Really? This is the responsibility of the author?

What, then, is the literary agent’s job?

Let’s run a little math here.

Literary agents — who do not conceive, create, refine, edit, or promote literary works, but only sell them, and then usually only once — rake in 15% of the author’s total revenue, for as many authors as they have.

An agent who has 50 authors, therefore, is “working” — if that word makes any sense — at most one week per year for each author, in return for 15% of their combined gross revenue.

That’s not a bad scam.

It’s not too surprising, though, that a writer like Asimov, who published hundreds of books, never bothered to get an agent… and could never get agented writers he knew to justify why *they* had agents.

If I start following someone’s blog and it’s just their daily rant on rejection, their kids, their husbands, day old bread, I stop clicking. It’s too much.

I post 4 or 5 times a week, and I only write about reading or writing. Period.

Also, in addition to maintaining a blog, tweeting, and Facebooking, there are social media websites for business that are also excellent for getting people talking about your book. I’m on Linkedin and I find it a tremendous way to amplify what you’ve already accomplished in social media. It’s a way to get the word out and have those in other areas social, broadcast, and new media help you. For example, connecting with television and radio producers and editors. You can also direct traffic to your website, Twitter page, and Facebook page as well. I think that that as an author and writer it has worked for me to keep the social media wheel turning by connecting to those who can make a difference. Facebook is great for connecting to fans, friends, and of course family, and Twitter is a great way to spread the immediate word, yet I feel strongly that while business social networking takes time and effort, the pay off is when you need those connections to gatekeepers to help the audience find you and your book.