in the works, maybe keep the fanfic low-key, or at least well away from the author(s) themselves. That said, if someone wanted to create a story in my world, I would probably ask them to stay away from the main cast, but I would give them all the details of the world and a possible storyline to take other characters on an adventure. Honestly, that would be my idea of bliss. 4. Comments/messages/conversations. I write books to entertain me. I publish books to entertain others. Please, do not hesitate to share your reactions with me. If I wanted to giggle or cry about book events all alone, I'd've kept it all to myself. But I want people to get to know my characters. I want them to care about the things that happened to them. And I want them to talk to me about every single thing. It's what I'm living for.

I've said this before in previous posts, but I do want to make it clear just how vital every reader is to the bookish experience. Reviews increase interaction between readers, but please note that it's also okay to extend your interaction to the author, as long as it is done with respect and positivity. (Seriously, if you hate a book, just leave the review and move on. Tagging the author is just cruel at that point.) If you like something, let the world know it. And if you really like something, strike up a conversation with the creator. It might surprise you how eager they are to discuss it with those that appreciate it.