So many wonderful books coming – huge congratulations! As for social media, I struggle with it. I go through stages where I can happily share things and stay consistent, and then something happens, like the referendum last year. I had so many things I wanted to say but I just ... couldn't. I needed to sit with how I was feeling in a private space, but also not sharing my thoughts and using my voice made me feel that I couldn't share anything else on socials either. It's the same with other awful things happening in the world. I retreat from social media because it feels too complex. I take comfort in my little real-life bubble of people and sometimes that's all I can do at the time. So tricky because I have some exciting projects coming up and I do feel that I need to get back to social media to share info about them, but I'm still grappling with getting back into it. I know I will get back there, but I'm trying to be okay with not always being able to be consistent. Not really a helpful comment from me, I'm sorry, but I do think social media is hard for many of us.
That is helpful, Melissa-Jane. We seem to all struggle with social media and it's comforting to hear other honest reflections. I agree that it is extra hard when hard stuff is happening. If you look away it can feel like you're not doing what's right but it becomes so distressing when your feed is flooded with horrible news. I'm not sure how to manage that. I think your strategy of retreating when you need to is smart. It's our real-life connections that sustain us. Congratulations on your exciting projects. I look forward to reading about them in your newsletter. xx
Thanks so much, Katrina. It does feel right to retreat and step back from social media when needed, but I do feel guilty for not doing all I can to promote myself and my work. It's a tricky balance that I am yet to find, but it seems that's the case for many. Maybe we'll work it out one day!
Like you, Katrina, and many other author friends, I took a social media break for at least a month at the end of the year. Why? I hadn't been posting much so why did i pull back? It was because i was tired of reading. My reading of social media felt thinner and thinner. What was I getting from it? What was I spending my time doing? Some people hog social media. And that had the effect of sending me skimming right past. I enjoyed your wandering walk video and I enjoyed your family pics with your new book. Why? It was promotion and excitement about your new book. But it was genuine and spoke about the people in your life who've been there for you or had some influence in your career. Maybe other posts are equally genuine, but after a while I find myself asking why am I following this person's life? So, what is the answer? I often think back to when there was no media promotion for books, like way, way back. How did the people get to know about your books? Perhaps through newspaper reviews? Perhaps through teacher-librarians? Perhaps word-of-mouth? Whatever, we have social media. But how we use it is a constant changing platform. I guess it comes down to your own sense of purpose and integrity. xx
You have a lot of questions like me, Janeen. We're on the same page. It's good to reflect and I like your questions; they're each really worth considering. Thanks! I also enjoyed your idea about some people 'hogging' social media. That's a very interesting way to think about it. Who is dominating the conversation? How much should we post? I am inclined to use the mute button sometimes. (Don't tell anyone.) Integrity and purpose. Nicely put. xxx
Congratulations on all the new books you have coming up, Katrina. I enjoyed your updates. Your comments about social media resonated with me. I have periods where I press the pause button and spend less time posting and checking the news feed. Even when I am more active, there's so much I don't share about my personal life and my opinions. It does feel important to be authentic so had sometimes deciding how much of myself and my life to put out there. I guess we all have to find our own comfort level of social media engagement and stay with that.
Hi Teena, thank you for your lovely comment. It's so heartening to know we're all trying to work it out - how to be authentic without over sharing. And thanks for the congrats x
Exciting times ahead - these books look wonderful Katrina! I was especially excited about Fabulous Frogs - right up my alley! I’ll keep an eye out for it. I have a junior fiction series for early readers about friendship, conservation and frogs currently baking, with illustrations by the talented Hykie Breeze. The first one, Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra, will be ready for release later this year with UWAP 🐸
So many wonderful books coming – huge congratulations! As for social media, I struggle with it. I go through stages where I can happily share things and stay consistent, and then something happens, like the referendum last year. I had so many things I wanted to say but I just ... couldn't. I needed to sit with how I was feeling in a private space, but also not sharing my thoughts and using my voice made me feel that I couldn't share anything else on socials either. It's the same with other awful things happening in the world. I retreat from social media because it feels too complex. I take comfort in my little real-life bubble of people and sometimes that's all I can do at the time. So tricky because I have some exciting projects coming up and I do feel that I need to get back to social media to share info about them, but I'm still grappling with getting back into it. I know I will get back there, but I'm trying to be okay with not always being able to be consistent. Not really a helpful comment from me, I'm sorry, but I do think social media is hard for many of us.
That is helpful, Melissa-Jane. We seem to all struggle with social media and it's comforting to hear other honest reflections. I agree that it is extra hard when hard stuff is happening. If you look away it can feel like you're not doing what's right but it becomes so distressing when your feed is flooded with horrible news. I'm not sure how to manage that. I think your strategy of retreating when you need to is smart. It's our real-life connections that sustain us. Congratulations on your exciting projects. I look forward to reading about them in your newsletter. xx
Thanks so much, Katrina. It does feel right to retreat and step back from social media when needed, but I do feel guilty for not doing all I can to promote myself and my work. It's a tricky balance that I am yet to find, but it seems that's the case for many. Maybe we'll work it out one day!
Like you, Katrina, and many other author friends, I took a social media break for at least a month at the end of the year. Why? I hadn't been posting much so why did i pull back? It was because i was tired of reading. My reading of social media felt thinner and thinner. What was I getting from it? What was I spending my time doing? Some people hog social media. And that had the effect of sending me skimming right past. I enjoyed your wandering walk video and I enjoyed your family pics with your new book. Why? It was promotion and excitement about your new book. But it was genuine and spoke about the people in your life who've been there for you or had some influence in your career. Maybe other posts are equally genuine, but after a while I find myself asking why am I following this person's life? So, what is the answer? I often think back to when there was no media promotion for books, like way, way back. How did the people get to know about your books? Perhaps through newspaper reviews? Perhaps through teacher-librarians? Perhaps word-of-mouth? Whatever, we have social media. But how we use it is a constant changing platform. I guess it comes down to your own sense of purpose and integrity. xx
You have a lot of questions like me, Janeen. We're on the same page. It's good to reflect and I like your questions; they're each really worth considering. Thanks! I also enjoyed your idea about some people 'hogging' social media. That's a very interesting way to think about it. Who is dominating the conversation? How much should we post? I am inclined to use the mute button sometimes. (Don't tell anyone.) Integrity and purpose. Nicely put. xxx
Congratulations on all the new books you have coming up, Katrina. I enjoyed your updates. Your comments about social media resonated with me. I have periods where I press the pause button and spend less time posting and checking the news feed. Even when I am more active, there's so much I don't share about my personal life and my opinions. It does feel important to be authentic so had sometimes deciding how much of myself and my life to put out there. I guess we all have to find our own comfort level of social media engagement and stay with that.
Hi Teena, thank you for your lovely comment. It's so heartening to know we're all trying to work it out - how to be authentic without over sharing. And thanks for the congrats x
Exciting times ahead - these books look wonderful Katrina! I was especially excited about Fabulous Frogs - right up my alley! I’ll keep an eye out for it. I have a junior fiction series for early readers about friendship, conservation and frogs currently baking, with illustrations by the talented Hykie Breeze. The first one, Ella and the Amazing Frog Orchestra, will be ready for release later this year with UWAP 🐸
Oh yay! We share a frog theme. I look forward to hearing more about Ella. Love the sound of the frog orchestra. x