The Newcastle Writing Conference presents an opportunity for new and emerging fiction writers to explore and learn about trends in publishing, new markets for writing, as well as a chance to connect with other authors and industry experts.

The conference is presented by New Writing North and Northumbria University and will approach the publishing industry from a writer’s perspective, with a focus on how to break into writing, market trends and the state of the bookseller industry.

The Literary Platform will host a Writing Platform panel in the afternoon, introducing this new online space for writers: The Writing Platform is a free online guide for writers at all stages and of all genres, to best online practice and writing in a digital age.

The Literary Platform founder Sophie Rochester will chair the panel, with author speakers; Chris Rickaby, Lisa Gee, Ewan Morrison and Tony White.

Saturday 4 May, 9.30am-5.30pm

Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne

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This glossary of key digital terms has been pulled together by The Curved House based on frequently asked questions from authors they’ve worked with in recent years. Our aim is to grow this glossary over the coming months and keep it updated following developments and changes. If you have a suggestion for a term you’d like to see added to this list please do email hello(at)thewritingplatform(dot)com. Our aim is to try and serve as wide a group of authors so any ideas welcome.

Access
The right or ability to log onto a computer system or use a computer programme.

Alt tag
A text description of an image that will display with or without the image. Important for web accessibility.

Audio conversion programme
A computer programme that converts audio files (see Audio file below) into different formats. A recorded talk does not need as much depth as a musical score, so compressing (see below) into low-capacity audio format is useful to maintain usability of your site.

Audio file
A sound recording that can be listened to on a computer or mobile device.

Blog
Short for weblog, a diary on the web. Usually populated by an individual with text and/or multimedia. Entries are generally displayed in reverse chronological order (most recent at the top).

Bookmark
To bookmark a website is to save its URL electronically into a registry in your browser for easy access. Usually done with favourite or useful sites.

Broadband
A signalling method capable of transferring large amounts of data at high speed. The preferable access type and speed for web use; current industry standard in industrialised countries.

Chat room
A facility for participants, generally on the Internet, to exchange typed comments or information in real time.

Compression
The reduction in size of a data file, usually desirable with multimedia files on the Internet in order for them to load and become visible/audible as quickly as possible.

CMS (Content Management System)
A web content management system is designed to simplify the publication of web content to websites, in particular, allowing content creators to submit content without requiring technical knowledge of HTML or the uploading of files (see FTP below). A CMS provides the user with an understandable user surface that has entry masks for different media, allowing ease of access and quick edits.

CSS (cascading style sheets)
A type of web language that determines the formatting, style and design of web pages through programming code. Normally a web developer expert would be needed to develop
CSS that is custom-made to your needs.

Dial-up
A slow, low data-rate form of access to the Internet using telephone lines. Current data amounts online have made dial-up an extremely time consuming method of access to the internet.

Discussion forum
An online discussion site, usually focusing on a particular topic or group of topics. Participants usually post content that is longer in form than chat conversations. Once posted, replies remain visible to all participants and retain their position on the discussion time-line. Forum archives can go back years.

Domain name
The name (words, phrases or characters) by which a website is known and which serves as its address – usually preceded by www. and ending in a suffix (see below).

DPI
Dots per inch, a measurement of image density. DPI describes how many image dots are used within an inch-long line to make up an image. The standard pixel (see below) resolution used on the web is 72 DPI, whereas the standard resolution for print is 300DPI.

E-newsletter
A regularly distributed publication about a particular topic of interest to its subscribers and sent electronically in an email. Usually includes links to websites for further information.

FTP
File Transfer Protocol, the means by which information is uploaded onto (published on) the web. FTPs can be accessed via management programmes, “FTP clients”.

GIF
An image file format, up to now, the most commonly used graphic file type on the web. It limits the number of colors in an image so the file can download faster. Particularly good for text, art, cartoons, and line drawings. Vastly popular as a means to loop short animations.

Hardware
Computers, printers, computer screens etc. The equipment and devices used in computing (rather than the programmes used on it – see Software below).

Homepage
The main page of a website, often used as a welcome and/or introduction. Sometimes indicated by a URL (see below) ending in /index.

Host/Hosting
Holding a website on a web server (see Server below) in such a way that it can be seen by other computers. Hosting providers are service providing companies who do this in exchange for payment and are also known as ISPs.

HTML
The coding language used to build websites.

ISPs
Internet Service Providers (see Hosting above)

JPEG/JPG
An image file format, generally used on the web for photos and complex full colour images.

Link
A piece of text on a webpage which, when clicked on, leads to another webpage on either the same or a different website. An internal link leads to a piece of information on the same page.

Mac
One of the two main computer platforms (types, the other is PC, see below), created by Apple. Traditionally popular with designers and web developers.

Mailing list
A list of names and email addresses held for sending the same piece of information in one go to all those included in it. Vital for e-newsletters.

Moderation
Reading the contributions to a discussion forum with the power and responsibility for responding/dealing with/commenting on contributions when necessary.

Mouse-click
The method by which a web user moves from one web page to another.

Multimedia
This includes images, video, audio and podcasts, used to provide an engaging content experience on a website.

Navigation
The process created to help a user move around a website. Well-designed websites have consistent main navigation, found in the same position on every page. This makes movement around the site as easy as possible for the user.

Open source
Usually used to describe software (see below) developed for sharing and without charging. Often developed over time through collaboration.

PC
Personal computer. The other main computer model apart from the Mac (see above).

PDF
Portable Document Format. A document format that is light on data and capable of maintaining a document’s design and layout on different computers, therefore used extensively on the web.

Pixel
An individual dot of light, the basic unit from which images on a computer or television screen are made. Used as a measurement of screen dimensions for the computer (eg 800 x 600, which means 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels high) and to measure the size of web content such as images. Important for image preparation for the web.

PNG
An image file format, developed as an open source (see above) alternative to GIF. Considered an improvement on GIF.

Podcast
A series of digital media (audio or video) files offered for download by web syndication.

Proprietary
Created by or owned by an individual or company and sold for money. For example, a proprietary CMS is a Content Management System (see above) sold for money. The alternative is open source (see above).

Registrar (Domain name registrar)
A company that will register a domain name on your behalf for a fee.

Resolution
The level of reproduction of detail offered by a computer screen or an image.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Carrying out the necessary work to ensure that a website ranks as highly as possible in search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo).

Server
A computer that stores application programmes and data files accessed by other computers. A web server is used to store the data accessed on a website.

Social network
Or social network service. Builds online communities of people who share interests and/or activities. Usually web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as email, forums, and instant messaging. Has become a very popular method of communication in recent years, used by millions of people all over the world.

Software
A computer programme or application.

Spamming (spam)
Sending an unsolicited message or spam (email) over the Internet as a mass mailing to a large number of recipients.

Suffix
The final part of a domain name (see above) that indicates either the country where a website is based (e.g. .uk, .ca, .us) or the type of company or organisation that has created the site (e.g. .com for commercial companies, .org for non-profits, .edu or .ac.uk for higher education).

Unique visitor
One individual who visits a website and an important gauge of web activity. The number of unique visitors in a given period is used as a key measure of a site’s success.

URL
Uniform Resource Locator, another name for a web address (similar to a Domain name, see above). Generally starts http:// (or https:// for a secure site).

Web stats
Web statistics, metrics used to gauge the success of a website.

Wizard
An automatic tool for guiding a user through a web programme or application.

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Website Or Social Media: The Modern Writer’s Conundrum

Word of Colour Productions interviewed the self confessed tech geek, writer and editor Jacob Sam-La Rose on the impact of digital platforms and trends on his writing for The Writing Platform.

In 2012, Jacob’s poetry collection ‘Breaking Silence’ (Bloodaxe) was shortlisted for both the Forward Felix Dennis Award and the Aldeburgh Fenton Award. A techie and writer since the 1990s, Jacob has developed websites for literature development agencies, including Spread the Word, Apples & Snakes and Black Inc, and continues to advocate for the positive impact of new technology on literary and cross-art practice.

This interview was filmed by Words of Colour Productions in partnership with The Writing Platform. It will be the first of four profiles that Words of Colour Productions will produce for the new portal.

Interview by Joy Francis
Filmed by Nathan Richards
Supported by The Writing Platform

The survey conducted by The Writing Platform prior to launch firmly busted the ‘writer in the garret’ myth. Over 60% of the writers who responded expressed a desire to collaborate and a significant portion also expressed a hunger to experiment and push the boundaries of their creative practice.

Experimentation and collaboration come in many guises, in no way confined to the digital realm, but the networked nature of the web offers creators of all kinds unprecedented opportunities to play with form and to connect with others to do so. It lowers the barriers to entry: Don’t have vast amounts of technical knowledge? There are tools to help you out. Don’t have a buddy to work with? There are networks that connect you with others. Adopt the ‘anyone can play’ ethos and try something new – it might not be for you in the long-run, but you’ll learn a heck of a lot along the way.

Here is our round up of some of the tools and platforms available to writers looking to experiment or connect with others. We’ll add to this post as we come across new ones and we would love to hear from you about the ones you use.

Hitrecord

Hitrecord is a neat platform that enables artists working in a range of media – text, image, audio, video – to showcase their work, invite other artists to remix their work, remix the work of others, and collaborate on themed projects.

It’s easy to get started: sign up, upload your work, invite others to remix it, or find a piece of work you would like to remix. Remixing effectively means adding to a piece of work, changing it, or using as inspiration for a new piece of work.

Here’s an example: A user wrote and uploaded The Tiniest Story. The Tiniest Story has been remixed 165 times, and has inspired this illustration and this song.

As a user you can also take part in themed collaborations such as this one inviting the community to create a piece of work based on the theme of Truth in Fairytales.

A good starting point for writers new to the platform is the weekly 10 Minute Writing Challenge which invites writers to respond to a prompt word with a piece of prose, poetry or script, created within a 10 minute time frame.

Storybird

Storybird is a platform for writers who want to create visual stories. The site collects images and illustrations by visual artists from around the world and invites writers to create stories around these artworks. Writers can search themes using the artwork tags (such as this one for ‘cat’), write a story around the artwork they’ve selected, and publish it for the Storybird community using the site’s intuitive Storymaker tool. There is a strong emphasis on stories for – and by – children, with parents and teachers using the site to find appropriate stories, and so as you’d expect the site and stories are strictly moderated.

Varytale and Storynexus

The team at Failbetter Games have created two platforms that enable writers to create interactive stories and game-like experiences.

Varytale is a platform for reading and writing interactive books. Writers can use Varytale’s online tools to create interactive stories on their own or as part of a team. The beauty of the platform is that it enables writers to see what readers are reading and enjoying about their work, and thus make decisions about taking their story in a particular direction or adding content as readers demand it. It also means writers can dip their toe in the water, starting small and building the story as they learn the craft of interactive narrative.

One of the books available on the site is How to Read by Ian Millington and the Varytale Team which provides useful background on the principals of interactive narrative and using the Varytale platform.

Storynexus is a platform for exploring and creating storygames. After registering, writers start off by creating a storyworld – a location for their story – and then craft narrative routes for readers by defining the events and choices that will be available to them. All of this is done via the Storynexus platform, which offers helpful guidance through the process.

As with all the tools and platforms listed here, the best way of getting to grips with the possibilities offered by a platform such as Storynexus is to experience what others are creating.

Mozilla Webmaker

Webmaker from Mozilla Foundation is a suite of tools designed to ‘help you make something amazing with the web’. Thimble enables users to easily create and share their own webpages whilst X-Ray Goggles enables users to inspect the code behind a webpage and remix elements using their own content. Popcorn Maker enables users to create multimedia projects through their web browser, share them on the platform and embed them in their site or blog. Users can remix content from across the web – video, audio, pictures, text, links and live feeds – or enhance content they’ve create themselves.

One of the great things about Mozilla’s Webmaker is that there are always a host of inspiring and fun projects to get involved with. At the moment you can use the X-Ray Goggle tool to create a new chapter for Inanimate Alice, the interactive novel by The Writing Platform’s very own editor, Kate Pullinger.

Before getting started on any of these platforms, especially those with a strong remix element, we’d always recommend that you read the ‘creators guidelines’, particularly those pertaining to copyright.

Have fun!

Your online presence is everything you say online: on your website if any, on your publisher’s website if any, on your blog if any, on Facebook or Twitter or any other social media site, and also – unfortunately – in your private emails, which can so easily be hacked and copied. It’s also everything anyone says about you: in newspaper or magazine reviews, if in digital form or accessible online; on blogs; on social media.

A word of warning: publishing online is publishing, and is subject to libel law. Book reviews are “fair comment,” but vicious attacks on other people’s personalities and behaviour are not.

But what about you, the writer? Publishers are always telling authors to get online, take up social media, run a blog, and so forth. Should you do it? Not if you don’t feel comfortable with it. Some writers feel that engaging online would be a distraction; others find it trivial and embarrassing, even demeaning. Yet others feel it’s another form of writing. Some genuinely want to hear from their readers. Each online platform is different. Twitter is truly social: it’s like a party. You meet strangers, some of whom will indeed be strange. You have short conversations about any subject at all. But if all you do is promote your own work, other people will think you’re vain and egotistical. They’ll be very happy to get recommendations from you about books by other writers, however. Twitter is a great way to pass along the news, including news about things you like and causes you support.

A blog is like a column in a newspaper: you can use it to write about things that interest you. Some of these may be your own work, but if that’s all you write about, your readers may lose interest. A website – which may host, for instance, a blog and a Twitter window – can be many things, but on a writer’s website visitors expect to find out about the books you’ve written, to read reviews, and even to be shown how they can buy your books online. Pictures of the covers are not out of place here, nor a biography.

A Goodreads author session allows readers to ask questions that writers then answer. It’s like a Q and A after a reading. Those attending it will be fans of your work. These sessions are generally pleasant.

Facebook is like a moving billboard on which items are posted, most of which concern the subject. Many authors have a Facebook page administered by the publisher. Some have Facebook “shrine” pages put up by fans.

Pinterest is for pictures; some of these can be covers of your books, should you so desire. Flickr and Instagram are also mainly visual. I suppose you could use Instagram to post pictures on your own website and Facebook. I haven’t tried it yet. Glossi allows you to create something that looks like a glossy magazine (you can turn the pages). It would be a good place for an illustrated excerpt, with perhaps a background piece about the book. Byliner fills the niche left by a dearth of magazine fiction and longform investigative journalism. It commissions paid-for pieces, shares royalties, allows authors to post “updates” to stories, and cross-promotes via (for instance) Twitter. It curates collections of authors work, and allows users to search by various categories. Your agent should be aware of it.

Wattpad is a site on which members generate the free content that other members can read and comment on. It exists in 25 languages; its members (both readers and writers) tend to be young, but increasingly publishers are looking at it both for potential writers and as a way to help launch a book. There are a great many book bloggers and library sites and book clubs, and some will advise you to leave “calling cards” on them. I have no opinion about this, not having tried it. Book Riot and Rumpus are two well-known book information sites, but there are many more.

And who knows what wonders may soon appear? Siren songs, all of them, you may feel, leading those who heed them to destruction: your real job is to finish your book. Or you may not feel that. It’s up to you. And there’s no rule that says you can’t try one of these out and then decide it’s not for you. On the Internet, one size does not fit all.

Discussion forums or “chat rooms” are online websites where people engage in conversations around particular topics in the form of a question and answer style thread. A chat room is similar, except the conversation happens in real time. The principles are broadly the same for both forums and chatrooms so this article should give you a general overview for both. For the sake of economy we will refer to them as forums here.

Many people associate online forums with advice as the most common type are those that allow people to seek help relating to a particular issue. For example, health forums are very popular (and a little scary!) for advice about symptoms and health worries, techie forums are invaluable for answering questions about web development or any kind of technical need, and of course websites like Mumsnet offer forums for parents to discuss the highs and lows of family life. The personal nature of forums is very appealing to people and if you can find the right one it can be a great opportunity for you to connect with your readers, or other like-minded writers, and maybe even make some new friends.

Top tips for using online forums:

• Follow the rules. Forums generally have ‘rules’ that set the tone for how people engage with each other. When you first visit the forum be sure to look for the topic called ‘Forum rules’ (or something similar) to get a sense of what you can and can’t post.
• Use forums to ask for information and advice from others but also offer your expertise in return, and answer requests for information. The more you give, the more you get back.
• Proactively engage with discussions and build relationships with members.
• If you can, add photos and information to your personal profile, including links to your website, twitter profile or any other work online. However, some forums don’t allow members to link to other websites, so make sure you are aware of the rules and respect them.
• Some forums arrange real-life meet-ups. Don’t be afraid to leave the safety of your computer to attend but remember to stay safe and make sure you attend group meetings in public places only. Trust your instincts.
• Don’t engage in online arguments or slanging matches (the online term for such escalations is “flame wars”)! It’s good to take part in discussions and present your views, but remember this is about building a positive reputation. A good rule of thumb is to not type something you wouldn’t say outright in a personal conversation.
• It is OK to occasionally mention your work as long as the way you do it is sensitive and respectful to the community. People don’t like to be sold to so sometimes just being seen as a thoughtful, positive and friendly person is enough to sell a few copies of your book.
• View online spaces just like real life settings – because they are.
• Have fun!

Hosting a forum
If you are hosting a discussion forum, be aware that you have a responsibility to monitor the discussion and to take action should there be problems. You could, for example, be held responsible for defamatory remarks made against someone if you don’t remove them promptly.
These days it is easiest not to host a public discussion forum: social networks cover this ground really well. However, you may want to create a members’ password-protected discussion area where supporters can exchange ideas, or as a one-off event. You will still need to monitor this but the responsibility may be easier.
Many web content management systems (such as WordPress) come with a password-protected discussion forum option, so it is easy to set one up from a website created in this way.

Get started by visiting some of these popular forums for writers: 

figment.com
www.publishedauthors.org
www.writingforums.com
www.writersbeat.com
www.kuforum.co.uk/kindleusersforum/forum-35.html
www.mywriterscircle.com
www.youngwritersonline.net
www.makeliterature.com/forums

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Website Or Social Media: The Modern Writer’s Conundrum

If you’re considering developing your web presence you are probably wondering whether it’s better to build a website, start a blog, or join Twitter, Facebook and the many other social media platforms available today. If you are lucky enough to have the golden trifecta: time, ability and money, then by all means, do it all! But if you’re like most people and have limited resources in at least one or two of those areas, you need to think about the kind of web presence that you can manage on an ongoing basis.

For many writers, social media is an awkward fit. It takes time and tenacity so a low-maintenance website can be a really good way to secure an online presence without the pressure of daily, weekly or even monthly updating. Before we go on, I want to emphasise that this article is not about scaring you off social media. There are counter arguments for everything listed below, and if you can utilise social media then by all means do. But if you can’t use it then – for authors especially – a website remains a very valid alternative. Here’s why:

Maintain your comfort Zone
A website allows you stay within your comfort zone. You decide what goes up there, approve it before it goes live to the public, and then update it as and when you need to. Engagement with social media is much more active and immediate and it can be difficult for a variety of reasons: lack of knowledge or ability, lack of time, or most crucially a general lack of interest. Many of us are not, by nature, sociable creatures so the idea of joining Twitter is akin to being forced to attend every networking event on the publishing calendar, completely alone, and to emerge surrounded by a bunch of new friends. Online activity may be cyber, but it’s still real life and you are perfectly within your rights to maintain the same comfort you would in the physical world. A simple website allows you to be present, while only attending the parties you want to attend.

Control the content
When you use social media you are engaging with a network of other users and this effects your own profile. You can’t always control how other people behave and interact with you on a social media site but you can control the content of a website. And it’s easier than ever to do that. Nowadays websites are much more accessible and affordable. Almost all developers will build your site using a CMS (Content Management System) and this allows you to quickly and easily edit your site yourself, at no cost. If you can use Microsoft Word then you will be able to use a CMS and you will therefore be able to maintain control over the content.

Keep it low maintenance
Not everyone is tech savvy, just like not everyone can cook, or garden, or fix things. Creating a low maintenance website let’s you have a web presence that you can maintain as often or as little as you like. The more you can update your site and be present online, the more search engines will favour you, but this favouritism isn’t always so necessary for authors. Having a website that functions as a simple calling card can be enough.

Consolidation
The most effective way to present a complete picture of yourself is on a website. Unlike social media sites, a website gives people a single portal into your online world, rather than them having to sift through your tweets, posts and mentions to build a picture for themselves. Your homepage should carry all the key information people might need (and a link to where they can buy your books) and also give the reader a sense, within a split second of seeing it, of who you are.

Validation
Anyone can create a Twitter account and invent a persona for themselves, but a website is a bigger investment and it therefore gives validity to yourself and your work. It shows that you have made a commitment to your writing and that you are serious. If you have a well-designed and well-presented website it will also demonstrate to agents, publishers and readers that you know what you’re doing when it comes to your online presence.

Copyright and Intellectual Property
Most social media sites are free but they need to monetize themselves somehow. Often they do this by assuming ownership of the content (data) that you upload to their sites and using any social media site comes with the implicit understanding that this is how things work. When you build a website you retain the copyright of the content (be sure to make sure your web designer agrees this in writing) while your web designer will keep the copyright of the design and code base (assuming they produced both). You can ask for a backup of the data at any time to ensure your content is safe.

Statistics
Finally, with a website you can track your web statistics and see, among other things, the number of visitors to your site, how long they stayed on the site, their geographic location and how they found your website. This can be invaluable data for understanding who your readership is and what you can do to engage them further. For example, if you find that 40% of visitors are coming from Germany it might be time to discuss a German language edition with your publisher!

It’s not nearly as costly or intimidating to get a website as it used to be and it can be a great way to start building your online self. Who knows, maybe you’ll get hooked and will want to join Twitter after all!

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A Glossary Of Key Terms

A Quick Guide To Facebook

Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites globally, with a little over a billion users worldwide (as of September 2012). If used properly, Facebook can be an invaluable marketing tool for authors.

What kind of Facebook Account do I need?

There are two main types of Facebook presence:

1) Personal Profiles
A Facebook “Profile” is a personal profile and is usually used as a means to connecting with family and friends. At it’s core, Facebook is a network of individuals’ “profile pages”, where photos and personal information are uploaded and displayed. Individuals then add other people as “friends” and can provide status updates, send messages and write on friends’ “walls”. Once you have a profile, you can choose whether information and activity is displayed publicly, to friends only, or to specific people. Most people keep their profile pages private which means that only your Facebook friends can see the content of your profile, and therefore it is not indexed by search engines.

2) Facebook Page
A Facebook “Page” is different to a “Profile”. Facebook pages help businesses, organisations and brands share their stories and connect with people. Pages contain information that is public and open to anyone and therefore Facebook pages are indexed by search engines. This is one reason why we recommend that authors use this option – a Facebook page – for promotion. It is commonly understood that Facebook pages represent companies, concepts or professionals, and not a private person’s life so this is the most appropriate way to present your book or yourself as an author.

Once your page is set up, users then choose to “like” your page and they will then be notified of any new changes or status updates from you. You can update your page with news, upload photos and videos, send messages to your followers and set up events. Tip: You may already have a website or blog and if you are having trouble keeping up with all the updates consider using a Facebook page as your blogging platform and put all of your updates and articles there.

Note: As of March 2012, profiles and pages are also referred to as “timelines”, to reflect the new Facebook layout based on a chronological timeline.

How to set up a Facebook personal profile
The most common way to set up a Facebook page is to first create a personal profile, and then create a page from there. This does not mean that people who “like” your page can see your personal information, it simply helps Facebook to create a connection between you and your page. You can then maintain your professional appearance while still staying connected with family and friends and you can also use your network of friends to build “likes” on your Facebook page.

Create a Personal Profile
Go to www.facebook.com.
On the homepage, you’ll see a form which you’ll need to fill in to sign up. Facebook will then take you through the process of setting up your personal profile step by step. Be sure to go through each area of the privacy settings and carefully select the level of privacy you want. This is an important step, to ensure your personal information is not visible to the public (unless you want it to be).
Once you have your personal profile set up, follow the steps below to set up your page.

Facebook page

1. Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/browser.php and log in.
2. Click the green ‘Create a Page’ button on the top right.
3. You will see various categories:
   • If your page is for you as an author, select Artists, Band or Public Figure, then select ‘Author’ from the drop down menu.
   • If your page is for your book, select Entertainment, then select ‘Book’ from the drop down menu.
4. Give your page a name, eg. Book Title or Your Name, then check the terms and conditions box and press ‘Get Started’.
5. You will be guided through three steps to set up your page (you can skip some of these steps if you want to return to them later):
   • Add a profile image. This should be 180 x 180 pixels (square). See the ‘How to resize image for the web’ article. [HYPERLINK]
   • Add ‘About’ text. This is either your bio or the blurb or marketing copy for your book. Make sure it’s interesting and enticing and that it includes your Twitter handle and web address.
   • Add a URL or web address for your Facebook page, for example www.facebook.com/titleofyourbook or www.facebook.com/yourpenname.
6. That’s it! You’re up and running. You will now be on your new Facebook page so you an add a background image, invite your friends to like your page, start posting updates and begin to build your audience.

Top Tips for Using Pages

• Keep your pages regularly updated. If you don’t have any new news, try commenting on something topical, post up a video, song or image that has inspired you or even recycle older news (if it’s still relevant!).
• “Like” related pages, such as those by other authors or publishing houses. Consider sharing their news on your page. This can help encourage others to “like” your page and share your news in return.
• Use visuals. You can post a variety of multimedia to a Facebook page – e.g. pictures, audio and video. Using visual content like this is a great way to get people’s attention and engage your audiences.
• As a general rule, keep your tone personal and informal to engage users and create a sense of community – if this is appropriate for your brand/identity.
• Make sure you respond to your fans’ queries and comments.
• Try posting status updates as questions to prompt responses. Interaction is key.
• Try to link to your website and other online profiles as much as possible in your status updates. This helps with search engine optimization and ensures that people can easily find our more about you.

If you need a helping hand with your Facebook page come to one of our one-to-one web and social media sessions run regularly throughout the year. Contact kristen(at)thecurvedhouse(dot)com for more info.

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A Glossary Of Key Terms

A Writer’s Guide To Online Discussion Forums

Website Or Social Media: The Modern Writer’s Conundrum

Serendipity is the great unsung hero of publishing. We can never be sure of the precise value arising from chance encounters in bookshops, the flash of a good jacket catching the reader’s eye, igniting the purchase instinct so that before they know it they’ve bought another book. We’ve all been there; we’ve casually browsed, and probably found many of our favourite books this way – by chance, in bookshops, passing time, scanning idly. We’ll never know what this is worth, but it is likely to be very large indeed.

How about in digital environments? Well, there has been a great attempt at not just replicating the mechanisms of the physical world but surpassing them, and a good deal of web innovation has centred around recommendation engines, affiliate networks, filtering systems, automatic suggestions and the prediction of taste.

To some this is a world where abundant culture becomes easily discoverable, where we can find what we like and structure our experience in a totally customised way; to others it is what Eli Pariser has called the “filter bubble”, an egotistical echo chamber where we are never challenged by newness or difference aside from our pre-existing predilections.

Regardless of the rights or the wrongs, one thing is clear: where chance is lost, where algorithms replace luck and the keyword search term is king, metadata is the fulcrum of discovery. Metadata, in short, decides whether your book is found, and by extension whether your book is bought.

So what is metadata and why is it important? The word is part of the problem. It sounds fairly technical and abstract, the kind of thing requiring specialist knowledge. In fact metadata is easy. Metadata is just all the information around a book that isn’t the content. That’s it. People have been using metadata for centuries; they just called it something different.

The name of the book is metadata, the cover is metadata, the word count and page count are metadata, as are the formats. The blurb, the tagline, the keywords attached to those (e.g. which words summarise the book best?) are all metadata. Price, publication date, review quotes, sales points, promotional opportunities, territorial rights, ISBNs and the author name are all metadata to.

Then there are the subject categories, known in the US as BISAC codes and in the UK as BIC codes. If you Google for your subject you will quickly find the correct codes for your books. Metadata can become quite ‘granular’ as the parlance would have it, looking at details like different author roles and different identifiers, but for the most part it sticks to the information readers would find relevant about a book.

Metadata influences search, it influences territoriality and categorisation – metadata is the advert, the sales pitch, the sell in and the advance promotion; metadata is the random book left on the table, the fervent recommendation of a friend, the arresting blurb, the good review, serving the random browser and the determined buyer alike.

Bad metadata means your book is invisible and un-purchasable. Yet compared to many industries either totally or increasingly focused on digital commerce, publishing lags in its understanding of SEO practices, metadata standards implementation, data collection and analysis and systems investment.

A few brief principles for metadata, whether self-published or working with a book publisher, will enormously help your book’s chances.

1 Accurate metadata – it all has to be correct. Wrong metadata confuses the system. This means you need to be meticulous when inputting your metadata and check everything through. One of the difficulties of metadata is that different retailers have different metadata requirements, so you or your publisher need to make sure the right metadata is going to the right retailer. This can be a painstaking and time consuming process but it’s worth it.

2 More is more – if you don’t put the metadata in, it won’t be discovered. Many people only put the bare minimum in. Metadata is boring and tricksy. However by not putting absolutely everything in you will increase the visibility on offer. So if you are uploading work yourself fill out every field on offer. If you are working with a publisher supply them with as much information as they need and monitor what the output looks like.

3 BUT go for quality not quantity. Making sure your metadata is complete is one thing, overloading is another. Book blurbs, tag lines, review quotes, puffs, different regional pricing are all great; but don’t go overboard. A well drafted piece of copy is a much better piece of metadata than a lengthy, search engine friendly piece of text that no one will want to read.

4 Lastly, familiarise yourself with the basic tenets of SEO. Yes, this is a chore and a distraction from writing. We all have to recognise the world we live in, and in that world a bit of simple knowledge can go a long way. All of the above applies. You don’t need any technical knowledge, just an awareness of what kind of thing might help. Have a look at something like this introductory guide from a well-known SEO website: http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo.

We still haven’t fully figured out how to replace the experience of shopping in a bricks and mortar store, that sense of surprise, fun, the unexpected – and we haven’t worked out how we can create and capture those impulse buys. We are going to need to, and the answer will be found in a revolution of what metadata we supply, and how we supply it.