“Wear your passion” is the last phrase on the Holstee manifesto I have on my PC wallpaper. When we put our passions out there, other people who are passionate about the same things are drawn to us, by conversations, tweets, blogposts, whatever. It’s how we find our true people.

My personal policy of social media & book promotion is mostly based on my experiences as a reader – if I see an author doing something that bores me or turns me off them, I try not to do that thing!

It can be quite agonising, though, trying to avoid making people cringe, but knowing you have a responsibility to tell people about your book. This is of course where an effective “social network” – ie gang of friends who like you – comes in handy. The most effective & fun use social media is when a bunch of people who like an author and her work help to promote her new book because they genuinely want to!

Paying it back was one of the earliest lessons I learned, from some amazing writers who took me under their wing, and it has never steered me wrong.