We’ve all seen authors dropping cryptic hints on social media about big newsthey can’t share yet. Teasers that spark curiosity but also prompt questions like, Why the secrecy? and Who decides what to share and when?
With apologies to Orson Welles and the Paul Masson wine brand, “We will sell no wine before its time.”
Vaguebooking
I really don’t have strong feelings either way about it, other than to say that I doubt it’s effective as a marketing strategy. Or I should say it’s ineffective unless the you’re a big name with really big news. To be honest, if I tried to vaguebook, my FB and Instagram friends would either ignore the post or at least not comment on it. I don’t post news before its time.
In order to (attempt) to stay relevant, I usually post something every week or so, even if there’s nothing major going on in my writing life. Sometimes I resort to something personal, like cooking or cats or drawings, just to make sure my friends don’t forget me. I try not to flood my feed with too many posts too close together. I see many writers who post several items in one day, and while that may work for them, I doubt I could pull it off. I’m not that interesting.
If ever I’m bursting to share great news prematurely, I resist the urge. It’s difficult, but better to get a bang out of one good post than to have people scratching their heads wondering what I’m hinting at in a vaguebook post. I would even say that, at times, a cryptic post about news that can’t be shared is frustrating for the reader. Don’t tease me. I want satisfaction!
I haven’t had a new book out since December 2022, so there hasn’t been a lot for me to crow about, cryptically or otherwise. Every two weeks I post on FB and IG about my 7 Criminal Minds pieces, but not much else besides occasionally giving a shoutout to a friend’s book. And, of course, cats. I recently posted on Black Cat Appreciation Day. And when Tom Lehrer passed away, I put up a link to my favorite song of his, “I Got It from Agnes.” Click here to give a listen. I won’t spoil it with cryptic hints. It’s a funny song that lets the listener’s own dirty mind decide what “it” is.
And here’s a black cat, Boko, eating his salad.
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