This week we decided to talk about etiquette for authors; or how to talk to other authors, your fans and your service providers, especially online.

It’s easy to get carried away, to start acting badly in the online space, and we wanted to give you a few tips on how to keep your online relationships strong and healthy. It’s all about treating people as you would like to be treated yourself – a good mantra to use everywhere in your life. 🙂

Be kind to each other. Respect the differences in all of us.

Dealing with people face to face is entirely different from online. Face to face, you can read both body language and expressions. You can see if you are boring them to tears of if you have insulted them!

Online is different. The tone we think we are putting into a post does not always appear that way to someone else, and your meaning can be misconstrued.

If you don’t want it written on your front gate, don’t put it out there (Social media platforms)

You may write the same genre as another writer you know, and that’s great, but your views may differ. Respect each other, and if you have a difference of opinion or don’t relate well to another person, then keep your distance. Do not even think about slandering them online! It will be there for a very long time if you regret it… and you will.

If you have never contacted another writer before, and suddenly appear up on their FB page, asking them to review or promote your book, that’s not a good look. Be a good community member, and others will start to reciprocate. Make contact first, or post positive responses to their posts.

Don’t do to others what you would hate done to you.

If something gets you hot under the collar, sleep on your reply. Don’t retaliate while you’re angry because once it’s out there, you can’t take it back!

Tim Grahl says, ‘be relentlessly helpful!’

Be kind to your readers. They’ve taken the time to buy and read your book, take the time to thank them if they contact you.

Don’t respond to reviews! Good or bad, just leave them alone. There is no win there for you, especially when you are defending your book against a negative comment.

If you are paying someone to do work for you, then pay them on time!!! Also, treat them with respect. This is vital in this industry. If you are using a service provider, again and again, they will be more likely to help you with a deadline, rush job, if you have respected and paid them on time.

If your cover designer, editor or whatever, is asking for information from you, then give it in a concise way. They are not going to read your book, so you tell them what you want.

Do your due diligence, find out what kind of edit you want, and how it works. What should it cost? Make sure you have this information, and then there will be no surprises when the product is ready, and you are invoiced.

Remember Karma – good or bad luck, viewed as resulting from one’s actions. 

Be a good community member!