Lonely & lost in Cyberspace: An Indie Author's Return to Networking

A year ago I was announcing the nearing launch of my first Young Adult novel, 'Units'.  Unfortunately there was a huge delay in my commitments to finish the book and at one point I wondered if I would ever look at it again.  And for a long time, I didn't.  But you know how a good story grips you and you simply can't put it out of your mind?  'Units' was exactly that.

I have fallen back into my text editor, where life around me stops for a short time whilst I indulge in the life of my protagonist, Pearl.  I have finally found the new journey in which the book is about to embark on and I can't wait, myself, to find out what happens in the end for my girl.  I've somehow connected with the characters in a way that actually surprises me.  They are clearly figments of my own imagination and yet I feel that I know them as beings in their own rights.

What's been hugely difficult for me since returning to writing is not so much the story.  In fact, that part is refreshing and growing more mature as the recent days pass.  It's networking that i'm struggling with now.  I had already began building a small audience for the release of my first dystopian works and have since lost them over my long drawn out break.

Returning to Twitter, I am seeing the same familiar Twitterers I remember from a year ago, but I'm now feeling somewhat like a ghost, unable to reach out to them and I'm afraid I'm already forgotten.

It's not a good sign for my book, which last year had people excited, curious and waiting patiently to be the first to read my dark & daunting book.  When I started networking about my upcoming novel, I was surprised to see the level of interest.  It confirmed I was on the right track, that perhaps I could release a story that would be loved by readers all over the world.  Queue celebratory music.  I imagined the potential future of 'Units' being a success after seeing several people had added it to their 'to-read' list on Goodreads and few had already commented expressing their interest in what I had to offer.  Tweeting a sneak peek into the first chapter of the book had quickly escalated into more than few re-tweets and here I am now, desperately hoping it can pick up again.

I wonder now how I pick back up with all of this, finding it increasingly difficult to find a spot in cyberspace to lay down the roots of my future as an indie author.  I'm conflicted by which face to address my fans.  Should I blog and tweet from here, my blog that's all book related, or do I start a blog for my book alone and network from there?  Do I tweet as myself or as 'Units'?

So for now I feel that whilst I regain my audience, I'm best to stay put here, where it all began with a love of reading and connecting with other like minded people.

I'm here *waves* and waiting for my welcome back parade, but until then, i'll settle for a cup of tea and a natter.