Time for a whinge by Sarah Nicholson
I’ve finally made the jump from what was formally Twitter to Threads. I do feel it is putting all my eggs in one big Meta basket, but I quite like the way it cross posts between platforms.
We could debate the merits or downsides of social media all
day, but as writers it is one of the best ways to build and connect with potential readers, which in turn hopefully leads to some sales, maybe reviews and
thereby more sales… this writing lark is such a merry-go-round, when does
anyone find time to write? I’ll address that one next month.
I have tried to fill my threads timeline with mostly writers
and creatives, I’m not following so many pollical accounts. All is calm and
soothing – ish.
You get the odd thread of how do you pronounce a certain
word and how it freaks Americans out the way we say some things in the UK. I
confess I tumble down a few of those rabbit holes, but somehow, they go in small
circles. I get that sense of déjà vu and remind myself this is immaterial in
the grand scheme of things and step away from the edge.
But last month writers were getting hot under the collar
about another thorny issue – celebrities writing books, particularly children’s
books, because hey, how hard can that be?????
There was some discussion about how badly written some of
them are and how some celebs use ghost writers anyway just adding their name to it as
they would to a brand of perfume – we all know they probably don’t have skills
in blending designer fragrances but somehow it is easier to believe they could
string together a few coherent sentences – meow – am I being too unkind?
Many people (generally people who don’t write) have no issue
with this at all. I wonder if perfumiers get cross their names aren’t emblazoned
on the scents they create?
Big names sell - whether books or perfumes – it’s a fact you
can’t deny. And advertisers capitalise on this by heavily marketing these items
and pushing them to the most prominent displays. Then they sell even more.
Squeezing out us unknown writers with no budgets for lavish book launches.
Am I jealous? Maybe just a bit. As much as anything because
it is not a two-way street.
If you are already a “celebrity”, such as a TV host, tik tok
influencer or soap star, you can so easily add best-selling author to your CV
and consequently get invited onto prominent TV chat shows, into the jungle or
onto the dance floor.
But even the best-selling authors don’t often get the same
recognition – why have we never seen Ian McEwan ice skating, Joanne Harris in
the jungle or Anthony Horowitz cooking up a storm in the kitchen?
Maybe we have and I’ve just missed it – I’m not a huge fan
of reality TV shows to be honest. I’d rather read a good book, when I’m not
following a meaningless thread on social media.
Anyway I’m glad to get that off my chest, anything you want
to add or whinge about – use the comments section below!
Meanwhile let’s turn the spotlight on some talented writers who do not have
BIG names…
I’ve just been away on holiday with a friend and she showed
me the books she had downloaded on her Kindle.
I only spotted two authors I’d heard of, neither of them in
the best-selling celeb category.
The first was a book by Author Electric’s very own Cecilia Peartree.
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| Cecilia Peartree |
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| susiholliday.com |
Meanwhile I recently read the excellent Time Tub Travellers and the Silk Thief by Claire Linney, winner of the Ink Book Prize for Children’s fiction. Zula and Milo travel back in time to Tudor England and meet some black Tudors who look like them, proving their teacher wrong in the process. Perfect for educating youngsters and grown-ups alike in Black History Month.
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| www.clairelinney.com |
And finally my holiday read was Banshee by Lindsay Rumbold. A cold war thriller with timelines in the 1964 and 2022. Secrets and treachery abound as a body is discovered in an old bunker. Just what has been covered up for all these years? Lots of technical details with a cleverly devised plot which will keep you gripped.
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| www.lindsayrumbold.com |
I'd love to know what authors you have discovered recently too.
Comments
I am also on Threads, which after some trial runs on different platforms, I decided was the one that suited me best, and I was pleased to find most of the dogs and cats that I follow on Twitter there, and some of the people too. I am still active on Twitter despite the massive amount of misinformation that's been circulating there lately. I like to know what these people I disagree with so much are thinking, though I do get bored with some of the images.