And I urge new, serious writers to do the same. Yes, the network I’ve built is wonderful. Yes, social media sells books–to an extent–but it is more about building an audience and engaging those people. And in this over saturated environment, blogging is becoming less and less effective. 

I know some will disagree, and that’s fine. We are all entitle to our opinions. I’ve been blogging over two years, and I am getting ready to publish my third book. I am certainly a work in progress, but I know what is working for me now and what isn’t.

I do think blogs work better for some genres than others. I think they are more effective for young adult readers simply because of lifestyle. But my target audience is a bit older and many don’t have time to keep up with blogs, FB, etc. 

For me, Facebook has been the best way for interaction with my readers, and even that is limited because of their parameters and, let’s face it, people are busy, busy, bust. So, unless you are a lucky duck with a bestselling book right out of the gate (and yay! if you are), your best bet is to spend as much time writing and working on your craft. More books, better quality books = more reviews and more readers.

I don’t believe indie authors will rise to compete with the quality (or sometimes, perceived quality) of traditional publishing unless we continue to hone our crafts and treat our writing as a business. That means in investing in editing, craft books if necessary, and great cover artists. 

And my goal as a writer is for each book to be better than the last, and to continue to earn great word of mouth by good reviews. 

Which means I will continue to keep the blog on the back burner. This summer I am editing the second Delta Crossroads book, SKELETON’S KEY, and I am also plotting two new ideas I am really excited about. 

I will continue to post the occasional Thriller Thursday, and you can absolutely stay updated with me on Facebook and Twitter. I’ll also be posting every few weeks on the misterio press blog, which is the amazing publishing co-op I belong to. 

So to wrap this up, I’d urge new authors who are being bombarded with the call to social media (and more experienced who may have fallen into the habit) to make sure they are spending the vast majority of their time and energy on their writing, period. 

That’s our best chance at success. Good luck!