The Mastermind of Love

 

I decided to follow Nicholas Sparks on Twitter. I have read five of his books and hope to read them all one day. He is my go-to when I want to experience every human emotion possible. He tweets almost everyday, mostly quotes about his novels and movies. He also re-tweets many of his followers. An example of a reader response he re-tweeted was: "@SparksNicholas #inspiration making me believe in true love". He also has many pictures of him and his fans on his twitter account too. He has a link to his website at the top of his twitter.

On his website, he lists all the books he has written. An informal interview with the author is also posted under the synopsis with questions asking why particular things happened in the novel. He has a biographical section, FAQ, novel learning series for when teachers want to use his books in the classroom, writing tips and recommended reads. On his writing tips page, he listed several writing books for people to read, two of which were On Writing by Stephen King and Elements of Style by William Strunk. Interestingly, I read King's book in AP Language, and we talked about Elements of Style in English 367.02. Something that stood out to me is that he created the Nicholas Sparks Foundation selling signed copies of his books benefiting his non profit organization for education. He and his wife have donated $10,000,000 to local, regional and national causes - including education, veteran support, Alzheimer’s care and research, childhood disease research and care, and animal rescue organizations, but education remains a top priority. All in all, his website is a much better representation of him than twitter. Information wise, twitter is very limited due to the 140 character constraint, but the advantage is getting to know the author on a more personal level. I feel very connected to him because of his genuineness. I also liked how it highlighted other activities he enjoys doing besides writing, such as running 30 miles a week, spending time with his five children, lifting weights four times a week and Tae Kwon Do.

He is really technology savvy because his website contains the links to his Facebook, WhoSay, Twitter, Google+ and Youtube. This is a good move for literary culture because the internet is such a pervasive part of our lives now, and it makes receiving and posting information really fast. We learn much more on social media, than by just reading the front and back covers of the book. If we stuck to the traditional novel, all the information we'd get is where the author lives, his family, his books and awards he's received. That does not tell much about a person. On the other hand, their facebook, twitter and personal blogs could contain all the information you've ever wanted to know about the author. Hard copied books do not offer that much space for the author to engage with the reader on a personal level.

This might have been the first time that I have researched an author's life and social media presence. I don't follow author's social media because I enjoy reading for the content the story holds and don't really care that much for who wrote it. Do any of you follow your favorite author on the internet? And why? Authors are in a totally different sphere than celebrities. Most people do follow celebrities because it is entertainment, and when given the chance to see them in real life, they would jump at the opportunity. Whereas, most people would not be so enthused at a book signing. Will this ever change?

When I think of literary culture, I think of a community that is fostered by literature. This is so easily seen on facebook fan pages of people, brands and things. The most eminent might be the virtual Harry Potter world of Pottermore by J.K. Rowling. All of these outlets brings people with common interests together. Virtual communities are very effective when it comes to easy accessibility. What do you think of traditional book clubs? Do they work or will they become obsolete one day?