My 2 weeks to 3 months experience on social media - by Kyi May Kaung

I have a blog, this Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, in addition to me real community - as on email  (people I have mostly met in person or worked with - sometimes long distance, or for over a decade)

So far there is maybe only 1 or 2 persons who are "common" to all 5 groups.  I have known both as colleagues over one decade.  You know who you are. (Oh, there are also another 2 of 40+ years standing, but only one is active on FB).

I have noticed that the way these different cyber communities grows is quite different.

In a few days, Facebook became for me an emigrant or exile, or internal dissident activist Burma community, with mostly people outside Burma and a few from inside Burma, which I am "trying to grow" especially Burmese-born visual artists.  For some reason the writers may be somewhat standoffish, though poets are not, I do not know why this is so.

My blog is - judging from the posts that get the most hits, mostly Burma focus too, but they also, just like the FB fans, like the visuals.  Most are outside Burma, with least number of hits from inside Burma.

Twitter is quite a different animal - it is mostly writers and journalists, minority are Burma or Asia specialists.

I have only got about 2 responses to my query on Twitter - "Would you like to review my novella Black Rice" - out of maybe 20 I sent out.

"You are more likely to survive a plane crash than that someone will click on your ad. banner"

In my "live" literary salon in Silver Spring, MD 2001-2009, turnout rate for email blasts (total about  350) was 1 % or 3.

That said, George R. R. Martin and Amanda Hocking said they both sold their novels "through word of mouth" and had no ad. budget.

GRRM's sales stats. are for 6 books in series over about 30 years, but sales of the first -- The Game of Thrones, is always the highest in the graphs.  GRRM published the conventional way -  and first book was originally agented (and he still has an agent from same agency when primary agent died) - and he said he wrote after submitting a synopsis and getting and advance.

It is not clear to me whether he would consider the HBO series "an advertisement" -- Just on how I myself got hooked -- I do not own a TV anymore, and looked up the Song of Ice and Fire series or 4 books package from a chance remark seen fleetingly on the web page or blog of someone (I don't remember who) who I was thinking might be able to format my books.  I then found the cheapest package for 4 books at Walmart.

Hocking made $ 2 million over about 2 years, publishing nine (get this 9!!!) novels - self-publishing over a short period of time.

She is only 27, or was when breakthrough came, and started writing at age 17 --

if you feel envious, consider this, can you write as fast or as well -- maybe if you have the energy of a young adult.

Someone I know who encouraged me to publish - published 2 novels in 2 years and second hit the NYTS best seller list.

I must say like most people I have queried agents over years - with different novels - which were all praised in book groups and classes - so Thank You, everyone who shared your agent's name - and helped me in other substantial ways.

Hocking got a traditional publisher, St Martin's Press, after her income from books hit the 2 m mark.

I believe the average number of copies most writers sell is
maybe 200.

-- The late Nien Cheng (Life and Death in Shanghai) told me/us that authors only get $1-2 per book, whatever the list price, and figures Hocking gave on her blog corroborate this.

Nien Cheng - "but it just sold so many copies."

She said she re-wrote 4 times - "Because things like interrogations in the night took place all the time in prison - "

-- her daughter was killed by the Red Guards - and she told us that as her daughter was no more, she would not go back to China.

-- I don't know what you or I might conclude from these experiences, but I don't think writers stop writing, and I don't think painters stop painting.

-- And I do resent the reporter who called me in Chiangmai 15 minutes before my art show opened, and asked me how many paintings I expected to sell - You just cannot tell.

And if you think it's a lighthearted romp, give it a try yourself.

Kyi May Kaung