Kristen Lamb

I purchased this book several months ago and just now had a chance to start reading, and all I can say is...stupid, stupid, stupid! (Me, I mean.) Over the past couple years I've read and studied and taken seminars and workshops and then read more from experts on social media. While I've learned some really cool stuff about how to work the mechanics of the various platforms, this is the first comprehensive book I've read that explains how to make social media work for a writer. Kristen Lamb has an easy and fun style that turns a subject that could be terrifying for an introverted writer into something that's not so scary, not so intimidating...maybe even do-able! She breaks the information down into categories that make sense, and uses examples (lots of them) to explain. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kristen Lamb.… (más)

Whether you are a new author or a seasoned pro, Rise of the Machines is a must-have resource for your toolkit. In fact, you’ll probably want to keep it within reach.

Filled with solid advice and action items to put you on the right track—and keep you accountable—I was able to quickly identify weak points in my author platform (some of them blatant potholes). As Kristen notes, “Platforms are constructed from social sites + content + authentic interaction.” I’ll admit, I had to chuckle as I was typing that last bit—I looked up at my Twitter feed to find at least a dozen “Buy my book!” tweets zipping by…authentic, indeed! :)

By the time I finished devouring this book, I had marked up so much great info that I had to go back through and assign different colored tabs to keep track of action items vs. key points vs. awesome quotes.

I can’t recommend this book enough. It is definitely something you will refer to—if not reread a second or third time—throughout your writing journey. Good stuff, Kristen!… (más)

Lots of good advice in this book. I'm going through it again and following through on some of that advice. I love Lamb's emphasis on golden rule as in, you get back what you give out (in the social media world as in life). Succeeding with social media is as much about being thoughtful, polite, helpful, and kind as it is about trumpeting yourself.

I have a quibble with her recommendation to get active on My Space. It's not gonna happen here! As well, there's no reference to Pinterest (though the book came out in 2010 and I'm not sure Pinterest was even invented then).

Some of my fav quotes from the book:

"Make using positive statements a habit, not only on social media, but in life" (Kindle Location 723).

"In order to do what you love--WRITE--you must learn to do what you hate--SELL. It doesn't have to be as hard as a lot of people make it. Brand your name, then your name can do the selling while you do the writing" (KL 776).

"People are on social media for one huge reason .... connection. Humans are social creatures. Without community we suffer mentally and emotionally. Humans left alone often go crazy or die" (KL 1628).

"Conversation is your most powerful tool of connection" (KL 1655).… (más)