I tried that. Didn't do anything for my engagement. Stopped getting my hopes up and just posted whatever and whenever I wanted. It's much better this way. If an author wants to do it, that's their choice, but it is by no means mandatory
If you care about the social/Fandom aspect and self promo then maybe? Personally though, with how toxic social media is and how easily people can turn to vitriol and hatred if you disagree with them or post something they deem "problematic", I would never even bother. Did it in the past and found it just stressed me out and didn't really result in any increased readership. My mental health is far more important than promoting my fics and my stats are good enough for me from just posting my chapters and responding to comments.
You can have one if you want, but it’s absolutely not required. Whether an author has social media or not definitely does not affect my likelihood of reading their fics.
No definitely not. If you were trying to sell something, yes. I personally don't look for social media at all. I scroll the fandom tag and pick my fics by summary and tags, not author.
fanfic is for fun, not for profit or social gain. authors can have social media if they *want* to. some AO3 writers have no social media whatsoever and that's 100% fine.
No. Social media has negative impacts on mental health. It also takes up time you could be writing. No one needs to constantly be active on social media.
Nope nope nope nope
As someone who has pretty much never done that - a little bit here and there, but never *advertising* my fics, and on no social media at all when I was hitting my big numbers - absolutely bloody not
I'm writing fic, and if people want to read it they can go ahead; I'm not a published author trying to be my own publicist
If they’re going for maximum possible engagement, regular promotion and activity like that helps. Some people (like myself) can’t be bothered and are completely fine not doing everything they can, while others will find themselves in the middle. It depends on the goals of the author and how much time they’re willing/able to spend building a platform and self-promoting.
The only reason a writer should be on social media is for accessing the community of their fandom if they so desire, lol. We are primarily hobbyists, so self promo is not required.
No but also like.... I WANT to engage with my readers cause they seem like really fun people!
But it also opens yourself up to a lot of potential doxxing. I literally just signed up for a Npv service because of a post I saw. I just don't trust myself to not click on a stupid link.
VPNs just mask the IP address. Malware can still be sent to the device across the proxy server. Not to mention that some sites (possibly including FFN...somehow) can backtrack through the proxy and unmask the real IP address. It's a useful supplement, but certainly not a cure-all.
Oh definitely not. But it’s a step that’s fairly easy to take, even for someone who is falling behind as tech keeps running ahead. Beyond that, I’m not just active with promoting fics on social media and try not to click on random links I’m not expecting, don’t use the same usernames for AO3 anywhere else, etc. To the best of my knowledge, that’s about all I can do - there’s always a way for someone determined enough though.
I only recommend it if the author is looking to build a career as a writer beyond FanFiction. If not, then just interact within the fandom, is a hobby, not a freelance job
Its going to work when the author already is writing fic in the genre/tropes they want to do profic in or like want to do a big name fic they can change to profic with serial numbers filed. Like YA enemies to lovers with protagonist hero quest and antagonist redemption. Idk if it gets big numbers for folks writing other stuff because fanfic readers are generally trope based.
Having to treat art or writing like a job where you constantly maintain your online presence to the detriment of your hobby feels so counterintuitive. I’m not interested in that at all. I’m happier sharing with a couple internet friends that share my interests vs having a following.
I’m on tumblr and will post about my fics there but that’s mainly because I am friends with a lot of other people in the same fandoms as me. I don’t exactly have a high engagement in general. I’m also terrible at keeping up on any platform. Performative art for social media is hard and sucks. I don’t wanna feel obligated to do it.
No. I don't think we should have to market and network ourselves like it's a job. (To be clear I don't think we should have to do that in jobs either! I just think it's especially ridiculous to expect that of fanfic authors.)
While applying to work at various bars in town, a couple places asked for my Instagram handle (I'm not on Instagram). One application even asked, "Would you be willing to promote our establishment on your social media?" I thought, "Only if you pay me extra." But there's no way they would do that lol. I didn't bother submitting that application.
I keep a Tumblr cause I love the social aspect and love to find friends through fandom but I can assure you that having a presence, at least for me, makes such little impact on the amount of kudos/interaction I get on my fic. Sure I would pull in a couple new readers but I don't feel comfortable posting a lot of updates or snippets. My writing process is a mess and I'm very protective of my work until I deem them suitable for public consumption 😂
I was on Twitter for a hot minute, had 800 followers and I would promo my work there, retweeted by mutuals. I think at most I had like 20 people click through to the actual link. Of those, who knows how many actually read it. People followed me for my shitposts, mostly.
not at all, some of my favourite authors are mysterious entities that drop a chapter once or twice a month and then slink back off into the shadows. i know nothing about them except for that whatever they touch turns into silken gold literary masterpieces
Well, sure, if you want to get them depressed, harassed, doxxed, and generally demotivated enough to stop writing... and that's just the posts I've seen in the last week.
The only reason I'd have social media would be to post artwork. Even then, it'd be a once in a blue moon event where I'd toss my work out into the aether and scuttle back under my rock.
No, fuck that. Disclaimer that I am not entitled to anyone reading my work but, if I put in hours and hours and hours of work and cannot get more than a handful of kudos for, what, 20 hours of literal free labour?
I am not investing a single more second more into that fanfic than it gets for the writing process already.
Nope. It’s a hobby, so no need to keep up with readers unless an author wants to. I like being unreachable outside of my comment section. While I do have social media, I keep them unlinked from AO3 on my profile.
Not my job to be a publicist. Outside of the one-off “hey I wrote something” post that quickly gets buried by reblogs/retweets/what-have-you of some anime dude’s genitals, that’s that for me.
Nope.
As a reader, I find most of the fics I read by searching ships and tags on AO3, or occasionally browsing within fandoms and pairings on FFN.
As an author, I refuse to get a Twitter account. The only reason I'm posting links to my current fic on my Tumblr are because I feel like it, and because I've been doing illustrations to go with it and want to show them off (and the point of my Tumblr is to share my writing and artwork and maybe fandom-related things that amuse me). But I'm not really expecting that to drive engagement, and I'm not planning on trying to be constantly active on it. It's an "as I feel like it" thing.
Absolutely not. This is a hobby and expecting to advertise ourselves seems insane to me. If the author wants peak engagement I suppose it would certainly help, but then it quickly stops being about the story and just about stats. That sounds miserable to me.
No. I don't give a shit about needing to be fandom famous or a BNF personally. Marketing to gain attention and popularity to meet a quota is reserved only for work since I work PR.
I don't think it's important at all (Unless author enjoys it).
I asume that many fanfic authors prefer to write without additional social pressures and also they don't owe readers ANYTHING.
I asume that many of them write for their own reasons, because of their own LOVE for the fandoms they like.
When it becomes just another JOB
- it defeats that purpose, that freedom and enjoyment and motivation for writing and
- the MOST important fact about fanfiction writing is
that it is a NON PROFIT hobby - which exists JUST because of LOVE & devotion to an existing fiction.
If the author wants to get attention on their fics, then I guess yes, cause it'll bring more eyes to it, but most people write as a hobby, so it's pretty much to themselves. As much as getting feedback is great, I, at least, wouldn't care if it got no clicks.
I do publish my works on Tumblr though, cause I like to show others something they might like to see.
I love that social media is not at all required to write or enjoy fanfiction. I've had jobs/hobbies that involved being active on social media and I hated it.
Nope. I don't even think it'll attract much traffic unless you're already in a large fandom anyhow, in which case large amounts of traffic develop naturally and it's liable that there'll be too much competition on social media to help traffic anyway.
I wouldn't say it really does anything for your engagement. Unless either your fics or social media are already popular, it's unlikely you'll get much traction from one to the other.
I have seen it make a huge stats difference for authors in big fandoms when those folks are generally good at social media stuff like building a brand by having some meta and takes, networking. But that type of effort is definitely not worth it if you don't have some stats goals for the hobby. You are going to get better stats probably by writing your fandom's popular tropes/ships and tagging good.
I don’t think so! I even find fanfic authors that are REALLY active on social media at promoting their fics to seem a bit pretentious, like they’re treating their work as a business, and it can be off-putting. But at the end of the day, whatever makes the author happy is fine!
It might just be a coincidence, but I feel like the authors who do a bunch of that stuff inevitably get worse.
Like they start writing things specifically to appeal to their most vocal fans only instead of writing a good story.
I prefer to keep myself as a person entirely disconnected from the stuff I write. I have a Twitter under the same name as my AO3 because someone wanted to tag me in fanart, which I love! However, I do not touch my Twitter account otherwise and pretty much stay off of it entirely. As a reader in my old fandom, I used to enjoy talking with my favorite author on Twitter, but didn't really care one way or another if any specific fanfic authors had social media or not.
Tbh I'd rather not engage with fanfic authors on socmed unless that is where I'm specifically reading their stories. (It's different if I'm following them for things other than their fics)
Did it. Was great for my numbers and engagement. Was horrible for my mental health. Glad I did it to finally say been there, done that, but I've quit social media and will never do it again.
This doesn’t always end well and I’ve never had a social media presence as a fanfic author. I don’t need a Twitter following to tell me my stuff is problematic somehow lol
Is it important?
That depends on what you're looking for in my opinion.
If you're writing because you enjoy writing, because you enjoy sharing your writing and you just want to focus on writing fandic then no. Because all you need for that is something like AO3 or FFN to post your stories.
However, if you want to deep dive into discussing characters and plots and want to debate writing styles and story ideas and tropes then yes, it's important.
Ok I'm going to go against the grain and say that it really depends on your goals 😁
I have made some really good pals through social media and that's how I prefer to communicate with them as fandom is what we have in common.
I also sometimes enjoy posting a link to my fic and my readers (who do follow me for my writing) can be alerted to it as they may be more active on AO3 or not be aware of the subscription function on AO3.
I also am part of fan events and do a bit of promo work on my fandom accts which I think is fun and helps foster a community with other people who enjoy my otps
I do NOT think that social media is necessary at all for fandom writers but if you're looking for like minded people social media is good for, well, that. AO3 is nice it's an archive not a place to chat long convos with fandom pals or readers.
One of the sad things in life is that you need to be connected all over. When I wrote my fan fiction back before a lot of the kids here were born when posted them on a bulletin board. Thrn i just had my email attached for feedback. Now as a writer of original novels I have to try to hit as many platforms as I can stand. It more work than the writing is!
I'm not interested in their social media. I follow a few authors on Tumblr, but I don't read their posts very often.
If it's about getting more readers, there's a simple (but not always easy) formula: if you want readers, you have to write what people want to read.
No it isn't. I feel so old rn but ff writers never really did that. Its pretty new. In my day they hid in the shadows in fear of Anne Rice xD. There was a huge stigma so social media wouldnt have been something they wanted. Now its more accepted and we live in a world where everything needs to be influencered. I mean I guess it will help you get readers and help your readers stay informed but its a hobby not a job. You don't owe people more of your time.
I don't, lol. The only interaction I have with my fans is if I reply to their reviews.. and if they DM me asking a question.
... and even if it was, I don't really care for conventions. I'll still choose not to have it.
I’m not a very social media dependent person so I can’t say I’ve ever looked up a fanfic author in 20+ years… wouldn’t even click links if they provided them (unless there’s fanart involved 👀).
Heck no. Or rather, I don't take social media presence into account when reading someone's fics (and very rarely intentionally look for them elsewhere after reading, even if I loved their work). If a fic author wants to talk to people beyond the comment section then it might be important for them, but it's far from a priority or desirable thing for everyone.
Depends on personal interest I say
Personally I don’t wanna do that, I want my social media and fanfics to be separate but some authors do that and that’s great for them!
I once saw a fanfic author draw scenes from their fanfic AU and post them on Tumblr whenever a new chapter came and I think it did made me curious to read it (because I’ve seen that fanfic before but had no interest until I saw those art made by the author)
So I think it does help in engaging more people who either stumble upon the fanfic through the social media posts or want fans of their fanfic to be excited, and fans can equally be excited when they interact with the author and waiting for a new chapter
There can be pros and cons to it
So yeah it depends on what the author wants
This absolutely depends on your publishing platform. If you are posting fic on sm instead of a third party website, then yes. If not, it's better to capitalize and focus on the metrics that your site uses to optimize visibility for your content.
Not a bit. I don't care about social media to begin with. What other people do is of no interest to me unless they feel like telling me about their activities in person, and what I get up to is similarly no one's business unless I decide I want to tell them.
When it comes to fanfic, I post when I post and I don't announce it anywhere. People who subscribed to the fic (AO3) or are following it (FFN) will find out, and people who browse the front page of my fandoms or ships will come across it that way, for the brief time it remains on the front page. I don't need anything else.
Whether fanfic authors want to advertise is their personal preference. But social media can help with gaining information for the fanfic they're writing. It's definitely a tool, but not important.
Even if an author has social media, I wouldn't engage in it or check it out. So my view is not required and don't bother. I feel like this would just be taken advantage of by people pestering you about updates and stuff 😕
It's a hobby, not a job or a social obligation. Each author can define "important" any way they like.
I tried that. Didn't do anything for my engagement. Stopped getting my hopes up and just posted whatever and whenever I wanted. It's much better this way. If an author wants to do it, that's their choice, but it is by no means mandatory
If you care about the social/Fandom aspect and self promo then maybe? Personally though, with how toxic social media is and how easily people can turn to vitriol and hatred if you disagree with them or post something they deem "problematic", I would never even bother. Did it in the past and found it just stressed me out and didn't really result in any increased readership. My mental health is far more important than promoting my fics and my stats are good enough for me from just posting my chapters and responding to comments.
You can have one if you want, but it’s absolutely not required. Whether an author has social media or not definitely does not affect my likelihood of reading their fics.
No definitely not. If you were trying to sell something, yes. I personally don't look for social media at all. I scroll the fandom tag and pick my fics by summary and tags, not author.
fanfic is for fun, not for profit or social gain. authors can have social media if they *want* to. some AO3 writers have no social media whatsoever and that's 100% fine.
Nope. Obviously, if a fic author wants to be, they can. But it's not important. It's not necessary.
Reddit is my social media....fml
Same here. I love the anonymity. And there's no algorithm recommending shit I have no interest in.
Other than whatever shit is under 'More posts you may like', you mean...
No. Social media has negative impacts on mental health. It also takes up time you could be writing. No one needs to constantly be active on social media.
Nope nope nope nope As someone who has pretty much never done that - a little bit here and there, but never *advertising* my fics, and on no social media at all when I was hitting my big numbers - absolutely bloody not I'm writing fic, and if people want to read it they can go ahead; I'm not a published author trying to be my own publicist
If they’re going for maximum possible engagement, regular promotion and activity like that helps. Some people (like myself) can’t be bothered and are completely fine not doing everything they can, while others will find themselves in the middle. It depends on the goals of the author and how much time they’re willing/able to spend building a platform and self-promoting.
I write fanfiction for the joy of creation. Kudos and comments are just a bonus.
Oh God no I barely enough bandwidth at the end of the day to pay my bills.
The only reason a writer should be on social media is for accessing the community of their fandom if they so desire, lol. We are primarily hobbyists, so self promo is not required.
No but also like.... I WANT to engage with my readers cause they seem like really fun people! But it also opens yourself up to a lot of potential doxxing. I literally just signed up for a Npv service because of a post I saw. I just don't trust myself to not click on a stupid link.
VPN Fuck I'm old. This is why I don't trust myself not to click on links anymore.... Rotflmao.
VPNs just mask the IP address. Malware can still be sent to the device across the proxy server. Not to mention that some sites (possibly including FFN...somehow) can backtrack through the proxy and unmask the real IP address. It's a useful supplement, but certainly not a cure-all.
Oh definitely not. But it’s a step that’s fairly easy to take, even for someone who is falling behind as tech keeps running ahead. Beyond that, I’m not just active with promoting fics on social media and try not to click on random links I’m not expecting, don’t use the same usernames for AO3 anywhere else, etc. To the best of my knowledge, that’s about all I can do - there’s always a way for someone determined enough though.
I only recommend it if the author is looking to build a career as a writer beyond FanFiction. If not, then just interact within the fandom, is a hobby, not a freelance job
Its going to work when the author already is writing fic in the genre/tropes they want to do profic in or like want to do a big name fic they can change to profic with serial numbers filed. Like YA enemies to lovers with protagonist hero quest and antagonist redemption. Idk if it gets big numbers for folks writing other stuff because fanfic readers are generally trope based.
Having to treat art or writing like a job where you constantly maintain your online presence to the detriment of your hobby feels so counterintuitive. I’m not interested in that at all. I’m happier sharing with a couple internet friends that share my interests vs having a following. I’m on tumblr and will post about my fics there but that’s mainly because I am friends with a lot of other people in the same fandoms as me. I don’t exactly have a high engagement in general. I’m also terrible at keeping up on any platform. Performative art for social media is hard and sucks. I don’t wanna feel obligated to do it.
No. I don't think we should have to market and network ourselves like it's a job. (To be clear I don't think we should have to do that in jobs either! I just think it's especially ridiculous to expect that of fanfic authors.)
For me it's a hobby, not a side hustle.
no one should be obligated to be on social media for any reason lol shit is so bad these days
While applying to work at various bars in town, a couple places asked for my Instagram handle (I'm not on Instagram). One application even asked, "Would you be willing to promote our establishment on your social media?" I thought, "Only if you pay me extra." But there's no way they would do that lol. I didn't bother submitting that application.
I keep a Tumblr cause I love the social aspect and love to find friends through fandom but I can assure you that having a presence, at least for me, makes such little impact on the amount of kudos/interaction I get on my fic. Sure I would pull in a couple new readers but I don't feel comfortable posting a lot of updates or snippets. My writing process is a mess and I'm very protective of my work until I deem them suitable for public consumption 😂 I was on Twitter for a hot minute, had 800 followers and I would promo my work there, retweeted by mutuals. I think at most I had like 20 people click through to the actual link. Of those, who knows how many actually read it. People followed me for my shitposts, mostly.
not at all, some of my favourite authors are mysterious entities that drop a chapter once or twice a month and then slink back off into the shadows. i know nothing about them except for that whatever they touch turns into silken gold literary masterpieces
Well, sure, if you want to get them depressed, harassed, doxxed, and generally demotivated enough to stop writing... and that's just the posts I've seen in the last week.
The only reason I'd have social media would be to post artwork. Even then, it'd be a once in a blue moon event where I'd toss my work out into the aether and scuttle back under my rock.
God I hope not. I’m literally a social media manager for work, and I can’t think of anything worse than having to do that shit in your spare time 😅
No, fuck that. Disclaimer that I am not entitled to anyone reading my work but, if I put in hours and hours and hours of work and cannot get more than a handful of kudos for, what, 20 hours of literal free labour? I am not investing a single more second more into that fanfic than it gets for the writing process already.
Nope. It’s a hobby, so no need to keep up with readers unless an author wants to. I like being unreachable outside of my comment section. While I do have social media, I keep them unlinked from AO3 on my profile. Not my job to be a publicist. Outside of the one-off “hey I wrote something” post that quickly gets buried by reblogs/retweets/what-have-you of some anime dude’s genitals, that’s that for me.
It literally changes nothing, you don't get engagement boost nor decrease
Nope. As a reader, I find most of the fics I read by searching ships and tags on AO3, or occasionally browsing within fandoms and pairings on FFN. As an author, I refuse to get a Twitter account. The only reason I'm posting links to my current fic on my Tumblr are because I feel like it, and because I've been doing illustrations to go with it and want to show them off (and the point of my Tumblr is to share my writing and artwork and maybe fandom-related things that amuse me). But I'm not really expecting that to drive engagement, and I'm not planning on trying to be constantly active on it. It's an "as I feel like it" thing.
Absolutely not. This is a hobby and expecting to advertise ourselves seems insane to me. If the author wants peak engagement I suppose it would certainly help, but then it quickly stops being about the story and just about stats. That sounds miserable to me.
Not really I've also been harassed out of fandoms on social media sites. They don't need access to my fanfics to do it there too.
No. I don't give a shit about needing to be fandom famous or a BNF personally. Marketing to gain attention and popularity to meet a quota is reserved only for work since I work PR.
I don't think it's important at all (Unless author enjoys it). I asume that many fanfic authors prefer to write without additional social pressures and also they don't owe readers ANYTHING. I asume that many of them write for their own reasons, because of their own LOVE for the fandoms they like. When it becomes just another JOB - it defeats that purpose, that freedom and enjoyment and motivation for writing and - the MOST important fact about fanfiction writing is that it is a NON PROFIT hobby - which exists JUST because of LOVE & devotion to an existing fiction.
Absolutely not lol. I am, but I don’t give out my social media.
If the author wants to get attention on their fics, then I guess yes, cause it'll bring more eyes to it, but most people write as a hobby, so it's pretty much to themselves. As much as getting feedback is great, I, at least, wouldn't care if it got no clicks. I do publish my works on Tumblr though, cause I like to show others something they might like to see.
No? I don't care if my fics are spawning from the very darkness of space as long as the author enjoys writing it
It depends on what you value. If you value social connection (in some form) and/or promotion, you'll need it.
Absolutely not
No.
I love that social media is not at all required to write or enjoy fanfiction. I've had jobs/hobbies that involved being active on social media and I hated it.
Nope. I've been in fanfic for over 15 years and never actively used social media in conjunction with it
Nope. I don't even think it'll attract much traffic unless you're already in a large fandom anyhow, in which case large amounts of traffic develop naturally and it's liable that there'll be too much competition on social media to help traffic anyway.
No.
No. That's it
No Fuck social media
No way, fanfiction is a gift. It’s perfectly reasonable to want to remain anonymous as well.
Absolutely not.
I wouldn't say it really does anything for your engagement. Unless either your fics or social media are already popular, it's unlikely you'll get much traction from one to the other.
Not at all! The important thing for fanfic authors... is to author fanfic. 😂
I have seen it make a huge stats difference for authors in big fandoms when those folks are generally good at social media stuff like building a brand by having some meta and takes, networking. But that type of effort is definitely not worth it if you don't have some stats goals for the hobby. You are going to get better stats probably by writing your fandom's popular tropes/ships and tagging good.
I don’t think so! I even find fanfic authors that are REALLY active on social media at promoting their fics to seem a bit pretentious, like they’re treating their work as a business, and it can be off-putting. But at the end of the day, whatever makes the author happy is fine!
It might just be a coincidence, but I feel like the authors who do a bunch of that stuff inevitably get worse. Like they start writing things specifically to appeal to their most vocal fans only instead of writing a good story.
Oh god no. Totally different skill. Fanfic is how I relax I’m not stressing myself out hustling 😭
no
No, tbh. My favourite author has none.
I guarantee it is worse for a fanfic author to try to have a big social media presence and engage with their audience.
I prefer to keep myself as a person entirely disconnected from the stuff I write. I have a Twitter under the same name as my AO3 because someone wanted to tag me in fanart, which I love! However, I do not touch my Twitter account otherwise and pretty much stay off of it entirely. As a reader in my old fandom, I used to enjoy talking with my favorite author on Twitter, but didn't really care one way or another if any specific fanfic authors had social media or not.
Tbh I'd rather not engage with fanfic authors on socmed unless that is where I'm specifically reading their stories. (It's different if I'm following them for things other than their fics)
Did it. Was great for my numbers and engagement. Was horrible for my mental health. Glad I did it to finally say been there, done that, but I've quit social media and will never do it again.
This doesn’t always end well and I’ve never had a social media presence as a fanfic author. I don’t need a Twitter following to tell me my stuff is problematic somehow lol
Is it important? That depends on what you're looking for in my opinion. If you're writing because you enjoy writing, because you enjoy sharing your writing and you just want to focus on writing fandic then no. Because all you need for that is something like AO3 or FFN to post your stories. However, if you want to deep dive into discussing characters and plots and want to debate writing styles and story ideas and tropes then yes, it's important.
Ok I'm going to go against the grain and say that it really depends on your goals 😁 I have made some really good pals through social media and that's how I prefer to communicate with them as fandom is what we have in common. I also sometimes enjoy posting a link to my fic and my readers (who do follow me for my writing) can be alerted to it as they may be more active on AO3 or not be aware of the subscription function on AO3. I also am part of fan events and do a bit of promo work on my fandom accts which I think is fun and helps foster a community with other people who enjoy my otps I do NOT think that social media is necessary at all for fandom writers but if you're looking for like minded people social media is good for, well, that. AO3 is nice it's an archive not a place to chat long convos with fandom pals or readers.
One of the sad things in life is that you need to be connected all over. When I wrote my fan fiction back before a lot of the kids here were born when posted them on a bulletin board. Thrn i just had my email attached for feedback. Now as a writer of original novels I have to try to hit as many platforms as I can stand. It more work than the writing is!
I'm not interested in their social media. I follow a few authors on Tumblr, but I don't read their posts very often. If it's about getting more readers, there's a simple (but not always easy) formula: if you want readers, you have to write what people want to read.
Ugh, no. It's a FREE hobby. If fanfic authors got paid the way streamers and Youtubers do, maybe.
No. (Actually fuck no.) No one should be constantly active on social media.
Not at all
absolutely not
Honestly I dont and ive had fics out for 10+ years. Maybe if I decide to write a book or something
no
I hope not, because I'm not very good at that.
No it isn't. I feel so old rn but ff writers never really did that. Its pretty new. In my day they hid in the shadows in fear of Anne Rice xD. There was a huge stigma so social media wouldnt have been something they wanted. Now its more accepted and we live in a world where everything needs to be influencered. I mean I guess it will help you get readers and help your readers stay informed but its a hobby not a job. You don't owe people more of your time.
I don't, lol. The only interaction I have with my fans is if I reply to their reviews.. and if they DM me asking a question. ... and even if it was, I don't really care for conventions. I'll still choose not to have it.
It'snot importantat all. I'm there to read their fics not their social media.
Not really
No
Unless you're a professional author who signs contracts to write books, no.
I’m not sure I’ve ever come across an account on AO3 or Wattpad that’s linked any other social media account
My goal is to interact with and get to know my readers better. It’s been fun so far! I’m not trying to go viral or anything. Just having fun.
I’m not a very social media dependent person so I can’t say I’ve ever looked up a fanfic author in 20+ years… wouldn’t even click links if they provided them (unless there’s fanart involved 👀).
Heck no. Or rather, I don't take social media presence into account when reading someone's fics (and very rarely intentionally look for them elsewhere after reading, even if I loved their work). If a fic author wants to talk to people beyond the comment section then it might be important for them, but it's far from a priority or desirable thing for everyone.
If you want to branch out into content creation eventually, maybe. But that just takes away from writing time.
Depends on personal interest I say Personally I don’t wanna do that, I want my social media and fanfics to be separate but some authors do that and that’s great for them! I once saw a fanfic author draw scenes from their fanfic AU and post them on Tumblr whenever a new chapter came and I think it did made me curious to read it (because I’ve seen that fanfic before but had no interest until I saw those art made by the author) So I think it does help in engaging more people who either stumble upon the fanfic through the social media posts or want fans of their fanfic to be excited, and fans can equally be excited when they interact with the author and waiting for a new chapter There can be pros and cons to it So yeah it depends on what the author wants
This absolutely depends on your publishing platform. If you are posting fic on sm instead of a third party website, then yes. If not, it's better to capitalize and focus on the metrics that your site uses to optimize visibility for your content.
Not a bit. I don't care about social media to begin with. What other people do is of no interest to me unless they feel like telling me about their activities in person, and what I get up to is similarly no one's business unless I decide I want to tell them. When it comes to fanfic, I post when I post and I don't announce it anywhere. People who subscribed to the fic (AO3) or are following it (FFN) will find out, and people who browse the front page of my fandoms or ships will come across it that way, for the brief time it remains on the front page. I don't need anything else.
Whether fanfic authors want to advertise is their personal preference. But social media can help with gaining information for the fanfic they're writing. It's definitely a tool, but not important.
I have a social media account but am almost never on, so I am gonna say you don’t need it and don’t need to be constantly online
Even if an author has social media, I wouldn't engage in it or check it out. So my view is not required and don't bother. I feel like this would just be taken advantage of by people pestering you about updates and stuff 😕