Experts in my field (writing and editing) say that these days you need a platform to sell book and article ideas to agents and publishers. That platform seems to consist, as far as I can tell, of a “web presence,” meaning a personal web site and a blog that get lots of hits. I’ve had both for about three years ago, and just added this blog, not really to increase my web presence but to talk and stimulate discussion about all the things that exist and interest me that have nothing to do with food and food writing, the subjects of my other blog Tripe Soup, from current politics (Go, Obama, go!) to being a parent (a job much harder than anyone tells you before you become one), to the B.B. King concert I went to last Friday, to all the places I’ve traveled to and want to go, to how a brisk walk on a cold day makes you feel so blissed out it should be illegal, and how being a writer can really suck and is a lot harder than people think but is the best job in the whole world.
Part of that “web presence” that I’ve been working on is signing up for pages on LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook, and although I’m not sure how virtually buying a beer for an old friend or taking care of another one’s “Green Patch” are helping my career. We’ll see. I did get a couple of well-known authors in my field to agree to be my “Facebook friend,” even though one I only met briefly and the other only saw from very far away when she sat on a panel at a conference. You never know…
Part of me, though, can’t help repeating to myself, “Fools’ names and fools’ faces are always seen in public places.”
Cast Iron Strumpet 