Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites can be important and highly-effective components of a comprehensive book promotion campaign. But this book publicist wouldn't make social networking the sole component of a book promotion campaign; social networking -- at least, at the moment -- means sacrificing several things including privacy.
According to a CNN.com article, "The internet and the 'end of privacy,' " social networking as come a social necessity for some of us, so that segment of the population might be to share too much information with others: our politics, our online purchases, our vacation plans, and the like.
But, for the rest of us, social networking is a tool, not a necessity. It's an excellent tool for book promotion, although it's not the exclusive means of obtaining -- and retaining -- a high book publicity profile for your project. But it's one of many book promotion tools.
The question that authors, publishers, and book promotion specialists must ask is: what's the real cost of social networking? It's wonderful to see people buzzing about your book -- but you're giving up something to see that happen. You're exchanging your privacy in exchange for the book promotion value of social networking.
Privacy in exchange for book promotion might be a fair exchange ... but I wouldn't count on social networking as the book promotion solution for every author, publisher, and book publicist. This book publicist values her privacy, and she wouldn't give it up willingly as long as there are other book promotion venues.
And, fortunately, there are many book promotion venues out there. Social networking enjoys an inflated sense of importance now, because it's still new. But when the shine wears off, some of us will be left wondering what we've given up in the name of book promotion. A little bit? Too much? Or everything
